Symbiosis Podcast
Melbourne, Australia

http://symbiosis.com.au/

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This piece was composed during the Binaural Residency in the village of Nodar, Portugal in May, 2009.

My project was to set up mobile sound installations in the hills around Nodar, using portable amplifiers, speakers, and self-made piezo-microphones used to amplify the wind blowing through grass, trees, bushes, etc. Each of these installations was recorded.

But what I also discovered, quite by accident, was that by placing the piezo microphones atop the speakers I was able to generate feedback, which was modulated by the wind blowing through the piezo-microphones.

So, in addition to setting up my proposed installations for the residency, I also had these feedback systems running outside. I recorded these as well, and not only did the wind modulate the rate of feedback by interfering with the microphones placed atop the speakers, but in recording the wind also tended to sway the sonic field, swirling, pushing and pulling it across the space I was recording in.

I used these recordings of the feedback systems for the composition «Nodar»

None of the recordings were processed in any way (no equalization, compression, effects, etc). I used four different recordings and set these to each other. I was interested in the beats occurring between the different rates of oscillation, as well as all the peripheral sounds one experiences while recording outside (you will hear lots of low rumbles, which is the wind).

Some pictures of the feedback systems:

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