Today I received a lovely review letter through the post from Soundbeam, evaluating my time there during my work experience.
Category Archives: Work Experience
Work Experience Day 5 – Soundbeam
My last day at Soundbeam began with me taking samples from the VCS3 and recording them through a interface into Logic. I then edited the samples adding effects to some and not to others. I then loaded the samples on to Soundbeam and created a new preset consisting of just VCS3 samples. I felt that this preset had quite a nice history to it as the VCS3 is where it all began and the Soundbeam is where it led too. Below is a video of me playing the preset I created:
In the afternoon I performed both presets I had created over the week to the Soundbeam team.
The preset which I created for my Live Brief got good feedback, particularly for the switch work, such as the bass line which allowed the player to play each note individually by pressing the switch and each note could be held for as long or as short a time as desired.
Adrian suggested a improvement for the beams which was to select the playing option multi sustain, which would normally build up each note to create a chord which would for this preset not sound good, however he then selected the dimensions and changed to 1 so that you could play each note individually whilst still being sustained however it would not build a chord, this did make playing the beam easier.
It was said that the preset i created which consisted of Drums, Bass and Guitar could work well in schools to teach children about the make up of a band.
The video of the final performance of my live brief is below:
Adrian and Cindy both particularly liked the VCS3 preset which I had also created they liked the variety of sounds which were used.
Conclusion
My week spent at Soundbeam was a great learning curve for me. I got a great in-depth knowledge of how the soundbeam works and how to created your own samples, recordings and presets. This will come in great use for my next project in which I will be working at a school for disabled children and using the Soundbeam heavily.
I got an insight into how the company works and runs from day to day, which is a good base for the future, when I hope to create my own product and business. I also gained contacts within the area I hope to go into in the future.
Work Experience Day 4 – Soundbeam
My Day began with a demonstration of ArKaos from Adrian, which is the VJing program which is used along side Soundbeam. Arkaos picks up not only the switches buy also the beams and images can be assigned to eat note/switch so that when played an image will flash up. I really got the sense of power that Arkaos can add to individuals experiences of Soundbeam, not only does it make Soundbeam an Audiovisual experience but it can also be used to make the piece which is played on the Soundbeam more personal, by using pictures which provoke memories etc.
I then continued on with my live brief, I edited the sounds and note of both the sensors as I was still not happy with how they were sounding, I am now at a point where I am happy with the sounds on each switch and beam and spent the rest of the day playing my preset forming a structure and getting to grips with how best to play Soundbeam. The results are below:
I have also decided to create a remix of the preset I have created, I am doing this by recording each switch and sensor live using the recording equipment within Soundbeam, I can then transfer the recordings to my laptop and am editing using Logic, the results so far are below:
Towards the end of the day I was extremely privileged to be aloud to play Edward Williams, creator of Soundbeam, EMS VCS3 (The Putney), Edward Williams used the VCS3 in many of his compositions and was one of EMS’s long standing customers along side the likes of Pink Floyd, EMS went on to produce the first Soundbeam for Edward Williams.
It was a great experience to experiment with it, the sounds which can be gotten from this synth are truly amazing. Below is some footage of me experimenting with it:
Tomorrow I will be getting samples from the VCS3 and loading them into the Soundbeam to add them to my preset.
Work Experience Day 3 – Soundbeam
I began my day with helping Cindy packing up the Soundbeams ready for shipping.
I then continued on with my live brief, I have now become confident with loading in Samples i have made on logic into the Soundbeam and assigning them to a switch or beam and adjusting pitch using the soundbeam, i have also become confident of playing midi in live to the Soundbeam using a keyboard and assigning the note arrangement to be played by a switch or beam using a midi instrument which comes with the Soundbeam.
I am working towards creating a rock piece for the Soundbeam as this is something that Cindy has said the Soundbeam does not have, so i have used a rock drum kit midi program on logic and some distorted guitar. Here is what I have come up with so far:
I still feel I need to become more confident in playing the Soundbeam as it is like any instrument it takes time and patience to learn to play.
Cindy also Tweeted and Facebooked about my time at Soundbeam giving my website a shout out:
Work Experience Day 2 – Soundbeam
My day began with some testing of Soundbeams which were being shipped off to places around the UK and Taiwan. The testing involved testing each beam and switch input, testing samples and midi instruments etc.
