2022-Spring

Musique concrète project

must be 2-4min (no less than 2min; no more than 4min)

The order of composing listed below is based on the Six I's of Composing

  1. idea = record sounds, record lots of sounds you find compelling all over the place = around campus, in your apartment, in H-E-B, in a restaurant, at the Zoo, etc. (future projects will allow for using sounds recorded by others and use synthesized sounds ... but this assignment is limited sounds *you* recorded after Feb.10@3pm

  2. improvise = manipulate the sounds using various audio software (begin with FX plugins in your DAW and move on to other DAWs, Soundgrain, Cecilia, Max, Pure Data, Csound, Blue, SPEAR, SoundHack, etc.). You can use plugins and other software to manipulate audio in many ways including (but not limited to): frequency (EQ), time (delay, granulator), amplitude (volume level changes), spatialization (stereo, etc.).

  3. infrastructure = put all your sounds in order in a DAW of your choice not worrying too much about transitions at this point (you will work on transitions in the next step: "inscription")

    • create a drafted a plan (form, concept, idea, trajectory, etc.) on paper that will help you organize your sounds into a meaningful, deliberate work of music; share the plan with the class when you complete the piece

  4. "inscription" = fill in all transitions, orchestrate sounds by layering on more sounds (shaping the timbre), use automation to smooth out horizontal trajectory

  5. inspection = listen to the completed project at least five times. Take note of where something sounds too long (gets boring), should last longer (because it is so great!), gets too loud or too soft, foreground sounds get covered up by background sounds, lacks frequency range interest, etc. Make changes accordingly.

  6. export it all as a 2-channel lossless audio file (.AIFF, .WAV, etc.)

Resources

PreviousMaxNextSynthesis project

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