NOTES –
As someone with no experience in spatial sound in any way, I found the first lesson very informative, and a lot of ideas were sparked in my head. What I found particularly interesting was the idea that spatial sound, as opposed to the standard two channel setup that everyone listens to music through, is a lot less concerned with the sound on its own, but instead more worried about the relationship between the sound and the environment. For instance, if you are listening to a song or a sound piece through headphones, you are hearing a definitive and focused piece of work that doesn’t use any of your physical surroundings to create its impact. Sound systems in clubs and venues have a bit more of a relationship with the space but it is still quite a linear way of the sound being projected.
Spatial sound, however, often uses the space as another instrument, fulfilling the architectural brilliance of a space and playing a lot more with emptiness and physical sensation. One note I wrote down was that you can never show the experience of a spatial piece because you have to experience it in real life – as soon as it is converted to binaural or a video of the piece being performed, the spatial sound element gets lost as you are now listening via two channels. I think this is an important idea to think about, because the way I interpret it is spatialisation/installation work is all about being immersed in the moment, and it is an experience, whereas how I am used to producing sound work is through making work that can be replayed infinitely. It seems like more of a mindset change over anything else when you move into spatial sound.