Research Blog

I developed this color wheel idea over the semester to see what kind of connections I could make between sounds and different shades of color. Working in MaxMSP, with the help of one of my instructors we built a prototype for my idea. You'll notice a list of numbers in the right hand corner. Those numbers are RGB data from where my cursor is clicking on the color wheel. Those numbers are converted into MIDI data and sent to a program called Absynth. The two programs   communicate  back and forth this way and the audio is routed out of absynth. Right now it's working kind of like an instrument. There's still alot of tinkering to do within the patch to manipulate absynth with more control. I'll eventually apply some of my research from this term towards specific sound - color relationships. 

As mp3 players became popular, more people started casually listening to music. Certainly, music was popular before this, but the ease and portable nature of the mp3 player increased the overall amount of music being consumed and subsequently altered our listening habits. Portable walk-mans and cd players became archaic quickly as we could now store a variety of albums in a sleek, pocket-sized device - doubtfully more appealing than carrying a bag full of cd’s around, incase you wanted to hear something other than the album you left home with. Not to mention the stylability of these devices, due to the over-fetishized qualities they contain. Some people aren’t even listening; they’re functioning entirely as fashion accessories or status symbols. They’re often used as deterrents as well, suggesting that if someone is plugged in they’re occupying one of their senses and therefore excluding themselves from the reality they’re otherwise totally a part of. All of a sudden we have access to