This comes from my time back at RPI. One of the projects in the department was live auralizations of spaces. Basically, you play into a microphone, and a bunch of speakers make it sound like you’re in a different space (on a related note, this was one of the techniques I used in my Master’s thesis).
This particular auralization was set up in the main concert hall at EMPAC on campus to be used for an upcoming concert. The space it is emulating is a cistern (giant underground water tank) at Fort Worden State Park in Washington. It has a reverb time of about 40 seconds and a very smooth decay curve. This means that if you play a note, it will hang around for a very long time, so you can play chords with yourself.
Being part of the acoustics department, I had the chance to go in while it was being set up and tested. Being a musician, I had my trombone nearby. So, naturally, I got set up and just started playing. It’s a weird experience. I was in there for at least 2 hours just noodling around, but it felt so much shorter than that (that’s what this video is from). I went back in and set up some recording equipment and played for another couple hours, but that recording unfortunately failed – some setting or connection got messed up and I was left with a crackly, unlistenable mess. Ah well – you live and you learn.
There were also some tour groups that came through that day, and one of them caught some video.
Presented for your enjoyment: