All the sound recordings were transferred from original source material in digital and analog formats. Original master recordings were transferred as 48 KHZ/24-bit flat, unprocessed WAV files. Listening copies are available in MP3 format derived from the transferred WAV files.
Experimental Sound Studio (ESS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1986 for the production, promotion, presentation, and preservation of diverse and innovative approaches to the sonic arts, and for the integration of these art forms into the community at large.
ESS engages in organizational collaborations and support services for artists’, educational, and community projects. These take the form of workshops with community organizations, collaborations with media arts organizations, radio broadcasts of artists’ projects, exhibitions of sound installations, and audio art projects in schools. Throughout the years, these collaborations have included Chicago Filmmakers, Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education, Forum Alternative High School, Rock For Kids, and many others.
The ESS collection contains material that are related to artistic, educational, and public programming that the organization initiated and developed. The collection does not include works created by clients or members who used ESS facilities. Sound recordings that comprise the collection were recorded and collected by staff since the inception of the organization in 1986. As an organizational archive, the collection will continue to grow as new programs are effectuated.
The collection is arranged chronologically by project. All accession numbers are temporary and subject to change as the processing and transferring of the collection continues.
Material is available to interested researchers by appointment.
All material is copyright restricted to the individual artists that appear in the recordings.
New material, including events, performances, and workshops, related directly to the Experimental Sound Studio will be accessioned after approvel of Executive Director and Archive Manager. These will be added to the finding aid using the same organizational system.
Given the extensive nature of the ESS collection, only original materials, including source material used for final versions of an event, will be retained. Any duplicate copies or extraneous material will be excised from the collection. The Executive Director in consultation with the Archive Manager will carry out appraisal decisions.
Randolph Street Gallery
[Insert performance information]
The Sound Show is the first exhibition in a new program at Randolph Street Gallery devoted to sound art and new music. This program is producd in colloboration with the Experimental Sound Studio, a recently formed group dedicated to producing and promoting sound art. Randolph Street Gallery celebrates this important new collobration with this exhibit and a concurrent five=week long schedule of new music performances. [Performance documentation]