AVIAN LOWPASS
reactive visual snapshot of avian lowpass (flstudio).
2025
agar, gelatin, plant grounds, gylcerin, environmental sound recordings
avian lowpass is a sound performance installation that communicates through the elements of recorded ambient noise and birdsong filtered and interplayed through the medium of bioplastic samples formulated through the plant passage project.
it aims to illuminate the weight and resilience of natural beings over the cacophony that capitalistic “progress” results in.
the noise of construction envelops the ears of the listener and fades away with the placement of bioplastic samples on the tweeters of the speakers, using the density of the material to impede their output and giving room for emerging birdsong.
RECORDING
ACQUIRING EQUIPMENT
a zoom h6 was used with the default mic for construction, and an at804 for birds.
H6 RECORDING ANGLE
the 120 degree wide recording angle
had better stereo capture.LOCATION 1
the first location on site was
further from built up structures.LOCATION 2
the second location was a lot closer and more open, causing more reverb.LOCATION 3
the third location was a path
with plenty of trees and birds.
BIRD ZOOM 1
a single melospiza sparrow’s birdsong was captured.BIRD ZOOM 2
another single bird’s song was captured; an american robin.
AUDIO MIXING
NOISE REMOVER
uses an algorithm to remove background noise, adjusting strength allows bird sounds to pass through.
EQUALIZER 1
dips harsh midrange+ high boost + cut out sub frequencies.EQUALIZER 2
cuts out all lows while increasing volume of all sound (original recording is very silent).STEREO IMAGER
this imager makes the bird audio signal wider.REVERB
adds minute space and depth to the mono recording.
MASTERING + COMPILATION
LIMITER
limiter acts as compressor so louder signals closer birds (seen in purple) are ducked to match the rest of the audio.SLICING
sliced out loud interruptions (construction noise, footsteps, mic feedback).CROSSFADING
closed gaps caused by slicing and faded the volume between clips for seamless transitions.DOUBLING
overlaid both recordings on top of each other to create a more lush sounding set of recordings.TESTING + SETUP
TESTING CUBES (CLICK FOR VIDEO)
blocking the speakers playing construction noise with the cubes muffled it well.
TESTING BRICKS
after experimenting with test bricks, the clear method for performance
would involve placing the sheets on the tweeters.
FREQUENCY TWEAKS
boosted the high frequency knob to amplify the intended lowpass effect for the bird noise speakers.
INSTALLATION + RECREATION
the speaker layout of the exhibition.
in further development, more speakers and automation would make the process of transition between the two sources of audio smoother.
avian lowpass had to be recreated as recording it live did not simulate the listening experience as intended. equalizers are used to simulate the act of covering the speaker with bioplastic as in the performance.