Small Sound Recording and Comoposition with Piezo Microphones
This workshop will focus on my approach to recording and working with environmental sound. Special emphasis will be given to the use of contact (piezo) microphones and recording the "small" sounds in our environment.
In the workshop we will construct piezo microphones and discuss how to use these in the context of environmental recording, composition and sound installation.
The workshop is open to novices and advanced practitioners alike. Participants should bring a sound recording device (solid state recorder, DAT recorder, mini disc, cassette recorder etc.) and headphones.
In the workshop we will build simple piezo microphones and discuss how to work with these.
All material (piezo elements, wire, jacks, etc) will be supplied by the workshop.
Jason Kahn
Jason Kahn's work includes sound installation, performance and composition. He was born in New York in 1960, grew up in Los Angeles and relocated to Europe in 1990. He currently lives in Zürich.
He has given concerts and exhibited sound installations throughout Europe, North and South America, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Israel, Turkey, Russia, Lebanon, Egypt, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
Kahn performs both solo and in collaboration, using percussion, analog synthesizer or computer in different combinations.
He composes for electronics and acoustic instruments. For larger groups of directed improvisation he has devised a system of graphical scores.
Kahn creates his sound installations for specific spaces. The focus of these primarily non-visual works lies in the perception of space through sound.
Software for composition, sound processing and editing which will be discussed in the workshop (mac + linux platform)
Ardour
http://ardour.org/
Audacity
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Documents pertaining to piezo microphone construction
Piezo construction (PDF 84 kb)
Windharp (PDF
32 kb)