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MIX MAGAZINE 01.05.01 Mix Magazines Internet Audio FOUR-STAR SITE by Sarah Jones Illustrators put their art online, writers put their clips online, so it only make sense for audio pros to put the reels online. In late 1999, composer/sound designer Jonathan Wareham debuted auralstimuli.com, calling it a “glorified resume.” But once he saw the potential of Flash, he delved into the more interactive aspects of sound for the Web, to demonstrate his work in commercials, television, and film. “Originally, I was going after composing for Flash,” Wareham says from his Pro Tools/Emagic-base Los Angeles project studios (he also has studios in New York and Sydney), “but very few people are paying for that right now. So we’ve begun using the site as a tool for exchanging files on our TV and film work between L.A. and Sydney. What was once a 100-megabyte bugger is now a 50-gig server.” The auralstimuli.com site, designed by Digidome Designs, is essentially a single Flash file, with about 40 songs available in .swf (Shockwave Flash) format. The songs play in their own pop-up html windows. Wareham says he developed a way to play back huge amounts of data in .swf by linking commands through html. * Everything is loaded, so demos are quick to play. (There is a bit of wait when you play back the QuickTime files that show off his work on the The Simpsons and Futurama.) Some tracks have been set at 56kbps mono for streaming on the standard 56k modems; other, where Wareham wanted higher fidelity, stream at 128 kbps stereo, approaching near-CD quality by using less MP3 compression. For a bit of fun, go to the Virtual Synth Playgound and play with some loops and samples (all audio files!). Play auralstimuli.com a visit; it may stimulate your own promotional efforts.  |
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