Sound Studies Schulze

Holger Schulze

What are Sound Studies?

Introducing a new and yet old discipline

(Talk for the 1st Symposium on Sound Studies, Medienhaus at the Berlin University of the Arts October 2003)

We hear:

The gentl gentlee hum of a loud spea speaker. ker. Monito Monitors rs and lights lights with thei theirr high frequenc frequency y buzz, buzz, a passin passing g gush of air air and breath. breath. A higher higher echo when we raise our voices.

Move our legs and arms. Sit in the audience and lean towards one another, exchange a few words or whoosh past as we make our way through the room.

This room.

We settle settle ourselves into our seats seats and focus focus our attention. attention. Wait for an announcement. Quiet down Listen.

Schul ze , Wh at a r e Sound St udi es ?

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A question of sound

This is a listening experience, here and now – right this second. Right here. How do we describe this kind of experience? How do I give a clear clear and comprehen comprehensib sible le impress impression ion of how I perceive perceive our join jointt list listen enin ing g expe experie rienc ncee – and and how can can you you do the the same same for your your experience experience?? We don' don' t know how someon someonee else hears, hears, perceive perceives, s, evaluates or experiences a given situation. O n e situation entails as many many

diff differe erent nt

list listen enin ing g

expe experie rienc nces es

as

there there

are

list listen ener ers. s.

Individuals. We ask oursel ourselve ves: s: Do w e like like this this situ situat atio ion? n? Is this this expe experien rience ce plea pleasa sant nt or help helpfu ful? l? Would Would w e prefer prefer to inte interve rvene ne,, chan change ge the the natur e

of

w ha ha t

we

h ea ea r

a nd nd

signi f icant ly

al ter

o ur ur

s o un d

enviro environm nmen ent? t? Perhap Perhapss a temp temporary orary interv interven entio tion n – like like a short sign signal al – or a more more perma permane nent nt alte alterat ratio ion n with with last lastin ing g effe effect ct?? Electromechanical playbacks, architectonic adjustments, decorative additions? additions? Socially Socially catalyzing catalyzing actions? actions? What would a concept concept for redesigning this room, this listening situation, entail? And again again the question question:: how can w e meaningf meaningfull ully y explai explain n other other indi indivi vidu dual als' s' acou acoust stic ic conc concep epts ts?? What What do w e lack lack – tech techni nica cal, l,


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anthrop anthropolo ologic gical, al, design design or artisti artisticc knowledg knowledge? e? And yet anothe anotherr question: A media recording of this event… how should it sound? Worki Working ng with with media edia soun sounds ds woul would d

requi require re anot anothe herr

appro approac ach h

altoget altogether. her. A feature feature,, a radio radio story, story, a clip – how do they they differ differ from our actual listening situation in this space? * These These questi questions ons originat originatee from indivi individua duall discip disciplin lines es with thei theirr respe respect ctiv ivee stan standa dards rds and and requi requirem remen ents ts,,

and and

vario various us type typess of

profes professio sions ns are able able to answe answerr them them.. Techn Technic ical al and scie scient ntif ific ic,, creative and artistic – a range of approaches and expertise focuses on different different individual individual question questions. s. A q u e s t i o n o f s o u n d. H o w w e react. How we change the situation. These are questions that have been posed with increasing frequency since tools for the technical recording, reproduction, reproduction, measurement measurement and manipulat manipulation ion of sound have become widely available. F r om om

t he he

t im im e

h i eerr ar a r ch ch ic ic a l

d e c is is i on on

p ro r o ce ce s se se s ,

t eeaam s

a nd nd

commissions, briefings and guidelines, evaluations and milestones, have determined the world we live in. From the time we have hardly been able to move through an environment without being enve envelop loped ed in soun sound d desi design gn,, confro confronte nted d with with the expe experien rience ce of being challenged or overwhelmed.


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A new challenge in design

Sounds are interventions in our personal life. We are surprised and pleased by what penetrates through to our senses senses and thoughts. thoughts. Listening Listening sensib sensibilit ilities ies,, reflective reflective experience. experience. Sonic Sonic situat situation ionss satis satisfy fy our desires desires and disapp disappoin ointt us, alter alter our sense sense of well-be well-being ing and make make us listen listen more inten intently tly.. Studyin Studying g sound. The impa impact ct of soun sound d is tech techni nica call lly y defin defined ed as noise, musica musically lly acoust stic ic spac spacee defined as Klangfarbe, and musica musically lly described described as acou

or – in the context of Cultural Anthropology or Cultural Studies – as sample. Since ince the the early early mode modern rn era the stud study y of sound sound has has ranged from medit meditati ation onss on the dispersi dispersion, on, effec effectt and generatio generation n of

s ou ou n ds ds ,

to

t eerr mi m i no no lo lo gy gy

of

m ec ec ha ha ni ni ccaa l

a nd nd

m u s in in g s

a b ou ou t

h e ar ar in i n g, g, e l eecc t r on on ic ic

l it it eerr ar ar y

a nd nd

d es es cr cr i pt pt io io n s

to

e xp xp er er i me me nt nt s

s o un un d

g en en er er at a t or or s, s,

w it it h

a nd nd

t he he

e le le c t rro o-

m u f fl fl eerr s

a nd nd

amplifiers. In audi audiov ovis isua uall desi design gn musi musiccal soun sounds ds are used used as func functi tion onal al applicat applications ions.. In a process of auditive auditive troubleshooting troubleshooting commercial commercial production adapts the sounds of its artifacts to the assumed needs


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of the consumers and the rebriefings of the clients – at least in the final phase of the design process. This division division of labor, labor, which which often often involves involves opposi opposing ng ideolo ideologie giess from different kinds of sound expertise, already reached the limits of its efficacy several years ago. Now new new design design challenge challengess go beyond beyond isolat isolated ed sound sound sources, sources, objects and independent works to be designed or studied. Instead w e are now face faced d with with comp comple lex x netw network orkss of inte intertw rtwin ined ed and and overlappin overlapping g space spaces, s, environm environment entss and artifac artifacts ts that that have thei theirr indivi individu dual al sound sound effec effects. ts. Our urban surroundings surroundings and our living living spaces spaces,, our headpho headphones nes and our public public space spaces, s, our screens screens and our user user inte interfa rface ces. s. The incre increas asin ing g range range of our our expe experie rient ntia iall realms.


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The knowledge of sound

Acoustic design is a form of auditive communication based on the physicali physicality ty of the listeners listeners instead instead of available available technologie technologies. s. This kind of sound design requires knowledge of all of the previously mentioned disciplines and professions that work with sound . Pure neces necessit sity y – whether whether of a cultu cultural-s ral-soc ocial ial or econom economicic-urban urban nature nature – reunite reunitess these these dispara disparate te professi professions ons and discip disciplin lines es of s ou ou n d. d.

A new

p ro r o fe fe ss ss i on on a nd nd a

new d i sc sc ip ip l in in e r es es u l ts ts :

t he he

investigation and design of sonic environments – S o u n d S t u d i e s / Ac ou st ic Co mmun mm un ic at io n.

Different Different types types of knowledg knowledgee come togeth together er in Sound Sound Studie Studiess – ranging from design to technical expertise, a blend of science and Visual al Commun Communica icatio tions, ns, art. They are a need needed ed comp comple leme ment nt to Visu

which is now well-established at colleges and universities for art and design. The indivi individua duall discip disciplin lines es and subje subjects cts stil stilll remain remain indepe independe ndent nt areas areas of knowledg knowledgee with the their respectiv respectivee history, history, reputati reputation on and professional requirements.


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However, However, the the syst system emat atic ic comb combin inat atio ion n of the An th ro po lo gy a n d Ec ol og y of So un d an d Ex pe ri me nt al So un d De si gn with Audi Au di ti ve Medi Me dia a De si gn an d Ac ou st ic Co nc ep t enables enables us to train individual individualss

for profes professio sions ns that that acou acoust stic ical ally ly dete determin rminee our envi environm ronmen entt – Sound Designers and Sound Consultants. But Sound Studies is not fields of study. Soun Sound d Stud Studie iess is comp compil ilat atio ion n of inte interes rests ts and skil skills ls,, sens sensory ory perceptio perception, n, knowledg knowledgee and experience experience that are incorporated incorporated and conve conveye yed d by the four areas areas of stud study y previou previously sly mentio mentione ned. d. Up unti untill now the combi combina natio tion n of this this kind kind of soun sound d expe expertis rtisee only only occurred occurred through through lucky lucky happen happensta stance nce,, or it was the result result of oneo ff- aa- ki ki nd nd

s p e c i aall iz iz a t io io n s .

So un un d

St ud ud i eess

n ow ow

p ro r o vi vi de de s

an

opportunity for focused instruction and learning. What skills are entailed in Sound Studies? Let me briefly outline the four areas of knowledge that make up Sound Studies.

1. Communicate a listening experience

A s I initial initially ly illustra illustrated ted and describe described, d, gettin getting g to know a sound sound envi environm ronmen entt is a chal challe leng nging ing endea endeavo vorr – soun soundin ding g out out how it affe affect ctss

indi indivi vidu dual al

and

person personal al

sens sensib ibil ilit itie iess

and

perce percept ption ion..

