Chris's+Work

__Oct.5.2010: Proposal Research__

Sound is a mechanical wave that is really just pressure transmitted through a substance that's made up of frequencies that can be heard. We "hear" sounds when our eardrum vibrates due to collision with sound waves and our brain interprets that precise vibration as a sound. So if sound is simply a wave with frequences, what's the difference between noise and music?

__Nov.3.2010 : Research__

The difference between noise and music is that music is harmonious and noise isn't quite as harmonious. A mathematical formula can be created in order express music since music is simply individual frequencies that are played at once. The harmonics are always whole number multiples of a fundamental frequency. Music produces regular wave patterns and there are no sudden changes that throw off these forms. On the other hand, noise has irregular form and there are sudden changes.

The biggest difference is organized pitches/tones that form a harmonious pleasant sound.

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-02/981907051.Ph.r.html

__Nov.6.2010 : Research__

http://ithp.org/articles/music.html

Music/noise can bring a lot of feelings and memories back. How can we pick sounds that help visitors to remember things or connect.

http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/noise_education/web/ENG_EPD_HTML/m1/intro_1.html

Air pressure vibrations are picked up by the pinna which is the large outcropping part of the ear and travel through the canal to the eardrum. There it's turned to mechanical energy by the eardrum. This movement is transmitted through the middle ear until it makes fluids in your inner ear. The cochlea in the inner ear has this fluid and with the help of hairy cells, the movements are transmitted into nerve signals that are sent into the brain for processing. In short, there is biological difference between noise and music. So back to a physics distinction.

- When sound reaches over 90 db, it's too high of a sound pressure for the ear to comfortably respond so that's when pain can start happening. - One theory says that we also interpret sound by seeing what it comes from. For example, if we look at a jackhammer, we will hear it and also expect for it to be noisy because we've already had the notion of a jackhammer being noisy. So in our exhibit would it be possible for them to find "noise" less "noisy" if they aren't able to see the object which it originates from?

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/noise_basic.html

There are three classifications of noise: continuos, intermittent, impulse and variable. Their meanings are what you would think they are. Variable noise is noise that has soft and loud periods that vary. Impulse noise are quick bursts like gunfire.

__Nov.7.2010 : Research__

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19041-what-makes-the-sound-of-vuvuzelas-so-annoying.html

Part of what makes a swarm of vuvuzelas annoying and can be considered noise for many is due to the fact that each person is playing at a different frequency and it's holding a wide range of single frequencies. Also, usually "noises" might be louder due to the fact that loud noises are biologically bad for humans and therefore, loud noises would generally be considered unenjoyable and one would steer clear of it. Also, it says the droning, continuous-note of the vuvuzelas is also a reason for why it's considered annoying. Would a cat mating sound better if we could tweak the sound so that it fluctuates and isn't a constant frequency in any way?

42' Touch Screen: http://www.pcrush.com/product/Touch-Screen-Monitors/235136/Elo-Touch-Systems-4220L-42-inch-1360-x-768-1200-1-Touch-Screen-Monitor

or we could use a smart board but it seems the giant touch screen would probably be cheaper than a smart board purchased and installed.

__Nov.8.2010: Research__

http://books.google.ca/books?id=tmGLFf1dUasC&pg=PA389&lpg=PA389&dq=psychology+of+an+open+space+vs.+closed+room&source=bl&ots=nZezukOQ-Q&sig=QQNobz4O79QykIOHwlZF37bWj7g&hl=en&ei=76fYTKwSgtCwA9fWvJII&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CDkQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Environmental Psychology: In order to encourage collaboration and new ideas from other peers, we should be mindful of the shape of our exhibit. - Having it all against one wall is a bad idea. It gives the impression that one doesn't need to talk to anyone else - As was our original idea, we can hang musical instruments and things that make noise around the top of our exhibit with lighting that makes them look more interesting and also to make the exhibit look less bland inside - A very enclosed cube at the very core of the exhibit might make it very restricting. Maybe the open parallelogram shape. - For the noise & music walls, headphones would allow us to keep the user focused and it also allows us to have more open space because we're not scared to let background sound into the area. Usually people feel out of control when there is too much sound or things are too complex or navigation is very hard. For us, it's probably the volume that we want to be aware of. - Propinquity. Should the people in the exhibit be close together so that there's a higher chance of them creating friendships or should it be more individual based and then sharing after one's finished their own business?

__Purpose of the Noise/Music Walls: With Clinton__

The reason why we have a noise to music wall and a music to noise wall is to expand on the concepts that we highlighted in the car and shower walls. Those two walls open up the user's mind as to what sound is and how noise and music aren't really that much different. These two noise/music walls were designed with the intention of letting the users explore on their own using a variety of music and noise sources. Essentially, the idea for these walls is to turn music into noise and noise into music or to rearrange parts of them so that they become more/less appealing to the user. The noise to music wall will begin with the user selecting a noise that they usually encounter whether it be the sound of a subway, cat's mating or seagulls shrieking on Harborfront. From there, the track will spread out into different components and from there, the user can remove, add and manipulate the sound to try and see if they can make something that is more organized from it. Therefore they will discover that with some tweaking, noise isn't that far off from music. On the music to noise wall, they will begin with selecting a genre they either like or dislike. Then they'll pick a sample song from one of those genres and the song will start playing. As the song plays, the song will begin to break apart into different parts. For example, a Sara Bareilles song might break apart into piano, vocals, acoustic guitar, drums, etc. Slowly, parts of these will disappear automatically and then the song will pause. The user will then be allowed to play around with different piano, vocal and tracks and they'll be able to overlap and also to see that a style of music can actually change very fast. They may also choose to turn the music into noise by adding a slew of tracks that end up being disorganized.