StarWaves is an audiovisual scene architect, the embodiment of sound, space and visual design rolled into one.

StarWaves gives the sound designer the architect’s role by creating possibilities of dialogue between these multiple elements.

In the making of sonic architectures

StarWaves can import the sonic material in its concrete form as recorded files. Then this digital data is being represented as 3D rigid physical forms in space. We name them “the platform blocks” distributed spatially, a structure which stems from the sonic material being imported. There can be 100s of them, reaching the granular levels of sonic material. The layout of the platforms can be designed with 3D tools like positioning, rotation; they can be stretched, bent, scattered along their physical dimensions in continuous transformations.

As Goethe wisely stated : the architecture itself is “frozen music”. How do we interact with this architecture to create the sonic textures ?

We know that sound travels as waves in an environment. It originates from a source and travels towards a distance, then interacts with the surface material of the environmental objects, gets reflected, refracted, and absorbed within all the physical reality of its nature, granting a flexible relation to spatiality. 

Sound remains as a hidden existence until it reaches our body. StarWaves uses on its scene  the transmitters which send particles and beams of light to the space ( reminiscent to particle behavior of light or sound ) They hit the platform blocks ( representing the sonic material ) get reflected and collide with further objects, travel in distance until they die. 

The time they collide with these rigid bodies they trigger sonic events and start a flow of synthesis processes. It is this continuous kinematic interaction, this physical realm which composes the sonic being and applies continuous transformations on its texture.

Visual, causal and narrative fidelity of motion

The poetic expansion of architectural elements comes with the contribution of mathematics, geometry, physical laws ( kinematics ) altogether what defines this environment. The rich motion dynamics constitute a choreographed occupation of the StarWaves space, filled with actions triggering sonic events and with a formal beauty of narrative fidelity. 

On StarWaves, we don’t interact directly with the sound data as on a standard sound synthesis tool but we design the architecture of the scene which will compose the sonic organization through the spatial interactions and let perform this on a timeline. Here, the sound has no separate existence from space, time and motion.

Time is the mind of StarWaves.

We can create alternate scene designs and store them as individual states. StarWaves makes it possible morphing gradually between these visible and audible alternates. The dimension of time will play us perceptual tricks during these transitions. As the time invades the audience mind, it develops the illusion of a theater of audiovisual forms that move in space.

Why in “space” ? 

It is merely the very “space” which is an abstraction from our habitat and brings us to the non-gravitational environment of the universe, where there is no sound ! It is this emptiness which provokes the sensual penetration into it, and the sound is a perfect narrative medium to do this. 

“NASA’s next urgent mission should be to send good poets into space so they can describe what it’s really like.” Shannon Hale.

As the architects of these virtual scenes and themes of StarWaves, we feel the privilege of describing it with sound design and without doubt there is the poetry within.

Why StarWaves ? 

The name “StarWaves” comes from the sense of wonder and fantasy which has stimulated us during the project development and by witnessing its immense possibilities waiting us to discover. 

As we keep looking for new frontiers in space and get fascinated with its new discoveries and the use of newest technology, we also need to investigate new instruments for sound design and new possibilities for musical creation. Analog synthesizers, keyboards and such equipment of the past were the cradle of electronic music, but one cannot live and progress in a cradle forever. Because I do believe that the future lying ahead is more prolonged than this past. 

With current technological advances, we are limited only by our imagination and our will to create. And there are singularities on the timeline of advances in computer hardware and software applications. Today, StarWaves sees the daylight at one of them as it combines multiple disciplines and design elements powerfully and roll them into one high fidelity application.

sonicPlanet will continue to produce at great pace the next level of computer software for sound design, combining science, art and technology.

Dr. Sinan Bökesoy