Soundbeam App
After testing the Soundbeam’s me and Cindy discussed the possibility of a Soundbeam App which is something they are considering developing in the future.
I sent an email through to Leigh Davis, a MA student on Creative Sound and Music, who has experience in designing App’s himself, he is currently taking part in creating the app Feed seen below:
During the remaining of my day at Soundbeam I experimented with putting my own samples and Midi into Soundbeam, as part of my Live Brief.
My very own office at Soundbeam Headquarters: Bristol:
I began by using some samples I had created on Logic I exported them and loaded them onto the memory card within Soundbeam i then assigned the samples to switches. I then decided that i wanted to insert Midi patterns onto the beams so that individual notes could be played, to create a further sense of interaction, control and creativity.
To create the Midi I plugged a Korg keyboard into the Soundbeam interface and played the samples into the beam creating what is known as a ‘Note Sequence’ within Soundbeam this note sequence can now be assigned to a beam and played using the midi instruments within Soundbeam.
Below is a vlog of the Live Brief so far:
Work Experience Day 1 – Soundbeam
It became apparent as soon as a arrived at Soundbeam that they are a small close knit team who work extremely hard, the team consists of: Cindy, Adrian and Steph.
The Soundbeam Offices:
The Studio
The Office
A map of Soundbeams in the UK (outdated)
Studio 2
Sound of Intent
Set up in 2002 by Institute of Education & Royal National Institute of the Blind.
Aim: To promote musical development of young people with learning difficulties but could also be used with adults and could in fact transcend into many different areas.
The SOI Framework:
The framework seen above can be accessed via the Sound of Intent’s website: www.soundofintent.org. The Framework is interactive and when registered can be accessed and an individual profile can be created for each client/student. You begin in the middle of the framework and work your way out as each part of the framework is completed. Each section can be filled in with notes and videos and can be accessed at anytime online.
Imuse
iMUSE interactions support:
- expression
- communication
- aesthetic resonance
- awareness of control
- exploration
- cludic engagement.
Creates visuals to accompany Soundbeam. Midi created from Soundbeam then creates visuals.
Going wireless:
Soundbeam are looking into creating a wireless system, points of interest are The Skoog and The Alphasphere. However neither are yet wireless.
A few ways in which they could go wireless were discussed including, battery packs, rechargeable batteries, a dock in which the Soundbeam could be stored and recharged. I also put forward the Arduino as a possibility.
Live Brief
During the afternoon of the first day of my placement I was able to put together a Soundbeam and experiment with it, I was also given a quick tutorial of how it works by Cindy and Adrian after a hour or so of playing it I began to get to grips of exactly what the Soundbeam can do.
I have been sent a live brief by Cindy to create a Preset for the Soundbeam (each Soundbeam comes with 30 presets, this includes a mixture of midi instruments and samples assigned to each beam and switch, creating a preset) if my preset is good enough it may be issued onto all Soundbeams as a factory setting. Best get cracking!
Billybanks Estate Research
I am currently taking part in a new community arts project taking place in Penarth, South Wales.
It is all to do with a renovation project taking place on a old council estate, Billybanks, and preserving the memories of what it used to be. The estate is currently being knocked down and new luxury houses and apartments are being built at the newly named Penarth Heights.
The Billy-banks Estate
Built in the 1960’s the Billybanks Estate won awards for its award winning architecture of its time. It was built on the hills overlooking Penarth docks which were still open at the time. The Billybanks Estate is often associated with being a rough area and a ‘failed social housing project’ however from my research it has become clear to me that the Billybanks Estate had a great sense of community within it and many fond memories were created there and this must be preserved in some way.
I found many fond memories being reminisced on the I grew up in Penarth Billy-Banks Facebook group. I found many memories that included Chitty Hill, which was often, rolleed down, ran down, skated down and often it seemed ended in some minor injurys. The Venture Group and Play Scheme were also mentioned.
What struck me most from all the things I read, watch and heard most people that lived on Billy-banks have said that they miss the sense of community that was created, the feeling of safety that they had there and that if they could have the old Billy-banks back they would move back there.
