multidimensional scaling of timbre

[Kevin Austin <kevin.austin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Interesting topic.

When I introduce this, I only use one example, Kontakte of  
Stockhausen. My experience here is that the number of dimensions  
required for discrimination / categorization grows with repeated  
hearing. The dimensions are not elements of the sounds, but of the  
hearer. I have met people who have a single dimension for the piece,  
(1) noise.

In discussions, for example in spectromorphology, the idea of a "sonic  
object" begins to be challenged, for few sounds have constancy; their  
identity, in my experience, being established by the depth of the  
listener's perception, and experience. As was once said, "Perception  
you see, is a cultural phenomenon." In my experience, the idea of  
modular dimensional hearing may be useful for the "general  
population", but for some composers who work _with_ sound, the  
[simple] modularization (frequency, amplitude, spectrum) is not  
descriptively useful.

Turn off the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0h0ApJAeSg
This excerpt is from the middle of the mixed version.


Best

Kevin