Alex Chechile
Alex Chechile is a sound artist, composer and electronic artist whose work develops in parallel with research in neuroscience, psychoacoustics and the biomechanics of hearing. With a particular interest in the relationship between sound and the body, his immersive compositions, installations and performances aim to bring transparency to otherwise invisible processes in biological and technological systems. Questions that arise in his artistic work lead to formalized studies, and the results cyclically inform his sonic practice.
Chechile is a leading researcher on the psychoacoustic study and creative application of difference tones, which are sounds that are generated in the inner ear and are perceived as localized within the head. His work exhibits how difference tones expand layers of sonic material to include sounds outside the acoustic space, as well as how they create an additional nested layer of spatial depth between loudspeakers and ears.
Moving beyond the established two-tone difference tone paradigm, Chechile’s behavioral research shows up to seven additional types of difference tones are reliably perceived from multi-tone acoustic stimuli. In his series of pieces On the Sensations of Tone (2010— ), Chechile explores the physicality of sound and spatial depth using difference tones, and his Ear Tone Toolbox is the first widely available collection of software and modular instruments for evoking the phenomenon.
As a performer, Chechile was a founding member of Pauline Oliveros’ band Tintinnabulate, collaborated with Mercury Rev, and performed a solo opening act for Primus. His projects have been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Harvestworks, Issue Project Room, the Experimental Television Center, the Deep Listening Institute and the American Embassy, among others. His work has been presented worldwide at festivals and venues including the IRCAM, MoMA, ICMC, Electronic Music Midwest, EMPAC, the New York Electronic Arts Festival and Cité Internationale des Arts.
Chechile is currently a research fellow at the Studio for Research in Sound and Technology (SRST), where he also teaches. Prior to RISD, Chechile worked with the Stanford Graduate School of Education and K-12 schools worldwide on a postdoc on remote and accessible creative practices during the pandemic. This work was recognized by Stanford for supporting justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. He holds a PhD from Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), an MFA in Electronic Art from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a BA in Music from Tufts University.
Courses
Fall 2023 Courses
DM 3104-02 / SOUND 3104-02
SONIC PRACTICES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Sonic Practices is a graduate-level research group focused on acoustic, electronic, and/or computer-based means of sound production and reception. Participants explore audio culture and technology while developing experimental approaches to composition, performance, recording, and/or listening. Areas of investigation include, but are not limited to: audio programming languages, embedded/mobile computing for sound and music, spatial audio, sound synthesis, audio electronics, sonification and auditory display, electroacoustic music composition and improvisation, field recording and soundscape studies, sound installation and performance, and sonic interaction design. Each semester, course content changes in response to a new unifying theme upon which students base individual and team-based research projects. Meetings consist of discussions, workshops, critiques, and collaborations that support students' individual inquiries, the exchange of ideas, and the exploration of research methodologies.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00 - $200.00
Offered as SOUND-3104 and DM-3104.
Please contact the instructor for permission to register; registration is not available in Workday. Preference is given to Senior or Graduate Students.
Elective
DM 3104-02 / SOUND 3104-02
SONIC PRACTICES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Sonic Practices is a graduate-level research group focused on acoustic, electronic, and/or computer-based means of sound production and reception. Participants explore audio culture and technology while developing experimental approaches to composition, performance, recording, and/or listening. Areas of investigation include, but are not limited to: audio programming languages, embedded/mobile computing for sound and music, spatial audio, sound synthesis, audio electronics, sonification and auditory display, electroacoustic music composition and improvisation, field recording and soundscape studies, sound installation and performance, and sonic interaction design. Each semester, course content changes in response to a new unifying theme upon which students base individual and team-based research projects. Meetings consist of discussions, workshops, critiques, and collaborations that support students' individual inquiries, the exchange of ideas, and the exploration of research methodologies.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00 - $200.00
Offered as SOUND-3104 and DM-3104.
Please contact the instructor for permission to register; registration is not available in Workday. Preference is given to Senior or Graduate Students.
Elective
Spring 2024 Courses
SOUND 2010-01
MODULAR SYNTHESIS STUDIO
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Modular synthesizers offer a tactile approach to sound production that is consistently inventive by design. Emerging from the 1960s counterculture, they are a product of expansive thinking that challenged conventions in both instrument design and creative practice. Six decades later, the limits of possibility only increased. In Modular Synthesis Studio, we will learn and apply concepts of voltage controlled synthesizers to creative coding and embedded computing platforms. Imbued with the spirit of community, together we will design and build a one-of-a-kind RISD modular synthesizer by semester end, while also creating new sound-based works with the system.
Prior programming experience with Cycling 74’s Max and modular synthesizers is recommended but not required. A Mac or Windows laptop with a recent operating system will be necessary for classwork. A temporary Max license will be provided for the duration of the semester.