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DRAM 3640 Sound Design: Studio
Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00-12:15,
Culbreth, Room BO10
Instructed by Michael Rasbury
View this material online at http://www.people.virginia.edu/~mr2xk/home.html

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:      
DRAM 3640 presents creative application of digital sound editing for media.  Techniques investigated include editing pre-recorded music, creating realistic sound environments, representing visual art with sound, three-dimensional sound, and sound creation for video and theatre.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
DRAM 3640 leads the student through a series of exercises designed to reveal the process of Sound Design for the Theatre, using the computer as a primary tool for creating and editing sound.  Students will be responsible for completing multiple sound designs.  Each assignment will be unique; some will involve recreating actual realistic environments and others will involve a more abstract approach.  Although several class periods are reserved for lecture, most scheduled class periods are reserved for completion of the designs.  Source material for each exercise will be provided, but students may also record original sounds.

REQUIREMENTS:    
Notebook (for classroom notes)
CD-R, DVD-R (for submission of projects)
Full Size Stereo Headphones with mini 1/8” and 1/4” adapter (for monitoring)
Here are some examples: http://www.sweetwater.com/c412--Headphones and http://www.musiciansfriend.com/headphones

Students will be responsible for all work regardless of computer failures.  A backup must be made at the end of each project.  The following media can be used:

CD-R (650-700 MB), CD-RW (650-700 MB) reusable, or DVD-R 2X (4.7 Gigabytes) Home Directory Service, USB Flash Drive

In order to gain access to BO10 outside of class time, you must visit our main office in Room 201, Culbreth.  You will be required to sign a form in order to receive a seven-digit code for opening the lock box on the door of BO10.  The key must remain in the lock box at all times.  The door must remain shut at all times.  You many not enter during other scheduled classes in BO010. Do not share the code.

COURSE CALENDAR AND GRADING:
There will be no midterm or final exam.  There will be multiple projects and each project will be worth 100 points.  Individual project grades will be determined by the attached rubrics; grading charts outlining all assessment criteria.  Please view the course calendar in either list form or calendar form.

100-90= A, 89-80= B, 79-70= C, 69-60= D, and below 60= F

Before starting each project, a design statement must be submitted to me via email as a “.doc,” or “.rtf” file (see attached calendar for due dates).  The file name for the statement should be “lastnamefirstname_p#”. A design statement is a declaration of purpose and plan for construction of an idea.  The design statement should include the designer's goal, a proposed plan for accomplishing the goal, and a list of potential sounds and content.

Project 1 (2 Periods)              10% (grading criteria)
Simple Music Editing and Exporting; Students will edit music and/or audio by rearranging the parts of the original piece(s).

Project 2 (4 Periods)              20% (grading criteria)
Realistic Environments; Students will use source material suggest a particular realistic environment.

Project 3 (5 Periods)              30% (grading criteria)
The Use of Metaphor in Sound; Students will use MIDI sequences and audio collage to create a sound design representative of another work of visual art. The results of this project will be presented using surround sound.

Project 4 (11 Periods)            40% (grading criteria script option or video option)
Option 1
Sound Design for a Script; Students will create sound design elements for a section of a script.  A design statement and cue list must be submitted for approval before embarking on this option.  The project may be completed using any software available in the lab.  Final playback of the project must utilize QLab as a means for executing the design.

Option 2
Designing Sound for Video; Students will provide stereo or surround audio score for a ten-minute or less film or video.  A design statement and proposed video clip must be submitted for approval before embarking on this option.  The final design should utilize 5.1 surround sound or greater.

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 websites
http://www.michaelrasbury.com

Upon completing a project, submit two versions.  One version should be in the format of an Audio CD.  The second version should be a data CD or DVD of your files.  Make sure each disc is clearly labeled with your name, project name, CD or DVD type, and length of the project.   Provide as much information about disc contents as possible.

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.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:    
You should make every effort to be present at each class period.  Excused absences are permitted.  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.

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.