Subject: Re: infamous 'SSS' experiment
From: KEVIN AUSTIN (KAUSTIN@vax2.concordia.ca)
Date: Wed Jan 10 2001 - 21:29:52 EST
Martin asked
>Care to enlighten us what the 'SSS' experiment exactly is?
The 'SSS' assignment started out some 30 years ago, and has been the
first 'ea' assignment for many students since that time (at McGill from
about 1972-76, Concordia from 1970 to the present, and a number of other
places at various times.) It is now done in both analog and digital domains.
The assignment is to record a short segment of speech and edit out all of
the /s/'s. This requires that the student have enough skills to record
and playback and helps develop some editing skills. The text needs to
written down, and transcribed into the IPA, so as not to confuse <voiced>
and <unvoiced> sounds.
There are a number of features to the assignment, apart from the student
being able to do something in the studio "on day one". It uses the
person's own voice; it requires that 'text' and 'voice' be heard as
'sound' -- losing its verbal semantic. When all of the SSS's are spliced
together, the student hears that there are in fact many different /s/
sounds gathered together within the IPA symbol /s/. The concepts of
identity, grouping, classification (etc etc) of sound(s) can flow from
this quite simple (but very personal) assignment.
For many, it is the start of the phase where 'the tree is not always a tree'.
I first heard the idea from the Canadian composer / poet / soundscaper,
Peter Huse, who said that he would like to do it one day. Those who have
complaints about this assignment should contact Peter and let him know
what they think about his idea. <yikes!> <<<<<8-()>>>>>>>> !!
Best
Kevin
kaustin@vax2.concordia.ca
(Another assignment that was only given for a couple of years was to
record a couple of words, make a loop and play them backwards. This was to
be 'imitated' by the student, recorded and then played backwards to find
out how close they were. In one class, a brazen young [female] student
used a rather ... er un-PC word as her choice, and as the guys slowly
understood what she was saying, a surprising (blushed) silence fell over
the room. The young lady has since gone on to a fine career in ea and
cabaret on the US west coast. -- Check out "Whipping the Boys" on PRESENCE
II for further developments. There may be more (and more!?) soon to come
on the forthcoming PRESENCE III.)
k
-18 and wind tonight, but -4 (and some snow?) tomorrow
bbbrrrrrrrrr!
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