Experiment 7: Audio Glitch

These experiments again follow the basic practice used for glitch art images. The audio file is transferred into a text/edit file, which creates a coded version of the audio file. Again, large sections of the code can be manipulated by cutting, copying and pasting them around the file. For this I was again careful to not cut the beginning, end or too much code at once to ensure that I wasn’t pushing to file to its limit and making it unplayable. The code it then transferred back into an audio file and played. I also employed data moshing into my audio file experimentation, using the same technique, but adding to sets of code together in order to create a new moshed version of the two original tracks. Again, this process was relatively quick and easy to execute. The only issue I encountered was the reworked files would not play in iTunes. I found a way around this by importing the files into Logic Pro and then exporting them as MP3s. Once I had resaved the files they the played back via iTunes was then possible.

Whilst in Logic Pro, I decided to try an original technique. I started by loading a song into Logic, and began to cut, copy and paste within the program. I chose random sections to edit at a micro level. Cutting out nanoseconds of audio. Some of which I deleted, moved around or replicated. Whilst this produced interesting results, I decided to manipulate the sounds even further by adding a Bitcrusher effect, which changed the bit rate. I added reverb to round out the sound and ended up creating an entirely new technique and sound that was extremely effective and glitch-like. The broken (cut and deleted) code caused a unique effect as Logic generated and replaced these portions with a white noise-like sound. The replacement noise varied in both length and volume, depending on how much code was missing. I really enjoyed this experiment. As I had full control over the file, I could manipulate the sounds to create a desired sound/output.  

I will be using both techniques in the glitch orchestra, as results were perfectly glitched. The initial technique created outputs that I could not predict, but the second technique was easier to manipulate. I think both techniques can be used alongside one another, and again will be fed into MaxMSP and further glitched.