However Billy-Banks did become renowned for being a derelict housing estate for many years and went on to become number 8 in Britain’s Eye Sores and became site renowned for arson attacks.
A video of someone going around the derelict Billy-Banks Housing Estate. The man on this video is slightly annoying but the things he films are worth a watch.
Penarth Heights
Crest Nicholson, housing developers, are currently renovating what was Billybanks in to the newly named Penarth Heights, with luxury houses and apartments all over looking Cardiff and Penarth Bay.
“Replace the Billybanks with a high quality range of new homes” – Penarth Times, Thurs 15th March 2012.
Billybanks/Penarth Heights is currently undergoing its make over and it in a strange state of inbetween at one end of the estate you have the luxury new homes and at the other end you have the last Billybanks tower still looming in the background, waiting for demolishment at the end of April. It really does feel like a rags to riches story.
Penarth Heights is however trying to reach the same goals that the Billybanks estate set out to all those years ago. It is hoping to give Penarth a new lease of life, it will boost the local housing market and pump money back into the local community. And its not completely out with the old, the concrete from the knocked down Billybanks Estates are being recycled to be used again in the new buildings. So Billybanks will still live on in some shape or form.
What i will be doing over the next few months is working along side a school for disabled children to develop some sort of musical memorial for Billybanks. So keep checking back for more news and updates!
Sources:
http://www.urbexforums.co.uk/showthread.php/3871-The-Billy-Banks-Estate-Penarth-04-09
The Power of Music Workshop
I am currently taking part in running a 10 week musical workshop at a residential home in Bristol, I am assisting my friend Laura Farage who is running the workshops as part of her course in Creative Arts Therapies.
Session 1: 8/3/12
8 attendees
- Introductions go around the circle, everyone introduces themselves and the music they like, it may be an artist or genre.
- Warm up – Boom boom clap. Got everyone doing 2 beats on their legs and a clap, this got everyone moving and made everyone less shy, we even had people singing along with ‘We Will Rock You’
- Everyone chose a instrument to play (these varied from Djembes, bells, shakers, tambourines etc.)
- Free improvisation
- Got everyone to play a 4/4 beat with their instruments and then built the dynamics up and down.
- I then set a beat on the djembe and everyone joined in with their instruments, we then built the dynamics up and down.
- Went around the circle with the Djembe, everyone got to experiment with the different tones of the instrument. This was and improvised part of the session, as one of the participants enquired about how to make different sounds on the Djembe so I took it around the circle to let them experiment.
- 2 participants then began their own beat without being prompted, everyone else joined in. This was a great bit of free improvisation which was not structured by Laura or I. Was great to see everyone getting into it by themselves and getting creative.
- Began the sing a long part of the session, everyone chose ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon’ to begin with, we then went on to Amazing Grace and finished on When The Saints Come Marching in. Everyone particularly seemed to enjoy this part of the session. Group seemed energised, seemed to come alive.
- Laura then went around and asked everyone what their favourite songs were, took notes for future sessions.
- Tea and Coffee
- A Participant who is a very accomplished piano player then played the pianofor other participants, this seemed to really give him a purpose, he really enjoyed doing this and everyone enjoyed listening.
- End Session
Session 2: 22/3/12
8 Attendees
- Ice Breaker – Threw soft ball to different people in the circle, person who received ball would pick a question out of the bag questions varied from, favourite song, favourite place etc.
- Music Quiz – Had 12 songs on a CD played each song and participants guessed the name of song & artist. Each participant had a instrument which was their ‘buzzer’ they had to play when they knew the answer. This seemed to be particularly popular and everyone seemed to really enjoy it and get into it. It encouraged memory, everyone began reminiscing on what the songs meant to them and boosted self esteem, everyone would receive a point for each one they got right. Songs included: Abba, The Animals, Bobby Darun, Cliff Richard, The Beatles, Daniel O’Donnell, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Jackson 5, Nancy Sinatra, Petula Clark.
- Pianist Participant then played, he had brought in a book of war time songs, everyone shouted out requests, everyone sang along with songs and again reminisced on war time memories.. Songs included: Goodnight Sweetheart, White Cliffs of Dover etc. Again participant seemed to really come out of his shell, it really seemed to give him a sense of purpose to play for the group, he seems to really enjoy it. Participant also mentioned that he has felt ill that morning but has come because he wanted to play the piano for us, gives him motivation. I also took photos of Participant as he requested, he wants photos he can get printed to show people.
