“Hooked on Sonics” by Flim
An exploration of the effect of sound in digital literature

“Hooked on Sonics” is an interactive platform that seeks to create an experience in which audience members can evaluate the merit of sound in the design of electronic literature. In creating the project I was interested in what sensual elements would be important in the design of future electronic literature. As a composer, I was particularly interested in whether or not sound should be considered an important design factor and if so, what avenues of designing sound into literature would be relevant to the medium. I started by rendering the English alphabet into MIDI data in Apple’s Garage Band software by using a character map for the Arial font. Each letter was given a height equal to 2 octaves and each pixel was given the value of 1 sixteenth note in Garage Band’s sequencer. After the letters were completed they were used to reconstruct the text of “The Star Spangled Banner.” The meat of the project is, however, the creation of the audience's experience and interaction with the text. What I learned through my interaction with the text was that the experience of a text is primarily literal, whereas the experience of sound is often abstract, and that the marriage of the two is not often without an irreverent rift between these two experiences. Through this I believe that ideas behind sound design or a sound track need to be completely rethought when applied to digital literature. I am interested in further studying the effect of sound design, particularly in a world where portable music, “Ambient Music”/Muzak, and audible feedback playing an increasingly frequent role in everyday life.

James's perspective on "Hooked on Sonics"

The sound of the digital word is hard to imagine until you experience Flim's "Hooked on Sonics." "The Star Spangled Banner" is presented in digital form without the familiar melody. Instead, the words themselves take on a new, unfamiliar, and malleable sound. The musical content of this e-chapter is what draws the eye and interest of those participating. From drum sounds to synths and sound effects, Flim has developed a way to challenge his audience to see this historic and patriotic song in a new light. There also seems to be a hint of punk rock attitude injected into this project, in my experience, which pulls the participant into a further investigation of how sound affects the seriousness of how we regard something that has historically and culturally been held in high regard. Audience members will have great time interacting with this chapter and experiencing the different viewpoints each sound provides.

or see other chapters in this e-book.