LESSON

SOUND COLLAGE PROJECT

15
TUTORIAL
STUDENT’S GUIDE

NAME:

PERIOD:
CLASS TIME:

TEACHER:

REQUIRED CLASS:
MATERIALS:

• Computer with
Mixcraft
ACTIVITY
• Headphones
or Monitors 1. Open Mixcraft and select the Recording Yourself or Your Band template.
• Copies of the MIDI
Beats Student
Guide (Additional
Materials Download)

SUGGESTED
MATERIALS:

• MIDI keyboard

• Further Reading
Materials

Mixcraft will load eight audio tracks into the Workspace.

2. Ask your teacher to see whether you will be recording your own sounds or downloading
sounds for your collage.

A) Downloading Samples: The freesound project is an online database of free recordings

(http://www.freesound.org/). Ask your teacher to help you set up an account. Once
the account is active, search for sounds using key words (e.g. “rain,” “pots and pans,”
“sea shells,” “distorted guitar”). After downloading several samples, you will need
to import them into Mixcraft.

B) If recording: You can record your own samples and noises for your sound collage.
This is a great way to learn audio recording and microphone placement techniques.
For the recordings, bring objects from home or gathered them from the school
environment. Brainstorm which objects you would like to record. Be creative when
selecting things – some objects might produce a more percussive sound (a hammer and
trash can lid), while others might produce a sustained sound (wet air from a pinched balloon).
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 3. Importing Samples. To import samples downloaded from the freesound website, simply
drag and drop the files onto empty areas on an audio track in Mixcraft. Alternatively, users
can import audio files directly through the menu: Sound > Add Sound file > Select the
sound file. Import any samples you will be using to create the sound collage. Use different
sounds for each track and fill all the tracks. From here, skip the steps that pertain to
recording (steps 4-7) and start at step 8.

4. Recording Audio. Before recording your sounds, ensure that the microphone and
audio/computer interface are set up properly. Ask your teacher for help if need be.
Equipment setup review:

A) First, to prevent feedback, turn off any speakers or monitors. Record with headphones,
because you can hear what you are recording without creating a feedback loop.
Connect headphones to the headphone jack on your audio/computer interface,
or on your computer.

B) Next, connect the microphone to the audio/computer interface with a microphone

cable. To make sure Mixcraft is monitoring the audio/computer interface, check the
File > Preferences > Sound Device tab and check to confirm that the interface is selected.

5. Now that the equipment is set up, it is time to record some sounds!

A) Arm the first audio track in the workspace by clicking “arm.” The downward arrow
next to the arm button will enable you to select the source of the “incoming
audio signal” (often a microphone). Make sure the correct interface is selected.
To check the configuration, try speaking into the microphone – the volume meter
should jump. Also confirm that the headphones are working.

B) For clean recordings monitor the incoming audio on the audio track’s volume meter.
Record in the “yellow” zone. In this zone, recordings will be audible but not so loud
that added artifacts (unwanted, accidental sounds) will “dirty” the recording.

An example of the yellow or “safe” zone to record in.

If the meter is reaching the “red” area, try dialing back the gain on the audio/computer
interface or move the object farther away from the microphone. Careful! Recording
in the “red” zone could be harmful to your equipment or ears and could distort the
recorded audio!

An example of the “red” or “unsafe” zone. This area could damage your ears and recordings.

6. On the first audio track, record a few seconds of noise created from objects you have
selected. Try dropping, rubbing, or tapping different objects together to produce sounds.
A few ideas are listed below:

 Record a straw being drawn through a plastic cup lid.

 Record the shaking of a plastic bag filled with seas shells, rice, or bottle caps.

 Record the sound of scissors cutting paper.

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  Recording the sound of someone biting an apple.

7. Record sounds for each of the available blank audio tracks. Remember, recording and
arranging a variety of different sounds will result in an interesting sound collage.

8. Creating loops. Loops can be created from several seconds of your recordings and are ideal
for creating an arrangement on the Timeline. If necessary, trim the ends of the recorded
segment as shown in the screenshot below, where the left and right ends of a recording were
each trimmed back (perhaps to get rid of silence or an unwanted cough). To do this, first
place the cursor at one end of the region. This activates the double arrow icon. Now drag
the line back to the desired area of the sound profile. Repeat with the other side. To cut
from the middle, use the split function of Mixcraft. Drag back to eliminate the unwanted
parts, set the two segments side-by-side and then “select” both and “merge” them back into
one. When the segment is satisfactory and complete, right-click the audio region and
select “Set Loop To Crop.” The new “loop” segment can now be looped, copy and pasted
or drag/lengthened for arrangement on the Timeline. Make loops of all the recordings
created for the lesson.

Trimming an audio region to create a loop.

9. Arranging a sound collage. The sound collage is a collective arrangement of seemingly

unrelated noises. Creating a dynamic and cinematic arrangement is crucial for captivating
the listener. First, from the top of the screen, turn off Mixcraft’s snap function. Setting the
snap function to “off” unlocks audio regions from the Timeline grid and allows you to move
audio regions around freely on the Timeline to create a free-metered composition.

Mixcraft’s snap function is now disabled.

10. Begin arranging the recordings or samples on Mixcraft’s Timeline by dragging and moving
audio regions. Use all the techniques we have learned: “Loop” button; “drag and drop”;
“copy and paste”; cursor at loop end and drag to lengthen; and “trim.” Keep each sample
sound or recording on its own audio track. Label each track. In the example arrangement
below, each audio track has been relabeled to describe its contents. This is done by “double
clicking” the track name (default for an audio track is “audio track) and then typing in the
new label.

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An example arrangement of a sound collage. Multiple audio tracks are in use, each designated to a specific
sample or field recording.

11. Mixing the collage. Once the sound collage is arranged, brainstorm ways to modify and
experiment with the mix. Try lowering or raising the volume of certain tracks on the mixer,
dialing in pan settings, or instantiating plugin effects. Click the “Mixer” tab in the Tab Area
to get started.

12. Mixing down. When the sound collage is finished, mix down the arrangement to a .WAV
or .MP3 file. Go to the Menu > Mix Down To > and select the correct file format. Notify
your teacher that you have finished.

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