DRAM 2620: Sound Design
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
(1:00-1:50 PM)
Culbreth, Room 217
Instructed by Michael Rasbury
Corequisite: DRAM 2630 (required for Drama Majors,
recommended to others)
OFFICE
Michael Rasbury, Room 208B,
Culbreth Theatre
Appointments can be scheduled
by phone at (434) 982-4542 or by email at mr2xk (at) virginia (dot) edu. I check email daily.
COURSE GOAL
In DRAM 2620, we will explore Sound Design for Theatre and Media through discussion, construction, critical listening, and demonstration of music and sound.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
DRAM 2620 is an introductory course designed to stimulate understanding
of both the aesthetic and technical aspects of sound and sound design. Students will be introduced to
listening exercises, the properties of sound, sound-reproducing equipment,
music and sound construction for dramatic material, etc.
REQUIREMENTS
Notebook (for classroom
notes)
Access to a Personal Computer
with Internet Access, Mac OS or Windows
Audacity, for Mac or Windows,
download at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Spindle of CD-R’s (for
submission of projects)
Full Size Stereo Headphones
with mini 1/8” and 1/4” adapter (for monitoring)
NO EARBUDS! Here are
some examples:
http://www.sweetwater.com/c412--Headphones and http://www.musiciansfriend.com/headphones
ATTENDANCE POLICY
You should make every effort
to be present at each class period. Excused absences are permitted. To receive an excused absence, please notify me before the absence or
provide an official notification
after the absence. Each
unexcused absence will result in the lowering of your final grade percentage by
three (3) percentage points per absence.
Please view the course calendar in both list form and calendar form.
GRADING
There will be no formal
midterm or final exam; however, at least two quizzes will be given. Project grades will be determined by a
rubric relating to each exercise. A rubric is a grading chart outlining all
assessment criteria.
100-90= A, 89-80= B,
79-70= C, 69-60= D, and below 60= F
Participation 20%
This portion of the grade is
a subjective evaluation of the student’s performance during class meetings
based on the following criteria: 1) Attitude and Inquisitiveness- the student
displays an eagerness to learn and be involved, 2) Congeniality- the student
works well with others during the semester, 3)
Preparedness- the student is always prepared for class and concerned about the
quality of presented work, 4) Promptness- the student is always on time for
each session.
Sound Projects 1-4 30%
During the semester, students
will be responsible for completing four small sound projects. The projects will
reflect an aspect of the current topic of discussion and will require computer
editing using audio software. Each
student will need to visit http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ and download the latest copy of Audacity for Mac OS or Windows. Please see the attached rubrics for
further content and grading information.
Before starting each project,
a design statement must be submitted to me via email as a “.doc,” or “.rtf”
file. A design statement is a
declaration of purpose and plan for construction of an idea. The file name for the statement should
be “lastnamefirstname_p#”. The document should include a heading (name, project
number and title), a description of the goal, a description for accomplishing
the goal, and if necessary a list of potential effects and content. Upon completion, each project must be
submitted as an audio CD and a
data CD. Students will be responsible for all work regardless of computer
failures.
Sound Project Calendar
Project 1: Use Audacity to Edit Music (10% of
final Project Grade)
Design Statement Due: Monday, August 31, 2009
Work Time: August 29-September 13, 2009
Listen To Project in Class: Monday, September 14, 2009
Project 2: Use Audacity to Create an Environment
Design Statement Due: Friday, September 11, 2009
Work Time: September 14-October 6, 2009
Listen To Project in Class: Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Project 3: Music
Concrete/Sampling (35% of
final Project Grade)
Design Statement Due: Friday, October 2, 2009
Work Time: October 8-October 25, 2009
Listen To Project in Class: Monday, October 26, 2009
Project 4: Create Your Own Concept
Design Statement Due: Friday, October 23, 2009
Work Time: October 26-November 15, 2009
Listen To Project in Class: Monday, November 16, 2009
Places to obtain free music and sound effects:
Culbreth Booth Audio Storage 128.143.249.40, user name “Arts”
http://www.freesound.org/ Free Sound Effects
http://www.earthrecordings.com Michael Rasbury’s website
http://www.michaelrasbury.com
I would like to post selected
projects on my University of Virginia Sound Design website. If you have any objections to this,
please notify me.
Production Essay 30% Due November 30, 2009
Each student is expected to
attend one of the following productions and create a critical essay reflecting
the sound design for the event.
The Foreigner
by Larry Shue Sept 24-26, 30, Oct 1-2, 2009 (with a 2pm matinee on Sat, Sept 26), Culbreth Theatre, 8pm
Language of Angels
by Naomi Iizuka
Oct 22-24, 27-31, 2009,
Helms Theatre, 8pm
The Imaginary Invalid
by Molière
Nov 12-14, 17-21, 2009, Helms Theatre, 8pm
This essay should include
notation of actual sound elements, descriptions of the perceived effectiveness
of the sound design, thoughts about the symbolic meanings of sounds, noticeable
acoustic challenges of the environment, etc. The paper should be typed using a standard font (like Times
or Helvetica) and should utilize a 12-point typeface. At least three, double-spaced pages are required for
submission. The final essay must be submitted to me via email as a “.doc,” or
“.rtf” file. File name for the
essay should be “lastnamefirstname_essay”. Please see the attached rubric for
grading criteria and this list for content information.
Quizzes 20%
There will be at least two short
quizzes covering material discussed in class. These tests will not be comprehensive but will only cover
information discussed between each test. Tests may include multiple choice and/or essay questions. Each quiz is worth 100 points.
IMPORTANT DATES TO NOTE
September 4, Last Day to Drop a Class.
September 11, Last Day for Adding New
Courses, Last Day to Elect the AU (Audit) Option, and Last Day to Change to or
from “Credit/No Credit” Option.
October 20, Last Day to Withdraw from a
Course.
Students needing special
accommodations are encouraged to discuss the need with the professor as soon as
possible.
The syllabus and/or each rubric is subject
to change at any time, without prior notice, and it is the responsibility of
the student to keep informed of changes, new material, or missed content.