ARTICULATION DOCUMENT
T311 Instrument Design
MODULE STRUCTURE
Module Category: Specialisation
Level (year of study): Year 2
Credit Units: 4 Modular Credits
Curriculum Hours: 90
Contact Hours: 60 over 15 weeks (4 hours per week)
Module Assessment: Continuous Assessment: 60%
- 15 Daily Grades
Summative Assessment: 40%
Understanding Test 1: 10% (open book, online)
Understanding Test 2: 10% (open book, online)
Understanding Test 3: 20% (open book, online)
SECTION 2: MODULE OVERVIEW
This module introduces you to the field of Organology to stimulate you to design, modify,
and to build your own musical instruments including microphones. By reviewing ways in
which sound production techniques have influenced musical practices and styles, students
analyze the role technology has historically played in art making practices. The human body,
predominantly the voice, was historically the primary source for making music. From the
moment humans began employing devices to create music; technology has played a role in
the definition of musical practices and styles. You are introduced to representative
instruments from a variety of cultures and classify them in terms of their sound generation
methods. Practices and styles are analyzed in relation to instrument design.
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MODULE OUTCOMES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
Allocated time per day
Module Coverage
Discussions in
Study Cluster
This, can be that?!
 Build a simple musical
instrument using commonly
available everyday items.
 Recognise common sound
production mechanisms as they
are outlined in the SachsHornbostel classification system
(i.e. aerophone,
membranophone, idiophone,
chordophone, electrophone)
 See the link between the physical
materials used to construct
instruments and the sounds they
produce
 Use the experience gained during
class to formulate strategies/
methods for creating simple
musical instruments.
Tuning
 recognise (aurally) common
tuning systems and attribute
them to the music of different
cultures from around the world
 use common pitch measurement
systems including "notes",
"frequency" and "cents" to
analyse pitch structures and tune
instruments
 Compare and contrast the tuning
systems of Western musical
 Instruments with common world
music instruments.
DIY Zither
 Build a simple string instrument,
tune it, and produce music with it
 explain how the various components
found in zithers combine together to
produce sound
 explain and demonstrate various
Resource
gathering
and team
work
Skills acquisition
and practice
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methods for producing sounds with
zithers
including
plucking,
strumming or bowing
To be able to aurally recognize the
sound produced by common stringed
instruments
To recognise common uses for string
instruments in music
explain the way in which string
instruments produce sound by citing
principles of musical acoustics
including "standing waves"
DIY MIC
 identify, use and explain practical
uses for common microphone
architectures including piezo,
condenser, and dynamic
microphones
 deploy common microphones in the
context of music production pipeline
including with other tools like
compressors, Digital Audio
Workstations, and recording devices
 identify and creatively exploit the
specific traits of a microphone by
reading the instruction manual,
especially their "dynamic range",
"pick-up pattern", and "frequency
response"
DIY Cables
 quickly recognise and know how to
use, in various professional contexts,
a representative range of audio
interconnects
 know how to route analogue audio
signals through standard audio
studio equipment
 know how to use solder irons, and
other hardware tools to build DIY
cables whilst trouble shooting
common studio problems
 effectively use cables, patch bays in
the context of a music production
pipeline (i.e. with other tools like
compressors, Digital Audio
Workstations, and recording devices)
 Be able to identify and creatively
exploit common traits found in studio
tools including patch bays, mixers,
DAW’s, by referencing the instruction
manual to ascertain features like
"signal flow", "cable architecture" etc.
Piezo Art
 explain piezoelectricity as being the
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ability of some materials to produce a
voltage when subjected to pressure
like soundwaves
construct a basic piezo microphone
out of readily available components
effectively use a contact microphone
in the context of a standard music
production pipeline including the use
of other tools like compressors,
Digital Audio Workstations, and
recording devices
conceptualize creative applications
which exploit Piezo microphones like
their incorporation into musical
performance set-ups
propose a project brief, in its
preparation stage, that exploits a
contact microphone
The First Musical Instrument
 critically discuss the role of the
human voice in music by comparing
various musical traditions and
techniques including the use of
onomatopoeic words in poems, plainchant medieval music, the practice of
'scatting' in Jazz, 'Beat boxing' in Hip
Hop, and 'vocal instrumental music'
in contemporary avant-garde works
 assess the impact these musical
influences may have on their own
personal creative output
 identify, learn and use methods for
employing the human voice to
replicate a variety of sounds that
exhibit artistic potential
use ensemble rehearsal strategies which
assist in preparing for a musical
performance
Classification
 explain why the Sachs-Hornbostel
system (which is a common
classification system used to organise
musical instruments), is a helpful
device to use when learning about
music, especially with its respect to
its ability to help people memorise
what instruments are available to
artists, and how instruments are used
in music production.
 Critically assess the Sachs-Hornbostel
classification system with respect to
its usefulness to one's own creative
practice
 Identify and discuss several common
world music instruments, especially
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with respect to the sounds and
musical gestures they enable, and
their connections to the cultures they
originated from.
 Collect samples of world musical
instruments and integrate them into
a computer sequencer so that they
may be used to support the creation
of musical works.
Sampling
 Critically assess world musical
instruments to determine how useful
they could be deployed to support
one's own creative practice
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Configure a representative
multitrack system to record an
instrumental sample set including
features such as powering up the
system, software and hardware
trouble-shooting, microphone
connections, phantom power, input
trim, setting the sample rate, and
session file organisation.

Use an industry standard workflow
to record musical instruments
including a) appropriate handling of
instruments needed for
performance/ compositional needs,
b) analysing the sound source prior
to recording to determine an
appropriate microphone to use, and
c) Audio processing to enhance/
transform the recorded samples

Apply industry best practices in the
sampling workflow including a) using
a consistent naming system for
project and audio files, b) using
comments in various stages of editing
or mixing, c) tidying/cleaning up a
session file for productivity, d)
backing up working files, etc.

