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118 Panel 3“The Land of Isolation” - a Soundscape Composition Originating inNortheast Malaysia.Yasuhiro MorinagaIntroductionThis paper describes the production of the soundscape“The Land of Isolation”. It describes the process ofconceptualization, the creation of the work, and therelationship between the composition and thetechniques of field sound recording.The idea for “The Land of Isolation” originated withthe author’s personal experiences of a large storm thatfollowed earthquakes that reached a magnitude of 7.5near Mentawai Island, Indonesia on October 25, 2010.The storm ranged across a wide distance, includingMalaysia, Singapore and even the Philippines. It was anintense, aggressive and unforgettable naturalphenomenon. It inspired the writer to create asoundscape to depict the event in a musical context.The resulting composition drew upon initial fieldrecordings in Terrangano and Kota Baharu innortheastern Malaysia, near the Thailand border.Ambient materials were recorded from rainforestlocations and at the ocean at Terrangano and KotaBaharu. Using different kinds of recording techniquesand through layering, I created a composition ofcomplex sonic structures presented in multi-surroundsound diffusion.The sounds were categorized in colors to make agraphical score;Green: RainforestYellow: Wind (Forest)Orange: Wind (Seaside)Blue: Sea waveRed: Electronic soundPink: RainLight Blue: ThunderImage 1: Graphical score for “Land of Isolation” (using Nuendo software).The final work is a 20-minutestructured soundscape,using techniques such as mixing and layering,overlapping, filtering and equalizing, and designed tobe performed as a concert. In order for the audience toexperience the feeling of the storm as fully as possible,I created 10.2ch multi-surround sound. This was keyto helping the audience to experience the stormenvironment and to understand the nature of themusic.The Work of the 2010/2011 API Fellows