Sound Transformation Test
In 2010 I had this idea for a poem I wanted to write from a child’s perspective. I can’t quite recall what compelled me to write this piece, which I have now decided to call Unsung Hero. However, I found a few materials on my old tumblr that I created as test pieces to for the sound transformation I wanted to create.
Screenshot of Intro to Original Tumblr Entry for Unsung Hero
Yesterday, I decided to rerecord the piece, but leave my voice unfiltered. It was tough to read through at first and I didn’t quite nail the articulation I had in mind. So I decided to reformat the piece on a word doc and spaced out the words out in a new way and added a few edits because it didn’t make sense. However, all of this was before I actually read the intro to my original tumblr entry (featured in the image above) and realized that with the way it was constructed it wasn’t meant to make sense. I guess I was just thinking that I don’t always make sense in my free writes anyways, but found the turns I took with this one especially odd. It makes way more sense now that I know I took turns with someone to write it. Below are the audio tracks I recorded in 2010 and yesterday.
2010 Original Recording
2021 Interpretation
Unsung Hero Tongue Twister
Children born of the natural tongue
This song of this hero shall remain unsung
as we underestimate the pattern of this young son
he rises up from your striking down
of the sound of the very thought
that he shall one day begin preparing for your next feast
for at least he knows what it means to take the shoes of another
hanging on the line say a prayer for his brother
taken down by the big man walking in the streets
and against the shadows he follows
the fair bare skin of this young knights camo
may only protect you for so long
as the exposure melts through elapsing time
suppressing all kinds
of filth full proof faith produced purely
for this punk ass bitch laying underneath my barrel
and Now i'm in control and I hold the bow to the arrow
so when I say aim you say
apple?
Borderline Bondage
The piece that I created this test audio for was called Borderline Bondage. Here is the audio for that piece:
In present day, I like the piece as an audio piece alone. At first, when I would just even see a preview of the video I would cringe thinking about what an “amateur piece” it was given the imagery I recorded and the way I edited it. Sometimes video can hurt a piece more than help it, especially when it feels like you’re spoon feeding emotional drama to your viewer.
For example there are some pieces that are far better performed live rather than listened to as an audio recording. Sometimes recording can feel too staged, manipulated, or edited. When you’re at a venue with a performer the ambience, such as the size of the room or the lighting, can help setup the mood. Overall, it’s the rawness in the deliver of the performance that moves you in that moment. You can’t always get that across in a recording even if it’s a recording of the performance. It sounds obvious, but everything about being there in that moment is part of the experience.
Though I’m not the biggest fan of the video I created for this piece, granted it was over 10 years ago, I’d still like to share it with you. I created a puppet out of recycled fabric and recorded it and myself in similar positions. After watching it a few times through, it grew on me and I feel half way decent about it, but it still feels far too saturated in emotion when compared to the audio on its own.