Technical instruments are not much help in this situation, because we are now entering the realm of sound narrative, the stories of self self-p -por ortra traya yal, l,

the the

desc descrip ripti tion onss of


8

an

indi indivi vidu dual al'' s

perce percept ptiv ivee


07 07 04

predisp predispos ositio ition n and all the diverse diverse auditory auditory soci social al situa situatio tions ns that that some someon onee expe experien rience ced. d. This This is all all necess necessary ary in order order to give give a comp compreh rehen ensi sibl blee expl explan anat atio ion n of why some someon onee perce perceiv ives es –

or

doesn' t perceive – a given sound environment in a particular way! In Sound Studies you learn the equal value of an approach based on Cultural Studies based and the personal narratives surrounding a particular sound experience. This is the only way that we can truly understand the different types of sounds that affect us and othe otherr peop people le.. This This is a foca focall aspe aspect ct of the An th ro po lo gy a n d Ec ol og y of S ou n d .

2. Perform Sonic Experiments

When we engage with a given sound environment and alter it for a brief brief period period of time time through through interventions o r c h an an ge ge i t f or or a n e xt xt een n de de d

p e ri r i od od

of

t im im e t hr hr o ug ug h

installations,

t hese

s o un d

experiments experiments ar e naturally based based on both the technica technicall conditions of sound propagation and the narrative descriptions of our own sound e x p e r ie ie n ce s .

K n o w le le d g e

abo ut

t he he

h i st st o r y

a nd nd

t e chn i cal

possibilities of sound experiments within sound art, audio art and electro-acou electro-acoustic stic music music is absolutely absolutely necessary. necessary. Performing a sound experime experiment nt does not mean startin starting g from scratch scratch.. Instea Instead d it is p ar t of a continuum. As in experimental scientific disciplines, current coll collec ectiv tivee effo efforts rts to inve invest stig igat atee soun sound d envi environm ronmen ents ts buil build d on previous achievements with new and untried experimental setups. Sound Studies teach both the technical and artistic fundamentals of


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experime experimenta ntall setti setting ngss in various various field fieldss of sound sound art. Experime Experiments nts are performed within sound environments that have a determining impact on our lives and current realm of experience. This is the work of Ex pe ri me nt al So un d De si gn.

3. Direct the Sound of the Media

T he h e m aj aj or or it it y o f t he he s ou ou n d e nv nv ir ir on o n me me nt nt s w it it h w hi hi cch h w e are confro confronte nted d are clea clearly rly medi mediaa envi environ ronme ment nts. s. Environ Environme ment ntss that that surprise us and envelop us at the workplace, in residential spaces, in public spaces and in urban areas used by private businesses – and of course in various theatres of entertainment. Up until now these media environments have not usually been designed with the comp compreh rehen ensi sive ve soun sound d expe experien rience ce of the give given n envi environm ronmen entt in mind mind.. They have ofte often n been been impl implem emen ente ted d to creat createe a spec specta tacl clee instead of taking into consideration the ears and physical make-up of the listeners. Concert halls are acoustically designed much like blockbuster films or

p op op m u s i c

e x p e r ie ie n c e

p r o du du ct ct io io n s. s.

w it it h

t he he

m ed i a

H ow ow ev ev er er , p r od od u c t s

m o st st o f o ur ur of

o rd r d in in ar ar y

t el evi s i on,

r ad ad i o ,

information stands or entertainment software has a strangely crude and vagu vaguee qual qualit ity y that that would would never never be a comp compon onen entt of visu visual al desi design gn!! (Thi (Thiss has has been been conf confirm irmed ed in our conv convers ersat atio ions ns with with o wn wn er er s o f p r iv i v a te te r ad ad io io s t aatt io io n s, s, w ho h o s ee ee a g re re a t n ee ee d f or or professional training programs in sound.)


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Soun Sound d

Stud Studie iess teac teache hess stud studen ents ts to desi design gn medi mediaa-ba base sed d soun sound d

environments – a process of directing and orchestrating sounds in media

( ch eck ) .

This

is

not

conceived

as

a

s e l f - s e r vi vi n g

demonstrati demonstration on of technica technicall accomplish accomplishment ment but as a reflection reflection of the actual actual auditory auditory capac capacity ity of the audience audience to hear and process sound. This is the focus of the Au di o Me di a De si gn.

4. Design Sonic Environments

The core skill of sound design and sound consulting is the ability to create create clear clear and meanin meaningfu gfull concep concepts ts for sound sound environ environmen ments. ts. Studying sound means learning to view a sound environment as a synthetic product of the man-made world we inhabit and not as a predetermi predeterminin ning g condit condition ion.. People People are forcibly forcibly subjec subjected ted to these these environments, which have substantial impact and effect! Sound Sound Studi Studies es gives gives studen students ts the concep conceptua tuall abili ability ty to critica critically lly manage manage and direct direct a sound design pr ocess ocess using all possib possible le means means for creat creatin ing g soun sound d and a full full range of media media,, genres genres and sound sound environm environment ents. s. A s previousl previously y mentio mentioned ned,, this this not only includ includes es physical physical situations situations or environments environments but also digitally digitally-bas -based ed virtual environm environment ents, s, such as the broadcas broadcasting ting range of the mass mass media. media. Soun Sound d Stud Studie iess thus thus introdu introduce cess the term term and spec specia iali liza zati tion on of Ac ou st ic Co nc ep ts into professional sound design.


