BAES - a Bass Augmentation and Enhancement System: Expanding the Possibilities and Roles for the Double Bass
Translated title
BAES - a Bass Augmentation and Enhancement System
Authors
Damgård, Mathias Lyneborg ; Gomez, Peter Flemming
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-05-19
Pages
122
Abstract
Gennem interviews med en studerende ved Royal Academy of Music i Aalborg drøftede vi, at kontrabassen traditionelt bruges i jazz, folk og klassisk som en del af rytmegruppen. Den studerende ønskede at udfordre denne rolle ved hjælp af lydeffekter. Vi valgte fem effekter: velkendte som rumklang (reverb), der giver fornemmelsen af rum, og ekko (delay), samt mere elektronisk inspirerede lyde via en kombination af beat repeat, konvolution og pitch-shifting (ændring af tonehøjde). Projektet resulterede i BAES (Bass Augmentation and Enhancement System), og vi byggede en kompakt controller til at huse effekterne. For at få fuld kontrol over parametre i en lille boks brugte vi tre motoriserede fadere (skydeknapper), som automatisk kan vende tilbage til gemte positioner, så de samme tre fadere kan styre alle fem effekter. Samarbejdspartneren brugte anden iteration af BAES i cirka halvanden måned og anvendte den i to forskellige optrædener. I den afsluttende evaluering gennem et interview fremgik det, at BAES gjorde det muligt at gå ud over kontrabassens traditionelle baggrundsrolle og udtrykke sig på nye måder.
Through interviews with a student at the Royal Academy of Music in Aalborg, we discussed how the double bass is traditionally placed in jazz, folk, and classical music as part of the rhythm section. The student wanted to challenge this role by using audio effects. We selected five effects: familiar ones like reverb (adding a sense of space) and delay (echoes), and more electronically inspired sounds using a combination of beat repeat, convolution, and pitch-shifting (changing pitch). The project produced the Bass Augmentation and Enhancement System (BAES), and we built a compact controller to host these effects. To fit full parameter control into a small box, we used three motorized faders—sliders that can return to saved positions—so the same three controls could operate all five effects. The collaborator used the second iteration of BAES for about a month and a half and employed it in two performances. A final interview evaluated BAES and indicated that the system helped the student move beyond the double bass’s traditional background role and express himself in new ways.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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