Final_Paper

The Sounds of Noise/Error At the Intersection Between the Commons and the Standing Reserve

The sounds of noise from humans, animals, nature, technology or those caused by machine errors are for the most part considered an annoying and unusable byproduct of modern life. Nevertheless, they could be considered as intrinsic constituents of the nonrivalrous, inexhaustible commons (Lessig 20), and co-existent among other elements in the standing reserve (Heidegger 17). The intersection between noise/error, the commons, and the standing reserve might be mapped by how such noises are appropriated or abandoned. Specific musics then, such as will be discussed, mark one of the intersections between the commons, the standing reserve, and the sound of noise and machine errors.
These points are considered first through the music of Italian Futurist composers who were associated with fascism and utilized the noise of machines and of human and animal vocal gestures as an expression of fascist ideologies celebrating man's triumph over nature. Further exploration considers the Futurists' lasting influence on modern experimental and electronic music as demonstrated in the 'chance music' of John Cage and his techniques for composing music with any and all manner of noises natural and electrical. Continued examination of the relationship between noise, and the standing reserve and the commons arise in the work of composer/musician/educator Pauline Oliveros, whose Deep Listening workshops, like Cage's indeterminate music focus on reconnecting people with all sounds; something Russolo promoted in his work as well.
Finally, an in-depth analysis of NINJAM software, which enables people to play music together online, will show the transformation of latency errors, caused by delays in telecommunications network transmissions, into an acceptable art form. A proposal for the installation and demonstration of a CYBERJAMMER NINJAM-equipped computer system is included here as well.

The Italian Futurists

If it is true that the 'squeaky wheel gets the grease' then, bad or good, noise music has the potential to emphasize a particular belief or cause. The sounds of technology, hum of machines, wrrrr of motors, or squeal of brakes, to name a few are normally considered an annoyance, but seem to find purpose in noise music of the Futurist composers. It was the failure of early 20th century Italian music to innovate that inspired Italian Futurist painter, Luigi Russolo to “conceive the renovation of music through the Art of Noise”. (Russolo 4) In 1913 he wrote The Art of Noises, which gave detailed instructions for the use of noise and machine sounds in the composition and performance of music. The use of noise in futurist music also served to further the Fascist ideology of celebrating man's triumph over nature, but the fact that Russolo also included the vocal sounds of people and animals in his compositions – sounds which might normally be associated with the commons - signals his aim at something beyond the body politic, and begins to integrate the two seemingly disparate political concerns.
If it is true according to Heidegger, that technology produces a standing reserve, and the noises associated with technology are also part of the standing reserve, but cast aside, then it is in enframing that “unconcealment comes to pass in conformity with which the work of modern technology reveals the real as standing-reserve.” (Heidegger 21) Thus the sound of noises and machine error are reclaimed and put to use in the commons. But Heidegger might say that taking the sound of technological noises and calling it music “blocks the shining-forth and holding-sway of the truth” (28), that is, that the noise of technology is just noise and to repurpose it is dangerous because it might threaten the truth. But at the same time, Heidegger believes that in the danger of enframing there is also a saving, and “to fetch something home into its essence, in order to bring the essence for the first time into its genuine appearing.” (28) And so utilizing noise/error sounds in musical compositions not only calls attention to their existence, but also displays their kinship with all other sounds. It might be said that by salvaging the otherwise discarded noise of technology for use in musical compositions that the sounds become a resource and as such are also nonrivalrous members of the commons. “Thus the issue for nonrivalrous resources is whether ...? the world has? enough incentive to create.” (Lessig 21) Although Heidegger's writings came some forty years after Russolo's, it could be argued that in Heidegger's terms, noises are the essence of music in “the way in which noise? pursues its course, the way it remains through time as what it is.” (Heidegger 1)

Indeterminacy and Deep Listening

"I looked at my paper," said Cage. "Suddenly

I saw that the music, all the music, was already there." He conceived of a procedure which would enable him to derive the details of his music from the little glitches and imperfections which can be seen on sheets of paper. It had symbolic as well as practical value; it made the unwanted features of the paper its most significant ones—there is not

even a visual silence.

