Music 321 Section A - Electro-Acoustic Music Techniques I Fall Semester, 2002 Professor Scott Wyatt Wednesday, Aug. 28 Discussion of course content and requirements Overview of Electro-Acoustic Music Terminology handouts Friday, Aug. 30 Some historical perspective - late 19th / early 20th century developments Demonstration of a Theremin and a Steel-wire recorder Wednesday, Sept. 4 A brief look at musical acoustics and pyschoacoustics: physical parameters vs. perceptual attributes Introduction to sound reproduction systems: individual component function / concept of output/input line level vs. mic level Friday, Sept. 6 Continuation of sound reproduction systems: consumer line level / professional line level compatibility problems when integrating consumer and professional audio components connection of synthesizers to audio systems with their compatibility problems and their solutions Monday, Sept. 9 Continuation of sound reproduction systems Discussion of balanced/unbalanced signals and their connectors General review [check yourself - exam #1] Wednesday, Sept. 11 Microphone design, construction, function and usage Polar patterns Friday, Sept. 13 Spot miking vs. close miking vs. ambient miking Analog recording - attributes and problems General anatomy of analog reel-to-reel tape decks Monday, Sept. 16 Discussion of track formats and the associated compatibility problems Analog audio tape: backing, oxides, sizes, handling, storage, and accessories [check yourself - exam #2] Wednesday, Sept. 18 Introduction to Musique Concrete / Musique Abstract Pierre Schaeffer's isolation and development of the Found Object/Sound Object Pierre Schaeffer's development of the locked groove, speed variation, reverse playback, and filtered sound Pierre Schaeffer's Library, Primary, and Master disc concept Listening session of early and recent Musique Concrete Friday, Sept. 20 Introduction to Studio B and the studio operating guidelines Patching connections - the concept of source to destination Demonstration of the RS-1500 open reel 2 mm half track stereo tape decks - loading tape on the HUB Studio times assigned / studio cleaning assignments Monday, Sept. 23 Wednesday, Sept. 25 Monitoring techniques Set-up for close miking VU meters and appropriate recording levels Speed variation, sound reversal and extended speed variation demonstration Assignment: due Monday, Sept. 30 [check yourself - exam #3] Introduction to mixers and mixing Use of echo sends for processing Discussion of Reverb and the Yamaha REV7 Assignment: due Wednesday, Oct. 2 Friday, Sept. 27 Reverb and REV7 set-up review Filters Spatial location and sound movement techniques within a stereo field: 5 horizontal locations + foreground, midground, and background Brief introduction to Studio E experiment with filters, reverb, and sound locations A-E Monday, Sept. 30 Editing techniques: types of splices and their functions / use of leader tape / design and use of loops Basic digital recording concepts Assignment: due Monday, Oct. 7 Wednesday, Oct. 2 Digital Audio Tape - its use and how it differs from analog DAT tape ABS/ATC formatting & record order formatting protocol - Demonstration of how to format a DAT MD (MiniDisc) - how it differs from DAT dB meter scaling vs. VU meters format one or two DAT tapes [check yourself - exam #4] Friday, Oct. 4 Notation Listening session Discussion of Tape Study #1 Brief discussion of exam Monday, Oct. 7 More on Musique Concrete Listening session Discussion of Tape Study #1 Assignment: Tape Study #1 due Monday, Oct. 28 Wednesday, Oct. 9 EXAM Friday, Oct. 11 Mixer to DAT amplitude levels (gain staging) More on Musique Concrete and the assembly process Discussion of Tape Study #1 Listening session Monday, Oct. 14 Introduction to the Classical Electronic Music Era (1950-1964) Discussion of the music and composers at the Cologne, Warsaw, Milan, and Phillips studios Wednesday, Oct. 16 Discussion of waveforms: partial content and the relationship to timbre Concept of additive synthesis and waveform summation Friday, Oct. 18 Listening session - classical electronic music Introduction to the Roland waveform generators in Studio B Monday, Oct. 21 Discussion of mixing your Tape Study #1 Aspects of sound design Sound design techniques Listening session [check yourself - exam #5] Reference tone explained White and Pink Noise handouts Additive synthesis techniques reviewed Roland waveform generators in Studio B reviewed Subtractive synthesis Listening session Wednesday, Oct. 23 Friday, Oct. 25 Introduction to Tape Music: composers: Vladimir Ussachevsky, Otto Luening and others A comparison of the music and the aesthetic between European and North American electro-acoustic music for 1950-1960 Discussion of Tape Study #2 Listening session Monday, Oct. 28 Tape Study #1 due Tape Study listening session Assignment: Tape Study #2 due Wednesay, Nov. 13 Wednesday, Oct. 30 The development of Modular Voltage-Controlled Synthesizers Basic synthesizer modules and their function International symbols and block diagrams Listening session Friday, Nov. 1 no class - unless needed for catch-up Monday, Nov. 4 Amplitude modulation concepts: Carrier (audio signal) and modulator (control signal) concepts Elementary single event amplitude modulation: articulation Elementary periodic amplitude modulation: tremolo Complex amplitude modulation: sum and difference frequencies create timbre Wednesday, Nov. 6 Frequency modulation concepts: Carrier (audio signal) and modulator (control signal) concepts Elementary single event frequency modulation: pitch shift within a note Elementary periodic frequency modulation: glissandi / trills Complex Frequency modulation: sideband frequencies create timbre [check yourself - exam #6] Friday, Nov. 8 MIDI defined Definition of synthesizer, tone generator, sequencer, computer, microcomputer, microprocessor, interface, MIDI interface the MIDI ports Transmission/reception concept connecting and controlling two synthesizers Daisy chain networking and Star networking via MIDI thru box Demonstrations of AM and FM Monday, Nov. 11 MIDI voice message information MIDI channel modes: concept of channel transmission and reception Omni ON / Omni OFF / poly / mono Appropriate application of channel mode information for realization of multi instrument part music via computer and sequencer control of a synthesizer Introduction to the Yamaha DX11 synthesizer Operators and algorithms Copy/store functions Single Play/Edit Modes [check yourself - exam #7] Wednesday, Nov. 13 Tape Study #2 due - Study #2 listening session further discussion of operators and algorithms Friday, Nov. 15 AM and FM applications on the DX11 - read p 10-11 of DX11 manual Use of the envelope generator - timing and level parameters - read p 12-13 of DX11 manual Use of the LFO - waveform, frequency, amplitude output, modulation sensitivity Use of the pitch envelope generator - timing and level parameters - p 13 of DX11 manual AM and FM exercises Monday, Nov. 18 Local ON/OFF on DX11 Introduction to Vision (sequencing program) read p3-30 of Vision MIDI reference manual How to record, playback, edit tempo, and use of click tracks Replace/Overdub modes sequencing exercise 1 Wednesday, Nov. 20 More on Vision - Step Replace/Step overdub modes - quantizing Selecting regions for quantizing Multi-track recording and playback sequencing exercise 2 Friday, Nov. 22 Performance PLAY on the DX11 More on Vision - strip chart: velocity, pitch bend Additive Synthesis exercises Sequence Study Assignment due Wednesday, Dec. 11 Thanksgiving break Monday, Dec. 2 More on Vision and sequencing Discussion of Music 322 Discussion of exam Wednesday, Dec. 4 More on Vision and sequencing Discussion on Compact Disc Recording media Friday, Dec. 6 no class Monday, Dec. 9 EXAM Wednesday, Dec. 11 Sequence Study listening session - NO CLASS on Friday, Dec. 13