As Tech Coordinator at Cymaspace.org, I decided to start a side project on top of existing operations to showcase the audio recording, video capture, and live performance tech happening at Cymaspace. I dubbed it Cyma Studios.
With the go-ahead from the fearless Director Myles DeBastion, I began the daunting task of organizing, producing, and promoting this ambitious endeavor. The Cyma Studios concept offered live recording services while also hosting live-studio audience performances in collaboration with Silent Heartbeat Sound Systems (Silent Disco). The project gained sponsorship from local businesses and featured local artists performing and recording in the Portland area. The artists had access to all the bells and whistles at Cymaspace, including haptic furniture, sound-reactive LED installations, and Cyzmo Visuals’ 3D, sound-reactive projection mapping. All this was paired with Heartbeat’s wireless headphone technology to create an immersive, multi-sensory live studio recording experience.
For this promo video, I wrote the script, executed the voiceover, co-directed the video, operated live lighting and projection mapping, and handled the live sound mix. I engineered two mixes: one for the band’s monitoring and recording, and another for the live audience through Heartbeat Sound Systems’ multi-channel wireless headphones. I was also the host for the very live event, which was quite a lot of work to pull off. But Cymaspace.org is an incredible non-profit, so I had to see it through. Special thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this wildly futuristic and Deaf- and Hard-of-Hearing accessible vision a reality.
Even the most ambitious events and ideas can be documented in ways that not only promote them but also preserve them for future fans to enjoy. Non-profit startups like Cymaspace.org are a perfect example of how some of the most incredible groups of people might be creating something entirely unreal, just down the street from you, in a basement somewhere. I’m grateful to have witnessed it and to have played a part in bringing it into the spotlight.
-Wray
ION WRAY MEDIA 