Echolocation Suite

Alice Bennett

Music Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

• Year: 2016
• Location: Brisbane, Australia

Abstract:

Program notes: Three short pieces for flute and micro-bats (world premiere). This work uses data collected by Australian environmental scientist, Dr. Lindy Lumsden, in her research of native Australian micro bats. It uses data from bat-detecting devices: ultrasonic recording devices that recognize bat calls and transpose them down to the human hearing range. The data is analysed in the form of a spectrogram, and each species of bat is discerned by the shape and range of the calls. This piece uses the pitch and rhythm of bat calls as source material for the structure of each movement, and also uses the transposed calls throughout. The recordings are triggered at certain frequencies and dynamics of the flute via Max MSP, setting bats flying across the room (in 4 channels). The flute mimics different types of bat calls, triggering and reacting to the recordings and using its inherent flexibility to create a different voice in each register. I. Victoria Circa 5.' There are 21 species of native bats in Victoria, all with unique calls above human hearing range. Like birds, these calls occur in different frequency levels so that different species of bat may co-exist without disturbing each other. A bat’s call bounces off the objects around it allowing it to ‘see’ at night, creating a beautiful cacophony that no one ever notices. II. Melbourne Circa 5.' Did you think that bats only live in the bush? 17 of the 21 species of bats in Victoria can be found in metropolitan Melbourne, roosting in the hollows of our 100+-year-old trees. These fascinating creatures go largely unnoticed by all except the odd cat due to their size (most adult micro bats fit into a matchbox), speed, and auditory range (only a few species can be heard by humans, including the White-striped Freetail Bat). These bats are insectivorous and without them we’d be inundated with mosquitos and bugs. III. Southern Bent-Wing Bat Circa 6.' Very little is known about this curious endangered species other than its secretive breeding place in a cave somewhere in South-West Victoria. These bats can be found all over Victoria, but unlike any other species of bat, they travel hundreds of miles to breed in one place. No one knows how the young bats know where to go, without flying in flocks like birds there’s no way for them to follow each other, so how do they know where to go? This is one of the questions that Dr. Lindy Lumsden hopes to answer in her research.

Citation:

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{nime2016-music-Bennett2016,
 abstract = {Program notes: Three short pieces for flute and micro-bats (world premiere).

This work uses data collected by Australian environmental scientist, Dr. Lindy Lumsden, in her research of native Australian micro bats. It uses data from bat-detecting devices: ultrasonic recording devices that recognize bat calls and transpose them down to the human hearing range. The data is analysed in the form of a spectrogram, and each species of bat is discerned by the shape and range of the calls. This piece uses the pitch and rhythm of bat calls as source material for the structure of each movement, and also uses the transposed calls throughout. The recordings are triggered at certain frequencies and dynamics of the flute via Max MSP, setting bats flying across the room (in 4 channels). The flute mimics different types of bat calls, triggering and reacting to the recordings and using its inherent flexibility to create a different voice in each register.

I. Victoria Circa 5.' There are 21 species of native bats in Victoria, all with unique calls above human hearing range. Like birds, these calls occur in different frequency levels so that different species of bat may co-exist without disturbing each other. A bat’s call bounces off the objects around it allowing it to ‘see’ at night, creating a beautiful cacophony that no one ever notices.

II. Melbourne Circa 5.' Did you think that bats only live in the bush? 17 of the 21 species of bats in Victoria can be found in metropolitan Melbourne, roosting in the hollows of our 100+-year-old trees. These fascinating creatures go largely unnoticed by all except the odd cat due to their size (most adult micro bats fit into a matchbox), speed, and auditory range (only a few species can be heard by humans, including the White-striped Freetail Bat). These bats are insectivorous and without them we’d be inundated with mosquitos and bugs.

III. Southern Bent-Wing Bat Circa 6.' Very little is known about this curious endangered species other than its secretive breeding place in a cave somewhere in South-West Victoria. These bats can be found all over Victoria, but unlike any other species of bat, they travel hundreds of miles to breed in one place. No one knows how the young bats know where to go, without flying in flocks like birds there’s no way for them to follow each other, so how do they know where to go? This is one of the questions that Dr. Lindy Lumsden hopes to answer in her research.},
 address = {Brisbane, Australia},
 author = {Alice Bennett},
 booktitle = {Music Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 editor = {Andrew Brown and Toby Gifford},
 month = {June},
 publisher = {Griffith University},
 title = {Echolocation Suite},
 year = {2016}
}