Further Information - SoundHouse™ NZ
Below is further information on Capital E's SoundHouse™ NZ school programmes. If we haven't answered all your questions, please feel free to phone us on 04 913 3730.
2D Game Design
Using RPG Maker VX
When you arrive at the SoundHouse™ students are guided on the big screen through concepts of how best to start making a game. These include story ideas, mapping, character placement, and basic scripting and programming.
Then it’s off to their workstations to begin exploring the features and resources the RPGMaker VX software has to offer while beginning to design and make their game.
A number of game-making hints, tips and tricks are progressively introduced and explored as the session progresses. Sound effects and music is also covered, allowing students to add the next level of atmosphere and realism to their creation.
At the end of the session, students will have the chance to play-test other’s games, compare the games played to the ‘What Players Want’ and provide constructive feedback to their classmates.
Students Learn:
• Some of the key moments in the history of game design
• Game engines and authoring tools
• Narrative techniques
• The different jobs on a game design team
• The elements of a good game, often known as WPW (what players want).
Session Duration: 2 hours or 3.5 hours
Suitability: Years 4+
Maximum number of students: 32
Cost - 2 hours:
$7.50 per student (Wellington Schools)
$10.00 per student (Outside of Wellington)
Teachers and up to 3 adults are free. Each additional adult is charged at the student rate.
Minimum rate of $150 applies.
Cost - 3.5 hours:
$10.00 per student (Wellington Schools)
$15.00 per student (Outside of Wellington)
Teachers and up to 3 adults are free. Each additional adult is charged at the student rate.
Minimum rate $200 applies.
Music Producer
Using Sony ACID
Experience the latest trends in music production using professional loop based audio software SONY ACID and be guided through the basics of ACID software on the big screen.
Working in pairs or individually at our 16 workstations, you will explore our extensive range of loops to begin your own track, learning how to construct a piece of music including structure, form and instrumentation.
A range of editing techniques are explored including how to cut, paste, fade, pan (moving sounds to the left or right) and pitch shift your work. You can develop your piece further by adjusting the tempo, adding key changes and mixing your tracks so that each sound can be heard clearly.
At the completion of the programme your work is put onto the Capital E website for you to download, share and enjoy.
Students Learn:
• Elements of music such as rhythm, pitch, timbre, style, tempo
• Choosing instrumentation commensurate with a specific style
• Using musical form to achieve a well structured piece
• Applying audio effects
• Industry related skills in music production
What’s a loop?
A music loop is an audio file that, when played over and over, sounds like a continuous piece of music. A single loop might be a drum beat, guitar riff, keyboard part, or a vocal sample. With a music creation tool such as ACID software, you can create new songs by selecting,editing and arranging different musical loops.
Do I need to play an instrument?
No. Because you choose pre-existing loops from our library of over 40,000 sounds, you’ll have no trouble creating your own musical arrangements. Not only do you chose which loops to play, you also choose when they play, what speed, volume and key they play and what effects to add on.
Session Duration: 2 hours
Suitability: Years 4+
Maximum number of students: 32
Cost:
$7.50 per student (Wellington Schools)
$10.00 per student (Outside of Wellington)
Teachers and up to 3 adults are free. Each additional adult is charged at the student rate.
A minimum rate of $150 applies.
Sound Story Creator
Using Sony ACID
Sound Story Creator is an exciting project that promotes language and literacy - taking a creative story from your written text and bringing it to life on the computer.
After being introduced to the techniques of recording your story to the computer, sound effects such as dogs barking or wind blowing are added to the recorded narration to make the story come to life.
Vocals can also be enhanced by using audio effects like reverb or delay to emulate different spaces and locations like caves or canyons and the pitch can be adjusted to make vocals sound like larger or smaller characters.
You are guided through how to effectively use different kinds of sound effects and learn the difference between ambient and event sounds, and may even use musical accompaniment to give it that professional edge.
Time permitting, some stories may be played for the group, providing a rewarding and entertaining demonstration of your creativity.
If the class has more than 16 participants you will work in pairs on one story. You’ll be able to collaborate with your partner on the sound story. To deal with uneven class numbers, provisions will be made for one group of three.
