gmus

MUS421
ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC COMPOSITION

Spring 2018 — Tuesdays 8–10:45 AM

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ANNOUNCEMENTS!
COURSE BLOG: mus421.tumblr.com
Date links to class notes. Listening links below course schedule.
Reaper overview (work in progress)

Complete your course evaluation here by May 1.

MAY 4 at 5 pm — Final WAV bounce of your piece due
(as well as zip of entire folder so I can see your session)

MAY 6 at 6 pm — Final performance at New Music Festival (in C100)
Sound check at 2 pm Fixed media pieces go first, pieces with live performer go after
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COURSE SCHEDULE

APR 24 — Final presentations in class: ALL
will present their final mix! — 9 am start time

APR 17 — Presentations: Jared, Katherine, Jon, Tom, Calder

APR 10 — Presentations: Jay, Nick, Ryan, Ian

APR 3 — Presentations: Jared, Katherine, Jon, Tom, Calder

MAR 27Presentations: Jay, Nick, Ryan, Ian

MAR 20QUIZ 3 and Presentations
Read: Jordà, “Interactivity and Live Computer Music” and Essl, “Algorithmic Composition”
Listen: Benjamin Broening – Arioso/Doubles (2003); Laetitia Sonami – Lady's Glove (2012); Doug Geers – Turnstile (1999); Victor Gama – SOL(t)O (2007)


MAR 13 — SPRING BREAK

MAR 6
— LAB 4 due + Final Project Proposal due (QUIZ 3 postponed to 3/20)

Read: Serafin, “Computer Generation and Manipulation of Sounds” • Listen: Wendy Carlos – Switched-On Bach (1968), Laurie Spiegel – Appalachian Grove (1974), Herbie Hancock – Rockit (1983), Frank Zappa – Worms from Hell (1987)
How to create a sidechain gate

FEB 27 — LAB 3 due + QUIZ 2 — SYNTHESIS / MODULATION / FILTERING
Homework: Complete Lab 4 • Read: Wang, “A History of Programming and Music” and Owsinski, Chapter 9
• Listen: Max Mathews – Daisy Bell (1961); Delia Derbyshire – Dr. Who Theme (1963) and Pot au Feu (1968); Jonathan Harvey – Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco (1980), Paul Lansky – Notjustmoreidlechatter (1988)

Short video re: ring modulation

FEB 20 — LAB 2 due + QUIZ 1 — MUSIQUE CONCRÈTE – RECORDING / MICROPHONES – SPACE / PANNING
Elements of Music
Intro to Microphones
Miking Techniques

Homework:
Complete Lab 3 • Read: Collins, “Live Electronic Music” and Owsinski, Chapter 7 (review chapter 8, pg. 90–92 modulation) • Listen: Karlheinz Stockhausen – Gesang der Jünglinge (1956), Milton Babbitt – Philomel (1964), Pauline Oliveros – Bye Bye Butterfly (1965), Steve Reich – Violin Phase (1967), Alvin Lucier – I Am Sitting in a Room (1969), Eliane Radigue – L’ile resonante (2011)

FEB 13 — LAB 1 due — BEGINNINGS / DUBBING / TIME COMPRESSION+EXPANSION / REVERSE
Homework: Complete Lab 2 • Read: Schedel, “Electronic Music and the Studio” from Cambridge Companion... and Owsinski, Ch. 6 and 8 • Listen: Pierre Schaeffer – Étude de Chemins de Fer (1948), Cage – Williams Mix (1952), Otto Luening – Low Speed (1952), Vladimir Ussachevsky – Sonic Contours (1952), Edgar Varèse – Poème électronique (1958)

JAN 30 (now FEB 6 due to snow day) — LISTENING + DISCUSSION + START LAB 1 (due 2/13)
Homework: Complete Lab 1 • Read: Owsinski, Chapters 2 and 4 and Hugill, “The Origins of Electronic Music” from Cambridge Companion…• Listen (scroll down for links): Clara Rockmore – The Swan; Olivier Messiaen – Feuillets inedits; Thomas Bloch – Formule (1995), Les Paul & Mary Ford – How High the Moon (1951)

JAN 23 — SYLLABUS + INTRODUCTIONS + BASICS OF SOUND EDITING
Homework: Post a recording to the blog above and write a short paragraph or two describing interesting points about the production/composition of the work. Any kind of music is fine as long as you're listening for the details. Briefly introduce the piece to the class so they know what to listen for, play all or part of the recording as time allows, and lead a brief discussion next class. • Familiarize yourself with Reaper (and Audacity for one-off destructive editing) Read Toviainan "The Psychology of Electronic Music" and Owsinski Chapter 11 "Clean Up"
violin sample

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COURSE RESOURCES

Syllabus (PDF)
— updated 2/5/18
Textbook: Collins, Nick, ed. The Cambridge companion to electronic music. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2013.
Presentation schedule (PDF)
REAPER Videos
REAPER Keyboard Shortcuts (PDF)
More REAPER Keyboard Shortcuts (PDF)
REAPER User Guide (PDF)
F102 Computer Lab
Indiana University's informative electronic music page

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LISTENING


MAR 27
Benjamin Broening – Arioso/Doubles (2003)
Laetitia Sonami – Lady's Glove
Doug Geers – Turnstile (1999)
Victor Gama – Sol(t)o (2007)

MAR 20
Wendy Carlos – Switched-On Bach (1968)
Laurie Spiegel – Appalachian Grove (1974)
Herbie Hancock – Rockit (1983)
Frank Zappa – Worms from Hell (1987)

MAR 6
Max Mathews – Daisy Bell (1961)
Delia Derbyshire — Dr. Who Theme (1963) + Pot au Feu (1968)
Jonathan Harvey – Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco (1980)
Paul Lansky – notjustmoretidlechatter (1988)

FEB 27
Karlheinz Stockhausen – Gesang der Jünglinge (1956)
Milton Babbitt – Philomel (1964)
Pauline Oliveros – Bye Bye Butterfly (1965)
Steve Reich – Violin Phase (1967)
Alvin Lucier – I Am Sitting in a Room (1969)
Eliane Radigue – L'Ile Resonant (2011)
Dan Tepfer's Pitch / Rhythm Duality website

FEB 20

Pierre Schaeffer – Étude de Chemins de Fer (1948)
John Cage – Williams Mix (1952)
Vladimir Ussachevsky – Sonic Contours (1952)
Otto Luening – Low Speed (1952)
Edgard Varèse – Poème électronique (1958)
•Examples of panning are much better demonstrated on heaphones: Riley and Matmos–Reconstruction

FEB 13

Clara Rockmore – Camille Saint-Saëns's The Swan
Olivier Messiaen – Feuillets inedits, IV. Lent (published posthumously 2001)
Thomas Bloch – Formule (1995)
Les Paul and Mary Ford – How High the Moon (1951)

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Audio Resources
– always give credit when due / cite your sources
Lab 1 sound set
Freesound
Macaulay Library (Animal Sounds)
(be sure to write down this information for each sample you download)
Bolder Sounds
MetaRecorder (app)
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Software

Reaper
SPEAR (Sinusoidal Partial Editing Analysis and Resynthesis)
SOUNDHACK (Free plug-ins and more)