Travel back to the 1918 and the fictional town of Cordwainer, Indiana. Two brothers struggle to keep the family shoe factory afloat in a changing world. One insists on preserving and building upon the tried and true traditions of the company’s successful past. The other is a dreamer who spends his life pursuing his own life’s ambition. Their unshakeable bond gets put to the ultimate test when the factory’s antiquated equipment breaks down.

This 19 minute radio drama aired on NPR affiliate WBAA in April 2019. This work was produced, written, cast, recorded, edited, and sound designed by a team of two undergrads, led by myself. The cast is composed of Kenneth England, Matthew Duncan, and Wyndham Maxwell.

What makes objects important to us? Why can’t we let go of the most mundane items in our lives? This dance piece conceived and choreographed by Holly Jaycox explores the significance of everyday objects by presenting a band of warriors who fight for them. The soundscape is composed of changing and various rhythms accompanied by clips of old commercials and ASMR sounds. ASMR was used due to its use of the subtle sounds common objects make when we pay close attention. The final sound design was created through a back and forth process with rehearsals, both the choreography and the sounds inspiring one another. During performances, the soundscape filled the entire room through an emersion surround system with different elements being heard from varying locations.

Through this course at Purdue University, I learned the methods used by Richard K. Thomas to Sound Design Shakespeare's Hamlet, from being hired for the show through performance. 

In the work shown here, I created a Kontakt sequencer designed to be played live during performances of the diggers (clown) scenes.  This sequencer contained samples for two distinct diggers, one on each side of the stage.  Through the use of round-robin mode in Kontakt, each keystroke cycled various shovel digging sounds within a category such as initial hit, foot on a shovel, hit a root/skull, etc.  The velocity of each keystroke controlled the volume of the sample, allowing the operator more flexibility to match the performers' movements.

The video below shows the sequencer in use during a recording session.