Noise Lab is an exciting new Music/ICT project for Devon students which is run by local sound artist Ben Hudson, and supported by Devon Music Services. It provides an introduction to the use of computers and software in musical composition and is an exciting way for young people to discover new ways of creating music, and to experiment with sound.

Previous workshops so far have involved:

• Basic sound recording
• Introduction to Open Source Music software (Audacity)
• Sequencing (inc. editing, layering sounds, using effects/audio manipulation)
• Introduction to "experimental" music (e.g. noise music, soundscapes etc)
• Creating a film soundtrack for a short sequence of film
• Creating ambient soundscapes

The project is set to spread throughout Devon and has a strong emphasis on being fun and inclusive for children of all abilities and musical interests. Ben is hoping to see more innovative workshops of this kind open to young people in the future.

Noise Lab made an appearance at Mix XL 2007. Ben and students from Loddiswell Primary School collected ambient sounds from around the festival site and combined them with electronically produced sounds to create a "Westpoint Soundscape". The result was a 7 min experimental piece sounding very much like something that would be played on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction.

Ben is also in the process of setting up a Noise Lab record label, which will host anything from individual compositions, albums and eps, to sound libraries and other resources for students. These releases will be free to download, and share amongst young artists and musicians in the Devon area.

If you are interested in the Noise Lab project for your school, or just for some advice and further information, please contact Ben Hudson hudsonface@hotmail.com, or DMS for more details.