Once complete, your work is put onto the Capital E website for you to download, share and enjoy.
When we have received your booking for a Sound Story Creator session, we will forward you a list of the available sound effects (1500+). Check out all the effects and you will have an idea of the sorts of things to use for your planning.
When you’re ready, check that your writing fits around these criteria:
1. Minimum of 2 characters
2. Narrated length between 1min 30 sec and 2 min 30 seconds
3. Minimum of 10 sound effects from the list
Students Learn:
• Narration and character portrayal
• The importance of audio levels in the recording process
• Advanced techniques such as audio fading and panning to make the story more realistic
• Audio effects on vocal recordings to enhance the work
• How to use sound effects to add meaning to narrative
• Music to create setting in time and place.
Session Duration: 2 hours
Suitability: Years 3+
Maximum number of students: 32
Cost:
$7.50 per student (Wellington Schools)
$10.00 per student (Outside of Wellington)
Teachers and up to 3 adults are free. Each additional adult is charged at the student rate.
A minimum rate of $150 applies.
Movie Soundtrack Creator
Using Sony ACID and Sony Vegas
During this session explore the creative process associated with designing a film soundtrack. Using our Sony editing and professional loop based audio software you will combine sound effects with musical instrumentation to achieve the desired effect and add it to a film track we supply.
Create a professional sounding sonic environment to add meaning to the film and manipulate the mood through your choice of music and effects.
Once completed your work is put onto the Capital E website for the students to download, share and enjoy.
Students Learn:
• The role of sound effects in film
• Different musical concepts such as theme, style and instrumentation used in film to support the vision
• Techniques used to effectively synchronise sound to vision
• Stereo image awareness and how to use it in track production
• The importance of audio mixing to produces a clear, well balanced piece.
Session Duration: 2 hours
Suitability: Years 5+
Maximum number of students: 32
Cost:
$7.50 per student (Wellington Schools)
$10.00 per student (Outside of Wellington)
Teachers and up to 3 adults are free. Each additional adult is charged at the student rate.
A minimum rate of $150 applies.
Digital Storyteller
Using Sony Vegas and Sony Cinescore
(Teacher preparation required)
Before your session, we advise that the class choose a focus for their stories. This is an ideal opportunity to engage students in an authentic inquiry programme. Often stories centre on students’ needs, issues, a personal or world view. Some common examples include:
- Someone who inspires me
- My Life So Far
- What it’s like being 12
- This is your life
On the day teachers will need to bring:
- All the photos/ videos needed for telling your class stories on either a CD and/or USB drive
- Text ideas, (perhaps a script of sorts), that can be read and/or typed over the arranged images.
Session Outline:
You are shown the basics of Sony’s Vegas Video Editing Software as a whole group. Then, individually or in pairs, you will move to one of the 16 workstations to practice the skills demonstrated, choosing from the stock footage clips in our library and 'found' clips you have bought in.
You then work on choosing and manipulating appropriate clips, writing and recording voice over and adding and manipulating text. Throughout the session new techniques will be demonstrated. These may include altering the length and/or speed of clips, creating transitions between clips, layering multiple clips using chroma key (blue screen) technology, adding and manipulating text and other video effects.
Once the visual component is complete, you will be working with the Cinescore programme to develop a musical soundtrack for your project. You will be guided through this software program that will allow the choice of customisable styles used to create a coherent piece of music.
You will be encouraged to create appropriate music for your chosen topic. A voiceover can also be recorded if required. You will render your various media into a final product for web delivery which can be downloaded and shared from our website.
Students Learn:
• The visual and musical language used in screen context
• Clip editing and manipulation
• Creating an appropriate musical soundtrack to support the vision
• The role of text in digital story telling
• Arrange and manipulate images to inform and challenge the viewer
• Enhance critical thinking about screen images
• Use of audio mixing to produce clarity and balance
• How to express your ideas creatively using technology.
Session Duration: 3.5 hours
Suitability: Years 7+
Maximum number of students: 32
Cost:
$10.00 per student (Wellington Schools)
$15.00 per student (Outside of Wellington)
Teachers and up to 3 adults are free. Each additional adult is charged at the student rate.
