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The Music of Sound: Strategies and Tools for Creating Music with Digital Audio

The Music of Sound: Strategies and Tools for Creating Music with Digital Audio. Dr. Daniel Hosken Assistant Professor of Music Technology California State University, Northridge. Presented at the CMEA/TI:ME Annual Meeting Pasadena, CA March 12, 2003. Contents. Motivation Why Not MIDI?

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The Music of Sound: Strategies and Tools for Creating Music with Digital Audio

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  1. The Music of Sound: Strategies and Tools for Creating Music with Digital Audio Dr. Daniel Hosken Assistant Professor of Music Technology California State University, Northridge Presented at the CMEA/TI:ME Annual Meeting Pasadena, CA March 12, 2003

  2. Contents • Motivation • Why Not MIDI? • Brief History of Sound Composing • Steps in a Sound Composition Project • Types of Sound Composition Projects • Software for Recording and Manipulating Digital Audio

  3. Motivation • Composition is a fundamental musical skill • Traditional methods require music literacy • Composing with sound is an alternative • Useful for future listeners and future musicians • Techniques are in wide use in popular music • Related techniques can be found in sound design for film, TV, and other media

  4. Why Not MIDI? • MIDI is note based • MIDI sequencers privilege bars/beats • MIDI obscures properties of sound • Easily accessible techniques privilege repetition and accretion over development

  5. History of Sound Composition • Limited editing in early recording media • 1930s: experiments with turntables • 1940s–50s: development of tape recording • Musique Concrète (Schaeffer in Paris) • Elektronische Musik (Stockhausen in Cologne) • Tape Music (Luening and Ussachevsky at Columbia) • 1950s: advent of computer music • 1960s: synthesizers • 1980s: MIDI, cheap synthesizers, PCs • 1990s: All in software, Interactivity, Multimedia

  6. Steps in a Sound Composition Project • Acquiring Sound • Libraries • Custom Recording • Synthesis • Creating a Plan • Choosing a Tool • Composing • Evaluation and Revision

  7. Types of Projects • Collage • Soundscape • Text Piece • Remix • Sound Design for Multimedia

  8. Collage • Record items in pocket or classroom • Perhaps use “like” sounds (e.g., paper sounds) • Strike, shake, rattle, drop, break the objects into mic • What are the properties of these sounds? • Pitch: high, medium, low • Loudness: loud, medium, soft • Timbre: descriptive terms (e.g., “bright, sharp”) • How might sounds be organized in time? • Rhythm: fast, slow and regular, irregular • Plan property “trajectories” to create phrases • How might phrases be organized (i.e., form)? • Introduce simple concepts such as ABA

  9. Collage Examples • Bajon’s Collage (Art Student) • Bajon’s Audio-Video • Devin’s Collage (Art Student) • Melanie’s Collage (Music Student) • Damon’s Collage (Music Student)

  10. Soundscape • Record a “Sound Walk” • Find a variety of environments • What are the characteristics of these environments? • Ringing vs. Dry • Natural sounds vs. Artificial sounds • “Compose” a new environment • Juxtapose different spaces and events • Use environments to create a narrative

  11. Text Piece • Record a reading of poetry or prose • Perhaps use different languages and reading styles • Manipulate and process the text • Changes of pitch/speed • Reordering of words or phonemes • Cut into unintelligible chunks of pure sound • Create a new reading or an abstract sound piece • Enhance existing meanings • Create new meanings • Organize pure sound as in collage

  12. Text Piece Examples • Dorothy’s Text Piece (Music Student) • Agnes’ Text Piece (Music Student) • Damon’s Text Piece (Music Student)

  13. Remix • Acquire sound • Use sound from CD • Record the band, orchestra, choir, etc. • Identify phrases and sections • Create a new version of the piece • Reorder phrases • Create new repetitions • Delete elements (perhaps just one beat!) • Cut into abstract sounds and treat as collage • Combine elements from different pieces

  14. Remix Examples • Jon’s Remix • Matt’s Remix

  15. Sound Design • Watch scenes from film/TV and identify elements • Dialog • Music • “Foley” and Sound Effects • Digitize or otherwise acquire a video clip without sound • “Spot” the video for foley and effects • Acquire sound • Custom Recordings • Libraries • Synthesizers • Manipulate sound and “Sync” sound to Digital Video

  16. Sound Design Examples • David’s “Whoosh-Slam” • Clay’s “Whoosh-Slam” • Clay’s Star Wars • John’s Star Wars

  17. Software for Digital Audio • Desired Features for Software • Mono or stereo recording • Multi-track (for layering sounds) • Cut, Copy, Paste • Effects: Pitch shift, time stretch, filters • $$ Software $$ • Most commercial sequencers (e.g., Cubase, Logic, Performer, Cakewalk, Sonar, Nuendo) • Free Software • Pro Tools Free (Fits Specs) • Sonicworx Artist Basic (Stereo Editor) • SoundHack (Sound Processor)

  18. A quick tour of Pro Tools Free • Edit Window View (modes, tools, track)

  19. PT Free Tour • Transport

  20. PT Free Tour • Mix Window

  21. PT Free Tour • “Plug-in” List

  22. PT Free Tour • Pitch Shift (example of “Plug-in”)

  23. PT Free Tour • Tools: grabber, I-beam, trimmer, fade

  24. PT Free Tour • Volume and Pan Edits

  25. Contact Info Email: dan.hosken@csun.edu Website: http://www.csun.edu/~dwh50750/

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