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http://art102.com/Gabe/final.html

My final project is a 2-dimensional audio-visual composition, and uses simple shapes and colors to create a sort of rhythmic painting. Just about every visual on screen is mapped to a particular instrument in the song. I was able to get cleaner data from each instrument by loading each instrument tracks separately and playing those on top of each other. Because of this, I was able to have parameters mapped to the frequencies being played rather than just mapping the amplitude of a single band on a spectrum.

Most mappings are done by creating an FFT on each track, and grabbing the value of the frequency with the highest amplitude of any given moment. So with almost all the mappings, an increase in frequency rather than an increase in amplitude leads to more intense change. A large pink diamond appears when the vocals sound. The two arcs (blue and green) are mapped to the kick and snare, respectively. The lead synth is tied to the pink/orange fan. The rhythm guitar affects the two green pyramids that come from each side, and the guitar solo creates a sort of curl composed of triangles.

I recorded this song (titled “Sea Air”) in late 2012, but never had any place for it in any of my musical projects, so it never had any exposure until now. I’m glad I was able to give the song a home.