Minimum rate of $200 applies.
Teacher preparation required
Video Producer
Using Sony ACID and Sony Vegas
You will experience the latest trends in digital video editing by combining audio and video to make a video clip. It could be a music video, a TV advertisement or any other genre – you decide.
You create your own music from a huge range of musical loops using Sony’s professional loop based ACID software. Then, selecting numerous pieces of short video footage to accompany it from the SoundHouse library, you will construct your video.
Both ACID and Vegas are user friendly software that allows you to achieve anything a true professional would accomplish, and by working with our extensive library this allows you to focus your time on developing your music composition and digital video editing skills artistically to produce your clip.
Throughout the session new techniques will be demonstrated. These may include altering the length and/or speed of clips, creating transitions between clips, layering multiple clips using chroma key (blue screen) technology, adding and manipulating text, and other video effects.
Once completed your work is put onto the Capital E website for the you and others to download, share and enjoy.
Students Learn:
• Choosing and creating music as the basis for the clip
• Synchronising edited video clips with music tracks
• Text manipulation to support the theme
• Video effects such as chroma key, transition and velocity envelope
• Music industry related experience
• Web delivery of their finish product.
Session Duration: 3.5 hours
Suitability:Years 7+
Maximum number of students: 32
Cost:
$10.00 per student (Wellington Schools)
$15.00 per student (Outside of Wellington)
Teachers and up to 3 adults are free. Each additional adult is charged at the student rate.
A minimum rate of $150 applies.
Animation
Using Peter H Reynolds’ Animation-ish software
You will use the Animation-ish software to create a variety of animations: doodles and drawings, animated stories, family greeting cards, school inquiry projects, animations for home movies, presentations for PowerPoint, or web animations.
You will be inspired to make your mark and help move the world to a better place, one dot at a time! Using one of our Wacom® tablets you will draw your own pictures, and then bring them to life using this great software.
We will guide you through the process of making your drawings move. To start with simply draw, trace and animate with three frames. You can import and trace any graphic at this stage using simple tool sets. Next you’ll start to create animation using an infinite number of frames and higher-level of tool sets. Later you might be introduced to the mover tool, which allows for more complex animations using foregrounds and backgrounds.
If the class has more than 16 participants you will work in pairs on one workstation. You’ll be able to collaborate with your partner on the animations. To deal with uneven class numbers provisions will be made for one group of three.
Once completed your work is put onto the Capital E website for you to download, share and enjoy.
Students Learn:
• Animation techniques, such as Vector-based lines
• Pressure-sensitive drawing
• Importing images
• Exporting to swf, mov, avi, and more!
• Tweening
• Tracing
• Simple and Advanced tool sets.
Session Duration: 2 hours or 3.5 hours
Suitability: Years 3+
Maximum number of students: 32
Cost - 2 hours:
$7.50 per student (Wellington Schools)
$10.00 per student (Outside of Wellington)
Teachers and up to 3 adults are free. Each additional adult is charged at the student rate.
Minimum rate of $150 applies.
Cost - 3.5 hours:
$10.00 per student (Wellington Schools)
$15.00 per student (Outside of Wellington)
Teachers and up to 3 adults are free. Each additional adult is charged at the student rate.
Minimum rate of $200 applies.
Take part in this fun programme to find out and make some multitrack soundscapes of your own. Listen and be inspired by Janet Cardiff's sound installation at City Gallery Wellington then come to Capital E's Soundhouse to compose your own
2.5 hours / Years 4-8
$7.50 per student ($10.50 schools outside Wellington)
For more information or to book please contact us or City Art Gallery
For more information regarding the below programme extensions, please contact our SoundHouse Coordinator
- SoundHouse™ DMV Scholarship
- Your SoundHouse™ - Book the SoundHouse™ space and staff for your own programme.
- SoundHouse™ to you - we can offer you a broad range of consultancy services.
- Get Your Group on CD -
for all school groups, Kapa Haka, choirs, bands and more...we can take care of everything, from recording to mastering your group's material onto CD.