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technosonics
DIGITAL
MUSIC AND SOUND ART COMPOSITION
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Technosonics
is an innovative class in digital music and sound art composition. Started
in 2006 at UVA by Prof Burtner, Technosonics explores the history, theory
and practice of digital music and sound art. Students learn tools and
techniques that infuse music of many genres and traditions. From experimental
computer music, ambient and dance music, sound art and multimedia, digital
tools have changed the way we make and listen to music. This course offers
a wide view of computer music as “technosonics”. Students
all compose original compositions and these can be performed via podcast
on the iTunes Music Store.
In
2008, with the assistance of a Teaching+Technology Initiative Fellowship,
Technosonics expanded into the area of interactive computer music performance.
Since then, the class hosts the Mobile Interactive Computer Ensemble (MICE)
Orchestra, an orchestral-scale human-computer group using mobile computing
for live, interactive performance. The MICE Orchestra debuted on April
30, 2008 on Jefferson's UVA Lawn at the Digitalis Festival.
In
2009 the class began beta testing NOMADS (Network-Operational Mobile Applied
Digital System). The semester culminated in a large-scale Digital NOMADS
performance in collaboration with electronica duo, Matmos. NOMADS wassupported
by the Buckner Clay Endowment and developed by the Interactive Media Research
Group.
This
year our theme is human-environment-technosonic interaction. Our projects
will focus on technosonic collaborations with the natural environment.
podcast :
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about
the class
our
team
materials/technology
assignments/grading
syllabus
about
the class
MUSI 2350, Digital Music and Sound Art Composition
class: Monday and Wednesday, 12-12:50pm, Wilson 301
discussions:in Wilson
306
Course
Overview
MUSI 235 explores the history, theory and practice of digital music and sound
art in the 20th and 21st centuries. Students gain insight into a variety of
tools and techniques that have grown and expanded to infuse music of many genres
and traditions. From experimental computer music, ambient and dance music, sound
art, and multimedia digital tools have made a major impact in the world of music.
This course will offer a wide view of computer music as “Technosonics”.
In addition to historical and theoretical concerns, students will experiment
with digital tools for musical creation and live performance.
our
team
Professor
Matthew Burtner
mburtner@virginia.edu
http://www.burtner.net/
205 Old Cabell Hall
office hours: Wednesday,1-5pm (please email in advance to schedule as these
fill up)
Jean
Maroun , Teaching Assistant
jkm4kd@virginia.edu
office hours by appointment, Old Cabell Hall
Christopher Peck, Teaching
Assistant
cp3ee@virginia.edu
office
hours: by appointment, Old Cabell Hall
Sarah O'Halloran, Teaching
Assistant
sao3bh@virginia.edu
office
hours: by appointment, Old Cabell Hall
Course web sites
syllabus : http://www.technosonics.net
assignment submission/blogging/materials/grading/evaluations: http://www.collab.itc.virginia.edu
materials/technology
Podcasts
How
to podcast your technosonic music
1) go to http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/digitalis/
2) click "Create Account" and follow the directions
3) click "Post Song" and select your final project.
4) go to the iTunes Music Store to listen to your piece!
other required materials:
headphones, 2GB (minimum) USB data drive. If you have a laptop, get
it set up for use on UVA Wireless and plan to bring it to class.
optional materials:
Max/MSP student 9-month license, available at http://www.cycling74.com/.
If you use Windows as your own computer system, and if you wish to work on your
own computer, you may wish to purchase a multitrack software such as nTracks.
on-campus
computers
These Apple
computers have Garage Band; Remix Loops; SoundHack; Frequency; MaxMSP Runtime
and Audacity.They are available for student use on the schedule of those rooms/buildings.
* Discussion sections are in Wilson 306: 20 workstations (including instructor
station)
* Bryan Hall, 235: 4 workstations
* Ruffner Hall, 277: 4 workstations
* Clemons Library (4th floor): 7 workstations
* Robertson Media Lab (in Clemons): about 10 workstations
software
downloads:
If you want to install the software on your own computers you can download it
here.
You can also use other software if you wish.
Soundhack:
http://music.ucsd.edu/~tre/soft//SH896.zip
Frequency:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/19112&vid=97578
Audacity:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
(Apple or Windows)
Max/MSP Runtime (the free version)
http://cycling74.com/downloads/
(Apple or Windows)
assignments/grading
Attendance---------------------------------------------------------------------
Attendance of the class lectures and discussion section is required.
If you do not plan to come to class regularly, just drop it now and allow students
on the wait list a chance to be a part of it.