Critically assess recorded media to
determine which digital audio
processing functions should be used
to correct or enhance the samples
Mapping
 use a professional digital sampler
(such as Digidesign's STRUCTURE)
according to a workflow that includes
recording, editing, mapping, and
sequencer integration.
 apply a range of audio effects
processors to correct and enhance
recorded samples.
 use a self-made virtual instrument in
the context of a live performance or
during a music composition and
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sequencing session in a professional
recording studio
 recognise technical features of a
sequencing system that can be used
and configured to support a creative
project. These include features such
as MIDI, software sampler library,
and software patches.
Virtual Instrument
 creatively use a 'virtual sampling'
software instrument in a digital
music sequencing application to
produce an original and creative
piece of music.
 Critically discuss the potential for
using sampling and virtual
instruments with reference to music
that others have written as well as
one's own work.
 use their own virtual instruments in a
live performance context and/or
music composition thru MIDI
 transfer virtual instrument patches
between computers so that they may
be archived, shared and/or
incorporated into other libraries
Interactive Program
 conceptualise, design and install
simple interactive digital instruments
as applications that may be deployed
on computers.
 Discuss the use of digital instruments
in computer games, installations,
theatre and new media displays.
 compose for digital instruments
 build and edit basic patches in a
representative graphical interactive
sound programming environment
(MAXMSP)
Sensors
 build and use a simple software
music application
 use a representative software
development environment to create
musical instruments that may be
controlled via generic electronic
sensors
 discuss the construction and
operation of common electronic
musical instruments such as
controllers and synthesisers
Hardware Hacking
 analyse consumer devices to ascertain
what communication protocols and
hardware components they use.
 repurpose consumer technologies so
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that they may be used to realise new
creative works (this practice is often
referred to as hardware hacking in
the 'Maker' community)
Interaction Design
 apply design thinking principles (i.e.
like those in Verplank’s Interaction
Design Framework) when designing
musical performance and presentation
systems
 create visual presentation systems
such as those used by DJ's and VJ's in
performance spaces
 create synchronised audio-visual
performances by connecting different
kinds of equipment together including
sequencing applications, video
playback systems and lighting systems.
Total = 15 Problems = 90 hours
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
This module equips students who wish to pursue a career in the Creative Industries with
necessary creative, critical, and technical skills. The module emphasise traditional
intellectual skills in terms of writing short reports, and conducting appropriate research
when preparing for projects. Students are routinely required to conduct seminar discussions
and presentations. The Module inspires and nurtures creative expression, in terms of both
form and content, and in the context of both individual and group productions. Students are
encouraged to analyse contemporary culture to develop their area of expertise. Throughout
the module, engagement with new, digital technologies is emphasised.
The module is predominantly delivered via a problem based learning style curriculum.
However, up to 15% of the module uses a technical hands-on tutorials style curriculum. The
module is predominantly taught in a professional studio, hardware workshop and also
involves a mini project with a simulated industry client.
LEARNING RESOURCES
The Physics Classroom - Sound Waves and Music
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/sound/
A path to understanding intervals, scales and timbre by Reginald Bain
http://www.music.sc.edu/fs/bain/atmi98/examples/os/
Peter A. Frazer. The Development of Musical Tuning Systems (Copyright © 2001, 2004)
http://www.midicode.com/tunings/index.shtml
B. H. Suits, Physics Department, Michigan Technological University, (copyright 1998-2009)- Just vs. Equal
temperament http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/scales.html
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B. H. Suits, Physics Department, Michigan Technological University, (copyright 1998-2009)- Making sense
of cents http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/Cents.html
How do microphone works (Media College)
http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/microphones/how-microphones-work.html
Sound Recording: Microphones (David Nathan)
http://www.hrelp.org/archive/advice/microphones.html
Microphones (Hyperphysics.pgy-astr.gsu.edu)
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/audio/mic.html
Learn To Beat box (Tyte)
http://www.humanbeatbox.com/learn
Know How Vocal Chords Work (Becoming A Singing Master)
http://www.become-a-singing-master.com/how-vocal-cords-work.html
Understanding How Voice Is Produced (Voiceproblem.org)
http://www.voiceproblem.org/anatomy/understanding.asp
Comprehensive Table Of Musical Instrument Classifications (Music At Virginia Tech.)
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/instruments/instrumentmain.html
Brief History of Musical Instrument Classification Systems (Virtual Museum.ca)
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Instruments/Anglais/classement_en.html
Classification of Musical Instruments (Espie Estrella)
http://musiced.about.com/od/musicinstruments/a/musicinstrument.htm
Taxonomy of Musical Instruments (Henry Doktorski)
http://www.ksanti.net/free-reed/description/taxonomy.html
HTML: Max User Guide
http://www.cycling74.com/docs/max5/vignettes/core/making_patches.html
Max 5 Help and Documentation
http://www.cycling74.com/docs/max5/vignettes/intro/docintro.html
Meaning In Music Gesture (Fernando Iazzetta)
http://www.eca.usp.br/prof/iazzetta/papers/gesture.htm
Sensor / Gesture Based Electronic Instruments (Open Sound Control.org)
http://opensoundcontrol.org/sensor-gesture-based-electronic-musical-instruments
Structure Mapping Resource.pdf – Technical guide for basic navigation in STRUCTURE
Structure Plug-in Guide.pdf [2.3MB]
Excerpts from The Sampling Book.pdf – by Steve De Furia & Joe Scacciaferro
Pro Tools Reference Guide – Can be found in Pro Tools Session >> HELP menu >> Pro Tools
Reference Guide [26.7MB]
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