Reflective Practice in Hybrid Sound Fields: Reconceptualising Sound-Based Composition for the Mixed Reality Continuum

Abstract

We currently exist in a post-biological age. Mixed-realities shape the way in which we live modern life; half in physical form, half in a hyper-mediated virtual environment of network protocols. This thesis discusses the technological impacts on the phenomenology of sound and the ways in which mixed-reality sound environments are developing through augmented combinations of auditory matter. In doing so, it examines ways in which field recording techniques can be reconceptualised to match the power and capacity of today’s hybrid environments of occupancy. The system architecture and implementation of an original software patch will be presented, demonstrating the utilization of modern programming methods to capture and record mixed reality sound fields. Conclusively, a composition portfolio will explore ways in which sound-based creativity can be reinterpreted for mixed-reality spaces as a somewhat mimicry or response to our immediate sound environments.