A case study of aesthetics of imperfection: Creating and using impulse responses of unusual spaces in the field audio mixing

Abstract

Music as we experience it now moved further apart from the music that was first made in ways that the structures that once made it what it is are entangled with coincidences, different takes on the aesthetics and technological improvements on how we make it. There are now types of music that are less formal and less perfectionist . It is not only the harmony, melody, timbre or motive that make the music, but all that and more. With the additional equipment to make the music and available tools to alter the sound in order to attain a more ear-pleasing product; recorded music significantly changed in the 20th century. Most of the times, these changes created certain aesthetics that we all have become accustomed to and in some specific genres, these additions have become instrumental to define certain types of music. Whilst some of these changes were led by influential figures in the music production industry, the rest such as gated reverb in 80s music drum sound were discovered by happy accidents. Nearing today, there are more people who make and produce music in studios, on stages or at the comfort of their own homes. Digital audio workstations, digital signal processing tools, affordability of the recording gear are contributing factors of the growing numbers of music producers. Whilst the recorded music for so long tried to replicate the real world conditions, it is not so anymore. Instead of replicating the natural, people are now trying to lay out rules to make the musical product more compelling. This thesis focuses on the use of reverb through impulse responses, an effective tool that is widely used in music production in order make use of the spatial and spectral functions of spaces and objects, in a way that is is not entirely natural but may prove to be compelling enough to create a new understanding of the aesthetics of imperfection, by creating impulse responses of objects that are normally not designed for acoustic purposes through the use of sine-sweep method. Impulse responses obtained from these objects are investigated in detail for future reference to users who wish to pursue their own happy accidents and applied on a multitrack recording on a digital audio workstation for further understanding with the expert views of sound engineers.