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The Sense of Communication

In Media Media Studi tudies es ther theree is current currently ly talk talk of a ' soni sonicc turn turn'' . O f course, this caters to us in Sound Studies, but we can' t stop ther e. Simply to promulgate the euphoric praises heaped upon the role of soun sound d and list listen enin ing g in newspa newspaper per artic article less and popu popular lar journ journal alss over the last last twenty twenty years years – that that would would be too shorts shortsigh ighted ted.. What What really interests us is a fundamental change in the attitude towards the design of our surroundings. H o w sh ou ld w e desi de si gn ou r We would would reformulat reformulatee the question question Ho environment? as: as: Are w e aware aware of the impa impact ct that that our desi design gn,,

technology, technology, creative decisions decisions and theoretical theoretical approach will have on the listen listening ing experiences experiences of coming coming decade decadess and centurie centuriess in our media-saturated, artificialized environments? T hi hi s

qu est i o n

poi nt s

awa y

f r om om

the

c ou p l i ng

a cous t i c

communication with visual communication – towards a new project of unde understa rstand nding ing the enti entire re world world of artif artifac acts ts in their dive diverse rse sensory manifestations as conscious design.


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The step of viewin viewing g acoust acoustic ic commu communic nicati ation on as a supple supplemen mentt to visual communication is thus only an initial amplification of design as a discipline that assumes responsibility for the diversity of the sensory input that we receive – smells, taste, touch… In this sense, sense, the Post-graduate Post-graduate Course of Study, S o u n d S t u d i e s / Ac ou st ic Co mm un ic at io n is only the beginn beginning ing.. An initia initiativ tivee that that

we have been working on together in cooperation with the Vice President President of the Universit University y of the Arts, Arts, Professor Professor Peter Peter Bayerer, Bayerer, and Profes Professo sorr Marti Martin n Rennert Rennert from the Facult Faculty y of Musi Musicc alon along g with with othe otherr profe profess ssors ors and and teac teachi hing ng staff taff at the the univ univers ersit ity. y. A proje project ct that that has has recei receive ved d fina financ ncia iall support support from from the the Fede Federal ral Mini Minist stry ry of Educ Educat atio ion n for for well well over over a year. year. The test test phas phasee of semi semina nars rs and worksho workshops ps has alrea already dy begun, begun, and as of Wint Winter er Seme Semest ster er 2004 2004/200 /2005 5 cours courses es will will be offe offered red as a new pos postgradu graduat atee progra program m at the the Univ Univers ersit ity y of the the Arts. Arts. An adva advanc nced ed degre degree, e, profe profess ssio iona nall train trainin ing. g. This This cours coursee of stud study y is not not a supp supple leme ment ntary ary,,

mino minorr inqu inquiry iry.. With With this this new begi beginn nnin ing g it is

dedica dedicated ted to a central central issue issue – the sound sound of our daily daily life. life. Sound Sound Studies determine how bearable, acoustically pleasant and livable the design of our lives will be in the future. Thank you very much.


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Hol H ol ge r S c h u l z e , born in in 1970 1970,, is is a cultura l th eori st and writer writer.. He He live livess and

works works in Berl Berlin in and teac hes a t th e Berli Berlin n University o f the A rt s, where where h e is is a c oo - i ni ni ti ti at at o r

of

a

new

p os os tt- gr gr ad ad ua ua te te

c ou o u r se se

of

s tu t u dy dy

in

' Ac Ac ou ou s t i c

Communi Communicati cation'. on'. He is is current currently ly working working o n a three-part three-part volu volume me 'Theory 'Theory o f am e - - - H e u r is is t i c s - --- I n t i m a c y a n d M e d i a l i t y . Work Genesis': T h e A l e a t o r i c G am

He writes for newspapers, monthly journals and magazines on electronic music, developments in contemporary art an d n e w cultu ral life life forms. Schulze Schulze is is also the author of sound pieces, experimental texts and stories.

E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected] Personal Weblog: http://mediumflow.editthi http://mediumflow.editthispage.com spage.com

Dr. Holger Schulze Sound Studies Berlin University of the Arts P.O. Box 120544 D-10595 Berlin Germany

Phone: +49 179 1269 885 Website: http://www.udk-sound.de


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Sound Studies Schulze

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