Recording
Our method uses a design loop that alternates between recording, listening, and using the recordings to generate new ideas for future sessions. We from two perspectives, using one microphone placed inside the flute and another pointed at the end of the footjoint. This allowed us to compare techniques from different perspectives during the listening phase.
One session began with an exploration of key clicks and air noise on the piccolo.
We alternated monitoring ourselves through headphones and listening to the room sound. The multiple microphones allowed us to switch between different monitoring sources, and mix them in real time. Changing the perspective altered the feedback used to guide his playing. This next sample of the bass flute was captured from two perspectives, one externally, the other internally. Listen to how different these two perspectives are.
Bass Flute (Internal)
Bass Flute (External)
Other times we isolated a specific technique, for example holding a sustained pitch, or going through the entire range of the flute with one technique to see how the sounds shifted through the flute.
This sample explores singing and playing on the bass flute, captured from the footjoint microphone.
We recorded 2-5 minute improvisations on a particular texture and then stopped the recording to discuss what we liked, what surprised us, and what we wanted to explore further. We did 10 rounds of recording sessions following this model, resulting in a large library of audio files. We set aside these recordings for a couple of months, which we would revisit in the next phase of our project.