- Tea & Coffee
- Laura played guitar, people joined in on their instruments again free improvisation, very creative.
- To close I played the guitar as people left.
- End session.
Work Experience Day with Bob Heath
I went to meet music therapist Bob Heath and teacher on the UWE music therapy course, yesterday for a day of work experience with a practicing music therapist.
My day began with a 2 hour discussion with Bob, in which I was able to ask him questions and he suggested important tips, advice and information to look into for further research and future use in my career.
I explained to Bob my interested in music technology with in music therapy and how I hope to go on to become a music therapist in the future. Below are some of the comments Bob made:
It is important to remember music therapy is about making music with people not at people.
Technology is definitely solving probl
ems for people who were unable to do things without it.
Bob has experience with recording equipment, logic and kaos pad’s within his practice. He currently uses an 8 track mixer and records with Garage Band, he can also program Midi and samples however describes his technology knowledge as basic.
Bob suggests that the majority of music therapists would not be able to put a MP3 into logic or garage band to layer over speech.
It is important to remember that music technology is a big thing for a lot of people. Most will not have much if any experience with it, sometimes people can become so amazed by what it can do they forget why they are there, it becomes about the technology not about them. Music technology must not get in the way or take away from the therapy session.
In Bob’s experience music technology within therapy seems to work best with children and teens as they were brought up with technology and they are able to speak that language. Technology is a normal, everyday occurrence to them.
As Bob works with mainly older clients he finds technology tends to amaze them and sometimes takes away from the session, he tends to use technology to them what they need eg. Recording and nothing more to ensure it does not take away from the session. Bob has found that his clients generally want him to deal with the technology and do not want to get involved in that particular process themselves.
Some suggested reading material, authors and other areas of interest are: Leslie Bunt, Tony Wigrum, Wendy Magee, Neurological Center in London, Julier Alvin.
Bob suggested things which are required to acquire a place upon the music therapy course in UWE, which is likely to be where I would prefer to study, due to commuting from Swindon, these were: Life skill and experience, experience of being in therapy or counseling, Improvisation skills (2 year of studying Creative Sound and Music has ensured that!), Basic Keyboard skills, High knowledge and understanding of main instrument, and a good reasoning behind your reason for wanting to become a music therapist.
Bob has also began teaching music technology on the Music Therapy course at UWE.
Bob also had a training music therapist student, Tom working with him, I then had a discussion with Tom to get a students point of view on my questions,
Tom works primarily with Logic to record songs written by participants, he adds in midi instrumentation/records extra instruments on to logic after the session.
Use’s a basic sound interface and mic to record straight into logic.
Believes the most powerful instrument a music therapist can use in their voice.
Bob and Tom’s opinions upon music therapy were some what simular:
Bob: There is a place for music technology within music therapy but it is important it is not the focus of the sessions and does not take away from the therapy or from the focus of the client. Music therapists do need to accept they need to have a knowledge of music technology in this day and age.
Tom: Music technology could definitely benefit music therapy but people seem afraid of it because they do not know how to use it.
I then sat in on Tom’s listening group, which he runs for the clients at the day hospice once a week, they bring in piece of music that they like or which mean something to them, they then all listen to the piece and discuss. It was a affective session in which clients reminisced on why they liked songs, and memories attached to them. Clients also engaged by tapping feet and hands to music. Clients seemed very happy to be taking part in the session.
Conclusion
It was very interesting to experience a day in the life of a music therapist, it was also interesting to get Bob & Tom’s opinions on music technology within the area as that is what I hope to study particularly, and they have first hand knowledge of the area. It will be interesting to see the contrast between my work experience with Bob and my work experience at Soundbeam.
Arranging Work Experience at Soundbeam
Below is the email conversation I had with Soundbeam to secure work experience place with them. It became apparent that work experience places were fully booked for the year, but I would be able to go in for a day to have a tour of the office and meet the team, however I then received an email from Cindy who said she had seen my website and particularly liked The Jam Cam Experiment and that she would try and fit me in for work experience, it all went from there…
A Soundscape Of My Life 