Animation

Infographic: Fischerspooner - Emerge from Steve Myers on Vimeo.

The Infographic

The infographic will include as much information as I can possibly find through researching 'Emerge' which was first released in 2001.

A few examples of what will be included in the inforgraphic are BPM, chart position, use in the media ....etc

We Need a War Cover

One of the many covers

A Sneek Peak at the Infographic

Just a little screeny of the Infographic that I am working on.

Posters and Covers

So for the rest of my illustrations I am creating a series of simplified record covers inspired by the track which will then be displayed on a giant poster.

For this I will be using 'We Need a War' by Fischerspooner.

Music Choices

Well I was originally going to go for a Detroit based electronica band 'Adult' and use two of their tracks from the early 00's called 'New Object' and 'Your Lies' but, unfortunately I could not find enough information on either of the tracks as 'Adult' have more of a cult following as their music is a little obscure for mainstream culture.

So I decided to go with another favourite band of mine called 'Fischerspooner' and two of their tracks. They are from New York however, they are more popular overseas than they are in The U.S.A. and again they are an electronica band. Fischerspooner are made up of producer and musician Warren Fischer and openly gay performing artist Casey Spooner, they are also not mainstream however there is a lot more information available on them and the tracks that I have chosen.

The two tracks are;

'Emerge'
'We Need a War'

Good News!

I have come up with a possibly far greater idea for 'Visualising Music' and that is to create an Infographic with an animation to explain it.

Of course the infographic will be fully researched and all the information with in the infographic will be referenced and true (apart from some comedic elements).

A change of plans

For some reason every time I try to code Processing on my Macbook it causes the screen to go black and sometimes restart. With this in mind I have chosen to abandon my original plan of creating images via feeding music from Abelton through to Process.

Code testing

import handsome_boy.Ess.*;

FFT myfft;
AudioInput myinput;
int bufferSize=512;

void setup() {
size(532,400);
frameRate(30);
background(255);
noStroke();
fill(0);

Ess.start(this);
myinput=new AudioInput(bufferSize);
myfft=new FFT(bufferSize*2);
myinput.start();

myfft.damp(.3);
myfft.equalizer(true);
myfft.limits(.005,.05);
}

void draw() {
background(255);
for (int i=0; i rect(i+10,390,1,myfft.spectrum[i]*-400);
}
}

public void audioInputData(AudioInput theInput) {
myfft.getSpectrum(myinput);
}

Soundwaves

I am also interested in using the soundwaves as a form of illustration by recording a 5 second display of soundwaves and them looping the next 5 seconds over the top of the last in a slightly lighter swatch to create another illustration, I will also do this through Processing.

Processing & Abelton

I am planning to use processing to display images created by the music, I will feed five midi channels from Abelton through to processing and have processing display different images for each channel and the intensity of the images will depend on the volume, bass and tempo.

I will use different images for each channel and multiples for the amount of time the that channel will be used.

ie... Circles.

The Diesel Creative Team - Brief

CREATE AN ILLUSTRATED INTERPRETATION OF A MUSICAL TRACK THAT IS EXPERIENCED BY THE VIEWER IN AN UNCONVENTIONAL AND PIONEERING WAY


Creative Challenge:

Over the past decade the world of music has undergone a revolution. Just as the ways people consume and experience music have been turned upside down, so the role of illustration in the world of music has changed too.
From the decline of the 12” album cover as a ‘creative canvas’, to the rise of downloadable tracks with artwork reduced to the size of a screen based icon. This situation has pushed people creatively to explore new opportunities that include street art, online video, experimental performances and interactive applications.
Your challenge is to choose a band or artist and create an illustrated response inspired by two of their tracks. In doing so, you’ll be facing this issue head on and demonstrating your vision of a brave new world for illustration in music.

Target Audience:

The target audience intended for the illustration will be the fan base of the musician/band/artist you select as part of answering the brief.

Considerations:

• Successfulentrieswilldemonstrate how illustration can reinvent itself as a powerful tool for promotion and expression within the world of music.
• Wearelookingforworkthatexplores new ways that illustration can be integrated into the music experience.
• Youshouldconsiderhowmusicians are reinventing the way that they interact with their fans and the increased importance of building intimate relationships and new experiences between fans and bands.
Mandatory Requirements:
• Produceaminimumoftwo illustrations, each based on a different track from any band or artist who’s music inspires you. While your solution maybe 2D, 3D or even time based, they must be documented and presented in A3 format as per the Formatting Guidelines PDF. The choice of band is unimportant – they maybe well known or equally unheard of.
• Create a short, clear and concise presentation of how the illustration would be integrated within the context of an unconventional music experience.
• Ashortexplanation(max300words) about how you decided to interpret the music.
• Forthebenefitofthejury,pleasealso submit MP3s of the two tracks that your work is based on.

Deliverables:

This category will be judged in two rounds with physical work not required until round two. Please see the Formatting Guidelines PDF.