(Revill by way of Cascone 397)

Around the time of the writing of The Art of Noises, another composer, John Cage was just being born. Inspired by Zen Buddhism, Cage encouraged the letting go of human desire in order to create what he called, “chance music”, for which he might give a set of instructions or drawings for the performer to interpret. Such improvised and experimental music taps into any and all sounds, traditional or not, and incorporates that which seems to be in error as fair game for musical expression.
To explore Cage's methods through the lens of one of Lessig's layers, one could say that the content, code, and physicality of music, which utilizes noise and error, are all free; that it represents a “Speaker's Corner” (Lessig 24) for sounds exploration. One might also dip into the sounds of technology awaiting revealing in the standing reserve by performing one of Cage's prepared piano pieces where the technology of the instrument is purposely undermined in order to produce unconventional sounds not normally intended. The ubiquitous piano might be representative of an instrument native to the commons, but by deconstructing it to get at the sounds of its parts for musical purposes might be a Futurist affair; and the endless range of possibilities associated with the commons connects with fascist willfulness and zeal for technology.
Sounds produced through system failures and error noises can actually be more interesting than the original intention, although such musics also can be difficult to appreciate. To assist people in learning alternative listening skills, Cage composed a piece that calls for no sounds to be made at all; just a set amount of time: “4:33”.

What did you hear? It is in knowing how and what to listen for that the sounds of noise music begin to emerge, and as a byproduct the skills for a significant connection with readily heard and unheard worlds. A contemporary of John Cage, Pauline Oliveros' Deep Listening develops techniques for hearing “that distinguishes the difference between the involuntary nature of hearing and the voluntary selective nature of listening ...? the practice cultivates appreciation of sounds on a heightened level, expanding the potential for connection and interaction with one's environment, technology and performance with others in music and related arts.” Thus, if one's environment is associated with the commons, and the sounds of technology with the standing reserve, then Deep Listening might be the vehicle with which to navigate through the noises found at the crossroads of it all.

NINJAM

Hearing at a deeper level also is helpful when playing with NINJAM online music collaboration software, a kind of time-warped “Speaker's Corner” for musicians. This is because not only is it usually purely improvised music, but the participants have to keep in mind that what they play may be delayed a whole measure or more before whoever else is playing will hear it. Inherent network latency between clients exceeds 50 milliseconds and is considered unacceptable for online music collaboration. To work around this anomaly NINJAM is programmed to route outgoing data to a buffer, add delay to it, and then send the data out in evenly measured packets so that it is received in a regulated rhythm. The music that is created on NINJAM doesn't always adhere to a strict rhythm but at least what is heard is being delayed and re-transmitted in measured time and can be incorporated into a musical framework. It's not perfect, but it's the only game in town. NINJAM is the first and only open-source application of its kind widely available for free download and open access to servers.

People seem to be willing to devise new and different ways of playing around with flexible musical expressions in order to be able to play online together using NINJAM. The author's first time on NINJAM clocked approximately four hours. NINJAM is very simple to install and begin playing with, and better, faster equipment doesn't really make that much difference - anyone with a decent internet connection and instrument or mic to plug in can log on to one of NINJAM's four free servers. Here too is Lessig's Speaker's Corner where anyone can do whatever they want to, but they might have to respect others' logged on at the same time. There is a chat screen for communicating with everyone participating at any given time. Here they can set the tempo, talk about style, or how they sound to the other players.
NINJAM's creator, Justin Frankel pays for and maintains the servers and caches of the jams - the same Justin Frankel who sold his company, Nullsoft, to AOL for $86 million. While employed by AOL after the sale of Nullsoft, Frankel released Gnutella, a Napster-like application that gets around IP laws by routing all sharing to the users' computers rather than to a centralized one run by the company. When AOL found out they closed Frankel's San Francisco operation and fired all 450 people. Enter NINJAM and a host of other open-source projects that Frankel busily maintains with a few friends as Cockos Incorporated.
Similar to the way in which the United States government restricted AT&T's control of telecommunications, Lessig might say that by restricting the control AOL had over him, Frankel created a commons on AOL's money. (Lessig 45) The intersection of the commons, standing reserve and noise/error seems to be well-represented by NINJAM software and servers in that it is open-source software and all content generated is covered by the Creative Commons license. But the nature of NINJAM in the commons is a rivalrous resource since a limited number of people can be logged on to each server. NINJAM can also be considered a component of the standing reserve in that the software and for now, the servers, are there online just waiting for someone to download, log on and play. Some of the music that comes out of these collaborations might be considered noise, but probably are not too far removed from something familiar.
Conclusion
Certainly, without something like NINJAM, online musical collaborations would likely be a cacophonous hodgepodge of indecipherable noise and error. Like the noise music of the futurists, which utilized the standing reserve of noises of machines, Cage's repurposing of noise and error and creating a commons-like environment from which to produce music, and Oliveros' Deep Listening for all sounds including noise and error, NINJAM's workaround the flaw in telecommunications technology is another example of an adapted music system developed out of the commons and the standing reserve.