Quiz
material will come from the lectures and readings. We will show images during
class to help illustrate the material, but the slides do not contain the lecture.
Therefore the slides will not be available outside of class. Attend and take
notes and you will do fine on the quizzes.
If you miss a class it is your responsibility to get the notes from a friend
or come to instructor office hours.
The
labs are very important for your composition assignments and group assignments.
Composition
Assignments %30 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Assignments for the class = %30 of the final grade (10% each)
Each student will create three short assignments and the individual groups use
the class material to assemble material for the final performance.
You
are graded on:
* ) 3/10 timely completion and clear organization and naming of your files.
* ) 2/10 did you complete all aspects of the assignment
* ) 5/10 musicality and imaginative composition
The
assignment is considered submitted when you post an audio file (mp3 or WAV)
on the Collab site in the proper location. Assignments will not be accepted
more than two weeks late for any reason. Audacity or Garage Band archive files
will not be accepted as assignment submission. Export
or Bounce your assignment so that it will play in iTunes and then upload those
sounds to the Collab folder. Check playback before you submit it. If it won't
play in iTunes for you, it's not done yet.
Assignment 1: eco-beats
Make 10 short "beats" out of environmental sound samples (not a drum
sample). A beat is a single, short sound, not longer than 2 seconds. Use Audacity
to make your beats, and assemble them into a rhythmic sequence. For this assignment
you will create a short rhythm out of your eco-beats.
Compose the rhythm with your beats in Garage Band or Audacity.
Export/bounce the output of your rhythm and submit
it as an mp3 or wav file.
Create at least 10 different beats to be used in your final rhythm.
Assignment 2: Digital clouds
Design an ambient texture using the sound design programs, about 30 seconds
to 1 minute in duration.
Your cloud should have an A, B, and C section, transforming or crossfading between
three different computer clouds.
In Garage Band carefully mix your three sounds into a short composition
Submit your cloud composition as an mp3 or wav file.
You may use more than 3 sounds/sections if you like(3 is just the minimum).
Assignment 3: Robotic birdsong
Compose original melodic lines made up of sounds you generate using modulation
synthesis. Imagine the song of a strange robotic bird. Mix your melodies into
a short composition in Garage Band and submit the final assignment as an mp3
or wav file.
You should use at least three melodic sequences but you may use more than three.
MICE
group assignment 10%-----------------------------------------
The
class will produce one outdoor group project as the MICE Orchestra. The performance
will occur on September 23 at 7pm on the UVA Lawn as part of the Technosonics
Festival.
Quizzes
30% (10% each)---------------------------------------------------------------------
Quiz 1 on early electronic music (10%)
Quiz 2 on computer music history (10%)
Quiz 3 final covering entire semester 10%)
Writings
20% total (10% each)
--------------------------------------------------------
The writing assignments ask you to interact with technosonic music in a public
context.
human-environment-technology
analysis paper (10%)
Analyze one of the pieces from the “Agents Against Agency” collection.
A DVD is on reserve in the Music Library for the class, or you can order it
from http://www.ecosono.com/EcoSono_media.html#Agents
Choose one of the works:
Ted Coffey: "Parabolic Fountain Music"
Expressive Machines Musical Instruments (EMMI): "Drum Circle"
MICE (Mobile Interactive Computer Ensemble): "Sandprints"
Yuri Spitsyn: "Welcome to the Machine"
Matthew Burtner : “(dis)Locations”
Christopher Burns and David Dinnell: "Before the Seiche"
Pinko Communoids: "A Long Pond"
12 Dog Cycle + Rosalind Hall: "Brickworks"
MICE Orchestra/ Emergence Collective / IMRG: "Unity Groove"
Research the composition using online resources, by contacting the artist directly,
or using the DVD notes. You probably won’t find book or journal articles
about this music. How was the music was composed? How does the piece use technology?
What are some characteristics of the composition? Find connections between the
composition and historical electronic music pieces we studied in class. What
aspects of the work relate to the history of technosonic music, and what aspects
do you think are new? 500-1000 words.
online
review (10% each)
Review at least one technosonic concert, album or event during the semester.
Write a review or a paper and post it publicly somewhere. iTunes reviews, Amazon.com
reviews, blog publications, e-zine, eMusic, Wikipedia entries, etc. all allow
individuals to post scholarly or review content. You can even submit your review
to real magazines or to journals such as SEAMUS or CMJ! But it needs to be well-written.
Your writing should be around 500-1000 words and carefully written. The review
should address the historical and artistic context of our class. The writing
should be identifiable to your instructors as being from you personally, although
you may choose to disguise your real name. To submit these assignments, provide
the URL reference and a copy of the text.
Final
Composition, 10%: -------------------------------------------------------
The final project is your original composition using whatever tools you like
from the class. Graded on 1) technique from class (3/10), 2) good compositional
form (2/10), 3) meets duration requirements (at least 2min) (1/10), 4) imagination
and musicality (2/10), 5) evidence of care and thought put into it (2/10).You
do not need to create a score. A short text description of the piece and a title
are required. Your final project may use work from your group projects but each
student needs to create her/his own original composition.
syllabus
Wed 8/24: Introduction to
the class, and to digital music
listening: The Orb, Little Fluffy Clouds
discussions: orientation to the Technosonics Labs
The pre-electric origins of digital music (since ancient Greece)
Mon 8/29
The pre-electric origins of digital music; editing sounds in Audacity
listening: Kraftwerk, The Robot and Calculator; Guillaume
Dufay, Nuper Rosarum flores (1400s isorhythmic motet)
reading: Thom Holmes, Chapter 1
discussion sections: composition
environment and group formations, intro to Audacity
Wed 8/31
Pre-20th Century background
listening: Avalanches, Flight Tonight; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Musical
Dice Game; Aphex Twin, Track #2 from Windowlicker, Erik
Satie, Vexations; Julian Carillo, Preludio a Colon
Early instruments
(Electric Things) and the use of noise
Mon 9/5
Russolo’s Art of Noises and the Noise Orchestra;
live electronic music of the early 20th Century.
the multitracking environment
reading: Luigi Russolo, The Art of Noises: Futurist Manifesto
listening: Ryuichi Sakamoto, 20Msec, and Ngo; Yellow Magic
Orchestra, Computer Game; Erik Satie, Gymnopedies 1
discussion sections: Garage Band boot camp
Wed 9/7 Electronic instruments from the 1920s and 1930s.
reading: Holmes, Chapter 2;
listening: Lee Scratch Perry, My name is from Techno Party; DJ
Spooky (with Mad Professor and Lee Scratch Perry), Dubtometry; Clara
Rockmore performance of Sant-Saens The Swan on the Theremin; Beach
Boys, Good Vibrations; Olivier Messiaen, Livre du Sacremant
for organ; Messiaen, Fête des belles eaux for 6 Ondes Martenot;
Led Zeppelin, Whole Lotta Love; Nine Inch Nails, Just Like You
Imagined; Tchaikovsky, Valse Sentimentale performed by Clara Rockmore;
Radiohead, Where I End and You Begin.
Mon 9/12 Electronic instruments from the 1920s and 1930s continued
listening: Amon Tobin (Cujo), Traffic, and Verbal; Suba,
Seria; Suba/Bebel Gilberto, Tanto Tempo;
discussion sections: sound design: phase vocoding
Wed 9/14: Introduction to the Mobile Interactive Computer Ensemble
MICE Orchestra rehearsal
reading: Holmes, Chapter 3
listening: Money MICE, MICE Ascending: previous MICE ensembles
discussion sections: sound design using spectral filtering
The Electronic Music Studio as Instrument / Modulations
and Acoustics
Mon 9/19
Musique Concrete; working with samples
listening: Goa Gil, Hux Flux; Ravi Shankar, Morning Raga; Pierre
Schaeffer, Etudes du Bruits; Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaeffer, Etude
por un homme seule; Piere Henry, Psyche Rock; and Futurama theme
song
Assignment 1 due
Wed 9/21: Electronische Music; working with oscillators in Max/MSP (Frequency
Modulation, Additive Synthesis and Amplitude Modulation);
listening: Bjork, An Echo/A Stain; Medula and Joga; Matmos,California
Rhinoplasty; Stockhausen, Gesang der Junglinge and Studie
I
Friday, Technosonics
Light Performance 7pm U VA Lawn
Mon 9/26: introduction to acoustics; Poeme Electronique
listening: Daft Punk, Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger; Air, How
does it make you feel?; Varese, Poeme Electronique; Xenakis, Concret
PH
discussion sections: sound design in Max/MSP and how to make a blog
Wed
9/28: Quiz review, more on Max/MSP, MICE organization and rehearsal
Mon 10/3 Quiz 1
on Early Electronic Music
Wed 10/5 Meet your instructors:
Steve Kemper
Mon 10/10:reading break, no class
The 1950s and 1960s: Sequencers and Sound Synthesis
Wed 10/12: Writing 1 due
Sequencers and Electric Instruments for live performance;
listening:Moog sounds; The Monkees, Star Collector; Wendy Carlos, Switched
on Bach.
discussion sections: more Max/MSP sound design
Mon 10/17 guest composer,
Daniel Blinkhorn from Australia
Wed 10/19 Synthesizers and Computer Music/Digital Audio Assignment 2
due
listening: The Moog Cookbook, Smells Like Teen Spirit; David Rosenboom,
In the Beginning - Etude II; David Bowie (Brian Eno) from Low;
Gary Numan, I Dream of Wires, Cars; Morton Subotnick, Silver
Apples of the Moon
Mon 10/24 Computer Music
History;
listening: Missy Elliot and Timbaland, Work it and Pass that Dutch;
Neptunes Mash Up; Neuman Guttman, In a Silver Scale; Max Mathews'
Music 1, Daisy; 2001 Space Odyssey
Wed 10/26 1970s
to the 1980s: into MIDI
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
listening: John Oswald (Plunderphonics), Brown, Net, Dab and Urge-Marianne
Faith No Morrisey (from Plexure); Negativeland, Negativland vs U2 (the
banned single), and Michael Jackson; John Chowning, Stria;
Barry Truax, Riverrun; A-Ha, Take on Me
reading: Holmes Chapter 10/11
discussions: working on assignment 3
Mon 10/31 Assignment
3 due
Meet your instructors: Chris Peck, Sarah O'Halloran, Jean Maroun
Discussion of assignment 3
Drones, Environmental and Ambience
Wed 11/2: temporal and layering techniques;
reading: R. Murray Schafer, The Music of the Environment; Brian Eno,
Ambient Music;
listening: Cocosuma, Tapping the Source; Erik Satie, Gymnopedie
1; Brian Eno, Music for Airports and Unfamiliar Winds ; Tangerine
Dream, Phaedra; Pink Floyd, a Saucerful of Secrets, Hildegard
Westerkamp, Talking Rain; Barry Truax, Pendlerdrom, Jon Appleton,
Shermetyevo Airport Rock
Pulse and Polyrhythm
Mon 11/7: looping and polyrhythm techniques;
readings: Steve Reich: Music as a Gradual Process
listening: DJ Krush, Song for John Walker (featuring Anticon), Toki
No Tabiji (Journey of Time featuring Inden); Steve Reich, Come Out,
African Head Charge, No Don't Follow Fashion and Pursuit; Gyorgy
Ligeti, Poeme Symphonique for 100 Metronomes; Conlon Nancarrow, Study
21 for player piano
Quiz 2 review
Wed 11/9: Quiz 2 on Computer Music and MIDI
discussions: polyrhythmic and looping technique
Machines and Sound Mass Processes
Mon 11/14: sound mass and swarming techniques
listening: Arthur Ganson, Machines; Kanto Hario, Machines;
Alvin Lucier, Music on a Long Thin Wire; and I am sitting in a
room; Krystof Penderecki, Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima; Gyorgy
Ligeti, Lux Aeterna; Joan LaBarbara, Erin; Einojuhani Rautavaara,
Cantus Arcticus; Horatiu Radulescu, String Quartet Nr. 4, Op33
-- Infinite to be cannot be infinite, infinite anti-be could be infinite.
Writing 2 due
Wed 11/16: Meet your instructors.
Discussion of final projects.
Media Sound Art
Mon 11/21: Turntablism
reading: Christian Marclay & Yasunao Tone: Record, CD, Analog, Digital
(p341, Cox)
listening: Invisibl Skratch Piklz, World Cut Scratch; The X-ecutioners,
Mad Flava; John Cage, Imaginary Landscape No. 1 and No 4; Karlheinz
Stockhausen, Kurzwellen; Scanner and Tonne, Sound Polaroids; Herby
Hancock, Rockit; Beastie Boys (with Mixmaster Mike), 3 MC's &
1 DJ; Christian Marclay, Night Music; DJ Shadow, Flashback;
Mixmaster Mike, Well Wicked; excerpts from Scratch, the
movie by Doug Pray.
discussions:final projects.
Wed 11/23: Thanksgiving Break
discussion sections: final projects.
Mon, 11/28: Media
art 2: CD and Radio
Terre Thaemlitz, Inelegant Implementations; Vladimir Ussachevsky, Piece for
Tape Recorder
Wed, 11/30: Discussion of final projects and listening to various assignments.
Mon, 11/5
Wed, 11/7
12/5: Final Projects
due by 5pm
Exam time: Thursday, December 8, 1400-1700
Quiz 3
All coursework must be completed by this time.
