MediaArtTutorials

W8 - Presence, Space & Spatialization

Objective

You will return to your W6 scene and create a new spatial sound composition that explores stereo presence and listener position.

This activity focuses on how sound location and audience perspective reshape perception without relying on camera movement.

Tutorial time may be used to begin or complete this activity depending on your tutorial day. Some work is expected outside of class.

Materials Required

Computer (laptop or desktop) + Computer mouse (recommended)
Headphones (highly recommended for accurate stereo perception and subtle spatial differences)
Free acount on Freesound
Reaper (free software)
👉 Download: https://www.reaper.fm/download.php
Blender (free software)
Your Week 6 Blender file (.blend)
Paper + pen (preferred) or digital drawing tool

Activities

Complete the following in order. Ask your professor or TA for help as needed.

[15 min] Sonic Intentions — Start Here

Use W8 vocabulary

Return to your Week 6 lighting scene and define a new sonic approach that explores stereo movement, depth, and listener perspective.

Write 4–5 sentences that respond to the following:

How will sound extend your Week 6 lighting transformation?
Will lighting shifts correspond to changes in panning, intensity, texture, or spatial emphasis?
What is the overall feeling you want to create?
How will you use the stereo field to shape space?
Will sounds move gradually from left to right?
Will certain elements remain centered while others shift?
Will volume and reverb create a sense of proximity or distance?

[20 min] Gather & Curate Sound Samples

You may reuse unused sound samples from Week 7 or gather new royalty-free sounds from Freesound.

If you download new sounds, you must record the credit information (title, creator, source link, license).

Curate a focused selection of sounds that support stereo spatialization, such as:

Textures that can move between speakers
Sounds that can exist exclusively in one speaker
Layers that can vary in volume to create depth
⚠️ No lyrics.

[60-80m] Compose in REAPER (Stereo Spatialization Focus)

Follow the REAPER tutorials below and build a 30-second stereo sound composition that explores spatial presence.

Your composition must:

Be exactly 30 seconds long
Combine at least 6 different sound samples
Include a clear beginning, middle, and end
Use a fade-in at the start and a fade-out at the end
Maintain clean levels (no clipping; final peak at -0.3 dB)

In addition, you must:

Use panning to shift sounds across the stereo field (Left ↔ Right),
or position certain sounds entirely in one speaker.
Use volume/gain adjustments to create depth (foreground vs background).
Apply at least one audio effect (e.g., reverb, EQ, delay) intentionally.
Normalize or balance levels so no track unintentionally dominates the mix.
Ensure spatial movement feels deliberate, not random.

When finished:

Export your final composition as a WAV file
📄 Filename: Lastname-Firstname-W8.wav
Save your REAPER project file
📄 Filename: Lastname-Firstname-W8.rpp

Tutorials

❗ Review this week’s slides for practical tips on working with multiple tracks, zoom in/out in the arrange view, track overview options, add sound effects, and automatate/animate volume, panning and sound effects.

Check W7 REAPER tutorilas

Why and How to use Reverb in REAPER

The Automation or Envelope Knob in REAPER: Animate Volume and Panning

Dynamic Special FX in REAPER - Part 1

Export in Reaper and avoid master clipping

Render Settings:

Source: Master mmix
Bounds: Entire proejct
File name: [Set name]
Reder to: [Select Folder]
Sample rate: 48000
Channels: stereo
Format: WAV

Dry Run = Analyzes the project locally to check peak levels without creating a file.
Render = Exports the full audio file and saves it to your selected folder.

[30-40 min] Blender: Spatial Sound Integration

First:

Open your duplicated W6 scene.
Adjust your timeline to 720 frames (30 seconds at 24 fps).
Remove any previous camera animation from Week 6.

Then:

Follow the Blender tutorials below to add a Speaker object, position it at the center of the stage, and import your sound file into the scene.

Note: The Speaker object converts your stereo file into a single spatial source. You will no longer hear left/right panning as designed in REAPER.
For this week, keep it this way. Instead of stereo separation, you will explore spatial difference through camera movement in Blender — allowing listener position to shape volume, proximity, and perceived depth.
Adjust the timing of the lighting animation to align with your 30-second sound composition.
Animate the camera so it moves closer to and farther from the centre where the speaker object is located, allowing changes in perceived volume and spatial nuance.

The camera movement should be smooth and intentional (no random motion). Your goal is to demonstrate how camera distance and movement affect the perception of stereo panning, depth, and spatial presence.
Follow the tutorials below to export video with sound.

Save your updated Blender file as: Lastname-Firstname-W8.blend

➡️ Export Video as MP4, codec H.264
📄 Filename: Lastname-Firstname-W8.mp4

⚠️ Videos must be final renders, not viewport screen recordings.

Tutorials

❗ Review this week’s slides for practical tips on info.

How to Use Speakers | Basic.

Using the Speaker for 3D Sound | Advance

For this week, focus only on adding speaker object, mute and volume, distance, and cone.

0:00 — Intro
0:15 — Speaker Basics
2:03 — Mute, Volume and Pitch
4:27 — The Distance Options
8:26 — The Cone Options
10:26 — Scene Properties and Doppler Effect (skip)
12:52 — Determining Audio Length and Start Time (skip)
14:30 — Exporting The Audio

Blender: Troubleshooting - Audio From Speaker NOT Starting at Frame 0

Blender: Export File with Audio

Blender: Troubleshooting - Video Taking TOO LONG to Render

Video Submission Example

Submission Documents

Create a single PDF that includes:

4–5 sentence sonic intention description
Briefly describe the emotional arc (beginning → middle → end) and the types of sounds you selected.
List of sound samples used
Include for each sample:
- Title
- Creator
- Source link
- License information

➡️ Export as PDF
📄 Filename: Lastname-Firstname-W8.pdf

Component	File Name
Project document (PDF)	`Lastname-Firstname-W8.pdf`
Reaper file	`Lastname-Firstname-W8.rpp`
Sound file	`Lastname-Firstname-W8.wav`
Video file	`Lastname-Firstname-W8.mp4`

⚠️ Follow submission protocols carefully. Incorrect submissions may result in lost points.

Assessment

Your work will be assessed based on:

Clarity of Spatial Sonic Intentions (PDF)
The written description clearly explains how stereo movement (panning), depth (volume/reverb), and camera distance shape listener experience and extend your Week 6 lighting transformation.
Stereo Spatialization & Sound Design (WAV + RPP)
The 30-second stereo composition demonstrates intentional use of panning (Left ↔ Right), controlled volume to create depth (foreground/background), at least six layered sound sources, effective fades, and clean audio levels (final peak at -0.3 dB, no distortion). Spatial movement feels deliberate rather than random.
Integration in Blender & Camera Embodiment (MP4)
The sound file is correctly attached to a centered Speaker object. Camera movement (closer ↔ farther) intentionally shapes perceived volume, proximity, and spatial presence, while lighting cues remain aligned with the 30-second structure. Framing is deliberate and consistent.
Technical Execution & File Organization
All required files (.pdf, .rpp, .wav, .mp4) follow correct naming conventions, maintain a 30-second duration, and are properly rendered (not viewport recordings).