CYBERJAMMER: A Ninjam-Equipped System

This is a proposal for the debut installation and performance of CYBERJAMMER at the Sesnon Gallery student exhibition entitled, BLINK, part of the DANM Digital Arts Festival, on the UC Santa Cruz campus, May 5-8, 2006. Definition CYBERJAMMER consists of an online computer station equipped with NINJAM realtime music collaboration software. NINJAM allows people using the software to log on to a host server and play music in realtime with others logged on at the same time. For opening night, DANM student Cynthia Payne will be playing live music with other online participants from around the world. The nature of Cyberjammer is such that jams can last moments or hours depending on the participants and choice of four servers, and thus is a simpatico with the theme of brevity in BLINK. Logistics For the purposes of the festival Cyberjammer could be located in either or both the back room of the Sesnon, and the electronics lab at Porter D140. Patrons could observe and listen to either the realtime usage of the system or go to a listening station located in another part of the gallery and hear a live stream of the delayed mix of all the participants together. Patrons will observe the creation of music as it is happening by looking through a glass window. If in the Sesnon, a window will be built from glass panes and flats available in theatre arts. If in the electronics lab at Porter D140, there is already a glass window located in the control room of the lab which patrons can walk into and see into the Cyberjammer. There will be headphones for patrons to be able to hear what the onsite user is hearing and playing. There will be a listening computer station and headphones in another part of the gallery for patrons to hear a live stream of the all of the participants mixed together (delayed due to network latency). The entire opening night performance will be videotaped for playback continuously during all open gallery hours until the close of the exhibition.

Artist's Statement CYBERJAMMER: Playing Late Music What is Late Music?

Late Music is a term coined by the author to describe the music that is created in a CYBERJAMMER using online music collaboration software, which actively incorporates latency as essential to its functionality. The software makes it so that the delay occurs in measured intervals, however, players still must expect there to be a delay in others hearing what they play. They might play with the delay almost as if it were another instrument. As is the case with John Cage’s Chance Music, where intentionality is to be avoided, Late Music compels participants to become more open-minded when they do not immediately hear what they expected to hear when they expected to hear it. Late Music might sound similar to established genres as musicians bring along their influences, but the end result will be a hybrid of those styles, rather than deriving its source from a single influence. Late Music doesn’t necessarily have to sound like free jazz or something abstract, but it can be completely indeterministic, and players must be willing to anticipate immediate changes to establish structures and “go with the flow”. This might include being able to keep the piece going when there is what sounds like an incomplete phrase, a shortened verse, or sporadic interruptions. NINJAM breaks free of the restrictions of space and time. People in Sweden jamming with people in Santa Cruz, and people in Australia jamming with people in Pennsylvania, all in realtime and (somewhat) simultaneously. One defining quality of Late Music is that it is fun - fun to play and fun to hear as participants giggle and cavort their way through a perceptual and auditory adventure.

Equipment List Artist's Station iMac w/fast internet applications: Ninjam and Absynth Midi Keyboard Guitar Microphone and stand Mixer Speakers 2 pair of headphones (one inside/one outside) headphone box Patron's Station iMac w/fast internet speakers 2 pair of headphones headphone box Video Projection G4 Tower Video projector (conx from artist's computer screen) iSight camera for live projection to patron station monitor Resources Cascone, Kim. The Aesthetics of Failure: “Post-Digital” Tendencies in Contemporary

Computer Music.

Crane, David. Email: Notes on Abstract dated March 20, 2006. Heidegger, Martin. The Question Concerning Technology. Lessig, Lawrence. The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World. Russolo, Luigi. The Art of Noises.