The Musical Web @ SFPC
Overview
In 2023 I attended The Musical Web class @SFPC NY. It was a transformative experience, where we learned a lot of new and interesting technologies related to sound on the web, but also how to critically think about music composition in this space.
There were a number of interesting projects where we explored Max, RNBO, ToneJS, p5.Sound, ThreeJS and spatial audio, and much more. A selection of my projects can be viewed below. You can also view the class gallery on the SFPC website.
Particle Music
https://particles.superblob.studio/
‘Particle Music’ is a generative musical experience that challenges the extractive nature of the contemporary web, which frequently demands our attention, interactions, and even personal data. In contrast to these normative digital demands, this piece carves out a tranquil space within the web – an area for meditation, dreaming, and experiencing a more serene side of digital life.
Tools used:
- Max
- RNBO
- ThreeJS
- GLSL
Particle Music was screened as an installation and concert at Purdue University as part of the Web Audio Conference 2024.
The Source Player
https://source.superblob.studio/
The project is intentionally restricted to using solely the HTML audio tag as a method of interacting with sound on the web. It parses a user supplied URL that triggers sample playback based on each character of the parsed URL.
The old-school ‘90s’ look and feel for the project was chosen because I wanted to reminisce about an era when the structure of a website was clearly accessible via the “View Page Source” option and when the web, although smaller, felt freer than today.
You can read more about my approach here
Tools used:
- HTML Audio Tag
September
https://september.superblob.studio/
This project shows a recording taken on the 29th of October 2023, in Bucharest, Romania. It explores the relationship between image and sound.
By distorting both to an extent where they can no longer be related, the viewer is “detached” from the viewed - while the sound becomes ever more so “present”.
Tools used:
- Max
- RNBO
- p5.JS
- GLSL
Glitch
https://glitch.superblob.studio/
This project explores sound co-creation with a computer. What you draw is repeated in the reverse direction by the computer. The visuals are based on custom GLSL shaders that were designed to accompany the glitchy FM synth that generates the sound.
Tools used:
- Max
- RNBO
- p5.JS
- GLSL
Paint
https://paint.superblob.studio/
This project continues the idea from Glitch but uses softer graphics that simulate brush strokes. I intend to develop this further into a collaborative sound generation experiment. In the current iteration, the sound was kept the same as in the Glitch project.
Tools used:
- Max
- RNBO
- p5.JS
- GLSL