Acousmatic
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The term acousmatic dates back to Pythagoras; the philosopher is believed to have tutored his students from behind a screen so as not to let his presence distract them from the content of his lectures.
Acousmatic art is a logical extension of musique concrete, a form of music which is presented through loudspeakers to an audience from an analog or digital tape-recording. This music may contain sounds that have recognisably musical sources, but may equally present recognisable sources that are beyond the bounds of traditional vocal and instrumental technology. We are as likely to hear the sounds of a bird, or of a factory as we are the sounds of a violin. The technology involved transcends the mere reproduction of sounds. Techniques of synthesis and sound processing are employed which may present us with sounds that are unfamiliar and that may defy clear source attribution. This form of music may present us with familiar musical events: chords, melodies and rhythms which are easily reconcilable with other forms of music, but may equally present us with events which cannot be classified within such a traditional taxonomy. (Windsor 1995, p.10n1)
In cinema, acousmatic sound is sound one hears without seeing an originating cause - an invisible sound source. Radio, phonograph and telephone, all which transmit sounds without showing the source cause, are acousmatic media.
Offscreen sound in film is sound that is acousmatic, relative to what is shown in the shot. In a film an acousmatic situation can develop along two different scenarios: either a sound is visualised first, and subsequently acousmatized, or it is an acousmatic to start with, and is visualized only afterward (usually through the use of an L-cut).
The first cause associates a sound with a precise image from the outset. This Image can the reappear in the audience mind each time the sound is heard off screen.
The second case, common to moody mystery films, keeps the sound's cause a secret before revealing all. (De-acousmatization) Opposite of Acousmatic sound is Visualized sound - a sound accompanied by the sight of its source or cause. In film an onscreen sound whose source appears in the image, and belongs to the reality represented therein (Edited excerpt: Michel Chion, Audio-Vision)
[edit] Sources
- Chion, M.(1994). "Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen", Columbia University Press.
- Destantos, S.(1997). "Acousmatic Morphology: An Interview with Francois Bayle",
- Dhomont, F. "Acousmatic Update", reprinted from CONTACT!. the journal of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community.
- Windsor, W.L. (1995). "A Perceptual Approach to the Description and Analysis of Acousmatic Music", Ph. D Thesis, City University Department of Music, September 1995, Sheffield.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Acousmatic Update by Francis Dhomont, reprinted from CONTACT!. the journal of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community
- Acousmatic sound at FilmSound
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