24042152's blog

Author: Zixi Wen

  • Visual Direction

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    The visual direction became clearer through the group’s Miro board and WhatsApp discussions. The references included Belladonna of Sadness, hand-drawn animation, character design and pearl-related costume imagery. These references showed me that the work would not be realistic or fast-paced. Instead, it would be emotional, symbolic and atmosphere-driven. One important thing Cindy explained was that…

  • Project Start

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    For this collaboration, I worked on Pearls Against the Wall, a projection animation project by Cindy, Mariam and Ming from CSM PDP for We See We Move. The project was initially developed through the motifs of pearls and clams, with references to Ophelia, perception and identity. My role as a Sound Arts student was to create…

  • Initial Concept

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    For this project I wanted to explore how different spaces affect the way we listen and experience our surroundings through sound. My essay research focuses on sound installation and spatial perception, so I wanted the practical work to connect directly to these ideas rather than becoming a separate project. This made me think more carefully…

  • Final Mix

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    I began the final mix. Spatial movement, loudness balance and transitions were refined so the journey feels continuous.  I removed unnecessary narration and kept words minimal. The sound is the argument. I noticed how the project changed my own listening habits.  At the beginning I heard Khoomei mainly as a cultural signal. Now I hear…

  • Returning

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    I focused on the ending sections.  I decided that returning to a cleaner throat-singing phrase would complete the arc. After everything the listener has heard, that return would feel different. It is not the same purity as before. The sound has already been reconstructed by context.  I also reflected on authorship and responsibility. I am…

  • Processing

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    I worked on the most experimental sections. Distortion, resonators, spring noise and glitch effects began transforming the throat-singing beyond recognition.  It felt powerful but also risky. Sometimes the sound crossed a line and became just noise.  I kept adjusting until each transformation still carried a trace of the original breath and resonance. I added metallic…

  • Recording

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    I began recording the narration using a Zoom H5 with foam windscreen. Then I used Audacity to reduce noise and adjust loudness so the details remained clear and consistent. I wanted my voice to be calm and reflective rather than instructional.  The voice is not the centre. It is more like a companion guiding the…

  • Refining

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    These two days I mainly refined the internal behaviour of the patch. Originally, every parameter moved together with the compass angle, which made the whole loop react as one messy blob. Now I re-defined each layer so they behave independently: I also compressed the LFO speed and depth into a more “musical” range. I don’t…

  • Musical Compass Working

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    Today I finally built the full “phone DJ compass.” In Max, I created a full structure with filter, LFO, resonance, and two angle-based triggers (sound only reacts within specific ranges). Compass data enters using udpreceive,then I use select to define angle thresholds so direction doesn’t trigger everything, only specific zones. Since I couldn’t find samples…

  • Learning Filter & LFO

    —

    by

    Zixi Wen
    in

    Today we discussed the assignment in class. I told Milo I’m switching from the drum machine to the musical compass. He said that’s normal and recommended a book with lots of Max tutorials and explanations. I read most of it and focused on the chapters about filters and LFOs. It was extremely helpful. Yesterday I…