Sodankylä Jam Sessions produced a remote collaboration where musicians recorded their parts from home. I handled the sound post-production and mixed the final track, which was compiled into both a song and a video.
Does the aurora borealis produce sound? For some, it seems it does.
This piece is my personal reproduction of the auroral sound experience I had while working as a research assistant at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory in Finland. It reflects what I heard, an approximation unique to my perception; others might experience it differently.
In the winter of 2001, during peak auroral activity, five of us witnessed a vivid display of northern lights. Initially, three parallel belts of light appeared, which suddenly merged into one directly above us. At that moment, I perceived a sound unlike anything I had heard before.
The sound created its own space within my mind – devoid of reverberation or conventional spatial cues. The sound was dry. It resembled countless layered noises, each distinguishable, producing a sense of infinite depth yet feeling somehow confined, perhaps limited by my own perception.
Intermittently, very soft and deep pops punctuated the soundscape.
The sound’s presence fluctuated with the aurora’s movements. It ceased when the single belt split back into three. Moving my head did not alter the sound’s characteristics.
I was initially hesitant to share this experience with others. At the time, a project at SGO was collecting reports of auroral sounds, so I submitted mine. Later that night, I created a reproduction of what I heard – this piece is a refined, modern version of that.
I later came across the Frey effect (microwave auditory effect), which aligns with my experience but does not contradict my initial impression that the northern lights sound was directly induced.
The accompanying image is from Pixabay.
Fusion is a collaboration with Tuomas Tuomiranta, who created the animation using Processing. Real-time data from the animation was sent to Max via OSC, where I generated the sound using that data. I produced several audio interpretations and composed the final sound design from these renders to match and enhance the animation’s dynamic flow.
The foundation of the soundtrack is derived from the actual colors and their frequencies, translated directly into sound. Additionally, the evolving properties of the animation elements were used to modulate and shape the audio, creating a seamless integration between image and sound.
Shortly after our collaboration began, an opportunity arose to exhibit the piece. Fusion premiered at Flash Vallisaari on September 21, 2018.
The visuals of the NAPOLI film were translated into sound, forming the foundation for both the musical composition and sound design. A poem recited by lead actor Pasquale se Fabbio was converted into musical notation and used as the basis for the main melody.
Seppo Renvall is a pioneer in Finnish experimental film. He works mainly with film and video, but hid artistic output also includes photography, installations and happenings. His films are characterised by an abstract imagery in black and white and a non-narrative structure that often focuses on the apparently commonplace and everyday.
I consider myself fortunate to have collaborated with him on the film, which premiered on May 11, 2017.
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Music video for Mr. Fluffs Shadow Waltz
I handled the production of the music video for Laura Iso-Metsälä, including recording both the visuals and audio. I also mixed the final piece, ensuring the sound and imagery were seamlessly integrated.