Go Deeper Into the Sound – Unless It Will Make Your Head Explode

shape-of-soundReader Alistair de B Clarkson let us know about a new series of articles kicking off at the Shape of Sound site, Going Deeper into the Sound.

The series is intended for ‘music nutters’ that are obsessed by sound.

Clarkson notes:

These articles are only suitable for synthtopia readers and will result in any non synthopia reader complaining that their head will explode.

Rather than glossing over things, the first article goes into a spectral analysis of the first 90 seconds of one track off the latest Sasha album Invol3ver, performing visual, audio and rythmic analysis using different tool chains.

It was intended to do 1 track in the article; but there was soooo much to do with the intro that I forgot about the rest.

Note: If it makes your head explode, you were warned.

16 thoughts on “Go Deeper Into the Sound – Unless It Will Make Your Head Explode”

  3. He’s missing the most important tool: a good spectral viewer.
    Get a copy of good old Cool Edit — which is now Adobe Audition — or Ocenaudio.
    They let you flip easily between spectral view and waveform.

    Ocenaudio is free, so just get it now.
    Cool Edit is getting harder to find nowadays, but slightly preferred because it has a near-perfect set of commands for selection and zooming, and allows config of shortcut keys to switch between spectral view and timeline.

    1. Ohhh, I hadn’t heard of Ocenaudio before. This looks like a pretty good replacement for the simple tasks I do with Audacity (which is barely tolerable).

  4. As an amateur producer I too was expecting a lot more insight from an article tipped to make my head explode, though it reads simply like an Aspergers’ sufferer trying to convince people technically that their favourite artist doesn’t suck, while stating the more obvious aspects of song structure – the low end is quieter when there are no kicks before a drop? I’d never have guessed! Again, I appreciate the effort, but analysing a finished product rarely provides much understanding compared to learning about the processes from the ground up – I look at my computer mouse and I can imagine the many processes the different parts may have gone through all over the world and I can see why it’s a good mouse but that doesn’t mean I could go and build a better one! I mean I guess this article might be useful to a DJ but I give every musically-oriented person a bit more credit than to need to check for things with tools that are plain to hear, or at least I did until now.

    Sorry, it’s just the headline and picture led me to think I was gonna learn some mad useful psychoacoustic theory. Anyone else feel the same?

  5. You want something that will really make your head explode? Many of use here could have given an even deeper analysis of that song MERELY BY LISTENING TO IT!! No tools at all, other than the handy human ear/brain combo.

  6. I have to agree with everyone here. I kept waiting for some mind blowing microscopic detail about the relation between sub-harmonic frequencies, the earths rotation speed and it’s effect on human evolution.

  7. I got so excited I almost wet myself. Then I read the thing. 🙁

    So do any of you Synthopia readers have some good articles that might make a ‘music nutter’ happy?

    Here are a few from me … Not great but the best I could find. Definitely check the video out at the bottom.

    This one is boring but maybe useful. It will not make your head explode. Anyone got one that will make my head explode … Please.

    The New Loudness Standards, and What They Might Mean for Us
    http://designingsound.org/2013/02/loudness-and-metering-part-2/

    This one is more interesting but it wont make anyone’s head explode
    Designing Musical Sounds
    http://designingsound.org/2013/03/designing-musical-sounds/

    This one isn’t deep either …. seems someone could fill a gap by writting articles for us Nutters.
    The Science of Sample Rates (When Higher Is Better — And When It Isn’t)
    http://trustmeimascientist.com/2013/02/04/the-science-of-sample-rates-when-higher-is-better-and-when-it-isnt/

    Here is a cool video.
    Enter the plugged-in world of Tim Kaiser, a maker who creates experimental musical instruments from scavenged objects. Tim seeks out unique sounds everywhere he goes plucking chimes out of grandfather clocks and jingle mechanisms from children’s toys. And he doesn’t stop there – his electronic instruments have to look cool, too. So, Tim houses them in wildly inventive containers. Then meet the musical maverick who inspired him, Harry Partch.
    http://vimeo.com/3099287

    O well anyone else got something?

  8. that was simple ,I don’t see the use of it,just make your own music and be happy with the frequenties you like,don’t try to make them the same as someone other’s work.

  9. Oh dear…

    The only question I have here is does iTunes pay commission for links because I can’t see any other point to this article at all 🙁

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *