Introduction to Computers in Music: MUSI 339
	Course Information Overview Materials/Resources Grading Syllabus

"ACOUSTRUMENTS"
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS IN MUSIC, MUSI-339, 2005


at the performance of Alex's piece for Toyota and computer from MUSI339

Dr. Matthew Burtner
mburtner@virginia.edu
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~cmb4f
http://www.burtner.net/

Peter Traub, TA
ptraub@virginia.edu

Virginia Center for Computer Music
McIntire Department of Music
University of Virginia
Course website: http://www.people.virginia.edu/~cmb4f/339/339_Fall05.html

Course Information
MUSI 339, Introduction to Computers in Music (3 credits)
MUSI 339 Lab (0 credits) Required
Class time: Monday and Wednesday, 2-3:15 Rm. B012 Old Cabell Hall
Lab time: Thursday 3-5, Music Library, Old Cabell Hall
Burtner office hours: Tuesday 3-5pm, OCH 201
Traub office hours: by appointment

©2004 Matthew Burtner www.burtner.net www.people.virginia.edu/~cmb4f

Course Information • Overview • Materials/Resources • Grading • Syllabus

Course Overview

Music 339 is an introductory course in music technology. Students gain theoretical, practical and historical knowledge of electronic and computer music. An emphasis is placed on creative hands-on experience composing computer music. Music theory topics include acoustics, electricity, digital audio, recording, MIDI, and signal processing. Hands-on work involves recording and soundfile editing, multitrack sound mixing, sampling, MIDI, and signal processing. This is primarily a composition course and assignments will emphasize creativity. Short quizzes will be given on material covered in class.

Allison: shoulder bag and computer	Wyndee: voice and computer	Joe: ukulele and computer	Adam: viola da gamba and computer	Peter: guitar, text and computer

Special Focus: "Acoustruments"

"Acoustruments" explores new instruments by listening for music in ways informed by new technologies. Acoustic Instruments are extended using the computer to create new and often startlingly beautiful instruments. This class involves learning to extend the acoustics of live acoustic instruments or objects with computer technology. The computer is a powerful tool for the transformation of acoustic signals. The practice of altering the sound of physical objects using technology and defining these as instruments is what is meant here by acoustic instruments. The skills learned here are widely generalizeable compositional techniques of composing computer music. In addition, these techniques can be applied in the area of "sound design" in popular and commercial music.

Gavin's piece for record ensemble with computer sound	performed by the 339 class

Electronic and Computer Music by Peter Manning	Essentials of Music Technology by Mark Ballora

Equipment and other course texts:

Equipment and other resources:

computers, synthesizers, Digital audio recorders, manuals, etc are located in the Music Library, in the basement of Old Cabell Hall, available during regular library hours.

Sign up library computers, DAT reserves, CD-R reserve. http://presto.music.virginia.edu/VCCM/
you will need to know the name of the computer you want to sign up for (on the hard drive of the computer)
your UVa unix ID to log in
b1k0 password

download the Peak Manual: Peak.pdf
download the SoundHack Manual: SoundHack.pdf
Digital Performer Manual available by every computer in hard copy
You must get a code from Dave Topper in order to check out the digital recorder topper@virginia.edu

* You will need CD-Rs or portable media for submitting projects and making data back-ups of your work. Save your work often and back it up regularly, especially before deadlines.

MUSI 743> Grading

Attendance and Participation %20

• Timely class and lab attendance is required (please don’t be late). Every two unexcused absences will result in a grade lower.
• Participation means that you engage with the class and lab as an active presence, joining in discussions, etc.

Assignments %40 (timely completion of all assignments is required. Late assignments will be marked down).

Assignments 1-3: Conceptual development exercises. 10%, graded as a group

1) Intonorumori: sound as music, and electricity as instrument. Seek out and spend time listening to noise sounds in your environment. Think about the characteristics of these sounds and find things about them that are musically interesting such as a nice pitch, an interesting timbre, a distinctive rhythm. Write a descriptive list of some non-musical sounds that you found musically interesting. Pay special attention to electric sounds such as the hum of lights, the sounds of appliances, the sounds of your computer or car, etc. Add to your list several electricity based noisemakers that have expressive sonic qualities (maybe they could even be musical instruments).

I am particularly interested in you exploring a new way of hearing the world. Trust me, you will learn a lot by putting aside preconceptions about what Music is and just listening to sound as music.

2) Anamorphose: music as instrument, and instrument as medium. In the late 1940s when Pierre Schaeffer began working with Musique Concrete, he observed the radical transformation of a prerecorded signal's nature due to simple manipulations of the sound captured on tape. He called this acoustic transformation "anamorphosis". Like many of Schaeffer's early works this creative project will use only one layer of material. Find a short sample of music from your CD collection, approximately 5-10” of material. Import the sound into Peak and rework it using Playlists. I want you to try to make something new out of the sampled sound. Think about how music can be abstracted and redefined as something else. Turn in a small description of the sound you chose, why you chose it, and what your idea for changing it is.

As in assignment 1, I am primarily interested in you developing new ways of “hearing” music. In this case we explore how recordings may be heard as raw material that will become music.

3) Acoustruments: Rethinking Instruments. You will use two kinds of acoustic instruments in this class: 1) a noise instrument, and 2) a traditional musical instrument. In this assignment you should choose your two instruments.
If you own an instrument or have a friend who plays an instrument, great. If not, your instrument will be a piano in one of the practice rooms. Spend some time with your instrument and try to discover its unusual acoustic properties. For example, use the inside of the piano or use only air sounds on your flute. Explore your instrument from the perspective of sound.

Next you should define a new instrument from something not normally seen as a musical instrument. You could use rocks, cans, keys, bottles, glasses, etc.

Be creative and choose both of your instrument because you like the sound of it. The many images on this web site show examples of what students have done in the past. Make sure you like how your instrument sounds!


• Assignment 4-6:Practical/Technical/Creative exercises. Each worth 10%.(30% total). These are graded on musicality and good technique (no clicks, well mixed sound, etc).
  
  4) Recording/Sampling/Soundfile Editing
  Record your instrument and edit the recording in Peak. Each student should create a folder with short sound files labeled clearly. You will want the samples to be self contained, notes, sonorities, etc. This will make them easier to work with. You should end up with 5-20 different sound files depending on your instrument. The samples should be normalized. The beginnings and endings should be without clicks (use short fade-in/fade-out to do this).
  
  5) Multitrack Mixing/Composition Using Layers: Layer your sounds in Digital Performer in at least 8 tracks. Create a 1 minute composition.

6) Signal Processing, Sequencing, and MIDI:add a MIDI sequence to your mutichannel mix and process your sounds using SoundHack and Frequency. Create a new 1 minute composition.

Quizzes %15
There are three Quizzes each worth 5%. These address material covered in class and in the readings such as technical and historical issues.

Final Project %25
Acoustruments Composition.
The piece should be 2-5 minutes long. It must be performable by you or you may have a friend play it. The piece must have a computer music CD part or live computer part. This should be an outgrowth of your assignments 3-6. You do not have to use all of the techniques discussed in the class and you may choose to do an entirely new project.

Final Projects are due 12/4. You should submit 1) an audio CD, 2) a instrumental score as required, 3) a short write-up on the composition about the idea and compositional processes employed. The write-up and final score may be submitted through email to mburtner@virginia.edu as text and/or PDF file up to Monday, December 12, 5pm.

MUSI 743> Syllabus

Wed 8/24 Course Syllabus, Fill in VCCM code form, information sheet
Begin Assignment 1 (due next Monday): Intonorumori: sound as music, and electricity as instrument. Seek out and spend time listening to noise sounds in your environment. Think about the characteristics of these sounds and find things about them that are musically interesting such as a nice pitch, an interesting timbre, a distinctive rhythm. Write a descriptive list of some non-musical sounds that you found musically interesting. Pay special attention to electric sounds such as the hum of lights, the sounds of appliances, the sounds of your computer or car, etc. Add to your list several electricity based noisemakers that have expressive sonic qualities (maybe they could even be musical instruments). 1 page printed from computer. You will be graded on thoughtfulness and creativity.

Mon 8/29 Assignment 1 due Welcome to Computer Music, group discussion of assignment 1. Introduction to acoustics, using the library computers: logging in, where to save files, how to submit assignments. Introduction to Peak.
Begin Assignment 2 (due in two weeks): Anamorphose: music as instrument, and instrument as medium. This assignment will ask you to think music as sound material, and it will get you started working on Peak. Find a short sample of music from your CD collection, approximately 5-30” of material. Import the sound into Peak and rework it using Playlists. I want you to try to make something new out of the sampled sound. Think about how music can be abstracted and redefined as something else. Turn in a small description of the sound you chose, why you chose it, and what your idea for changing it was. 1 page description. You will be graded on clarity and creativity.

Wed 8/31 Acoustics, Peak playlists, regions and sequencing audio.
Begin Assignment 3 (due in 2 1/2 weeks): Acoustruments: Rethinking Instruments. You will use two kinds of acoustic instruments in this class: 1) a noise instrument, and 2) a traditional musical instrument. In this assignment you should choose your two instruments.
If you own an instrument or have a friend who plays an instrument, great. If not, your instrument will be a piano in one of the practice rooms. Spend some time with your instrument and try to discover its unusual acoustic properties. For example, use the inside of the piano or use only air sounds on your flute. Explore your instrument from the perspective of sound. Next you should define a new instrument from something not normally seen as a musical instrument. You could use rocks, cans, keys, bottles, glasses, etc.
Be creative and choose both of your instrument because you like the sound of it. The many images on this web site show examples of what students have done in the past. Make sure you like how your instrument sounds! Turn in a 1-page description of your two instruments, how you play them, why you like the sound. In this description, outline what sounds you want to record in the coming recording sessions.

Thur lab: Orientation in the library. using Peak, doing assignment 2. Overview for everyone on how to use the audio recorder. Begin recording instruments.

Mon 9/5 Using the audio recorder. Recording your instruments
Begin Assignment 4 (due in three weeks): Recording/Sampling/Soundfile Editing. Record your instrument and edit the recording in Peak. Create a folder with your short sound files labeled clearly. You will want the samples to be self contained, notes, sonorities, etc. This will make them easier to work with. You should end up with 5-20 different sound files depending on your instrument. The samples should be normalized. The beginnings and endings should be without clicks (use short fade-in/fade-out to do this).

Wed 9/7 Recording your instruments

Thur Lab: Recording instruments and Assignment 2

Mon 9/12 Assignment 2 due. group discussion of Assignment 2, more on Peak software, History of early electronic music

Wed 9/14 more Acoustics, more early electronic music

Mon 9/19 Assignment 3 due: group discussion of assignment 3

Wed 9/21 Listening to historical pieces. Acoustics review

Mon 9/26 Quiz 1. Introduction to electricity and digital audio, Introduction to Digital Performer
Begin Assignment 5: Multitrack Mixing/Composition Using Layers --Layer your sounds in Digital Performer in at least 8 tracks. Create a 1 minute composition.

Wed 9/28 Assignment 4 due: More on digital audio and computer music history, listening to Assignment 4

Thur lab: Digital Performer

Mon 10/3 Reading Holiday, no class

Wed 10/5: Computer music history, Digital Performer and multichannel soundfile editing, processing sounds in DP,more on digital audio and electricity

Thur lab: working with assignment 5

Mon 10/10
Quiz 2 review, computer music history

Wed 10/12
Quiz 2
listening to assignments

Thur lab: working on assignment 5

Mon 10/17Assignment 5 due Listening to assignments, Signal Processing

Wed 10/19 History of computer Music, Sound Hack, Frequency software
Begin Assignment 6: Signal Processing, Sequencing, and MIDI:add a MIDI sequence to your mutichannel mix and process your sounds using SoundHack and Frequency. Create a new 1 minute composition.

Thur lab: Sound Hack/Frequency

Mon 10/24 introduction to MIDI theory,

Wed 10/26 MIDI theory

Thur lab:

Mon 10/31 More on history of computer music

Wed 11/2 More on signal processing sounds

Thur lab: TECHNOSONICS VI, Thursday, 8pm in Old Cabell Hall. The lab will involve a tour of the setup and implementation of a computer music concert.

Mon 11/7: listening to assignments, group discussions
Assignment 6 due

Wed 11/9 Using the X5 with Digital Performer, Computer Music, MIDI and controllers
Begin Final Projects

Thur lab: using the X5 with Digital Performer and bouncing MIDI to audio

Mon 11/14 Sequencing MIDI with Digital Performer, History of computer music,

Wed 11/16 Quiz 3

Mon 11/21 Thanksgiving recess

Wed 11/23 Thanksgiving recess

Thur Lab: Thanksgiving recess

Mon 11/28 final project performances, review, discussion

Wed 11/30: final project performances, review, discussion

Mon 12/4 final project performances, review, discussion

Exam time: Saturday Dec 10, 2-5pm Final projects due by 5pm

Elliott: dance and computer	Seth: coins and computer	Carlton: spoken voice and computer	Huan: voice and computer