Try It!
December 1st 2008
Screenshots:
The resolution of the CART 355c DB 4 project comes to life through its elegant interactive interface. After reading a few simple instructions the user launches the Adobe Flash application and begins the manipulation. Behind the scenes, a database of audio clips awaits selection. 885 mp3 files dissimulate 12 variations of the recorded word behind cryptic filenames. As the user begins exploring, the lyrics grow and shrink, expand and contract to symbolize the upcoming playback. The words resize with little noticeable distortion thanks to the “Hadwriting – Dakota” font. The application detects mouse click, drags and holds to achieve easy manipulation. When the user is ready to hear the auditory composition created, one last click on the speech bubble initiates the algorithm. The ActionScript 2 code analyses the modifications of each word to determine which audio sample is to be played back. The analysis is followed promptly by the desired reading of the text.
The goal of this project is to create a strong visual link between the formal graphical elements of typed text and its reading. By manipulating the shape of words, the emphasis placed on them changes both through size and sonic feedback. I recorded the variations of the words to achieve a level of granularity difficult to replicate with strictly digital methods like text to speech. The only effects created by computational means are the slowdown and speedup accessed by squeezing and stretching words. The lyrics chosen for this piece highlight the importance of speech in human communication as well as recall the experimentation Pink Floyd uses to achieve unique sounds.