Ultrasonisphere

Ultrasonisphere is the first piece conceived for the Ears In Space wave field synthesis array. It is composed primarily of the ultrasonic sounds used by bats for hunting and communication, along with other environmental and synthesized sounds. The bat calls were recorded using various means to translate them into the human hearing range.

The Ears In Space wave field synthesis array is a linear array of 24 speakers coordinated by a Max patch, which creates sonic point sources in a two-dimensional space. These virtual sources are physically accurate and retain their position regardless of the position of the listener in the room.

Wave field synthesis is best experienced in person; however, until we can all get together in physical reality, this version of Ultrasonisphere is a binaural rendering for headphone listening, attempting to recreate the experience of the Ears In Space array. I recommend listening on headphones with the volume at a moderate level.

Thanks to Jo Kennedy for providing some of the bat sounds.

The idea of the Ears In Space array was born from a series of spatial audio workshops held at EMPAC at RPI in Troy, NY; deep gratitude to many people for hours of inspiration, consultation, and discussion, both during and after the workshops.

Recorded by Mike Bullock: early evening, front yard in Florence, MA USA; early morning, village of Aulus-les-Bains, France; and Jo Kennedy: Cemetery, Basque country, Spain.

credits

released November 13, 2020 Sounds recorded by Mike Bullock and Jo Kennedy