COSC 4P98 Topics in Computer Media and Digital Audio

TA: Adrian Harrington

Examples of student work

VST Plugins	CSound	Projects
Ray Tracing (not covered after 2010)

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Course info

• Outline
• Project description
• Recommended text:
  • Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure Transnational College of LEX, Language Research Found., 1998. ISBN 0-9643504-0-8.
    : By far the most accessible introduction to Fourier analyses possible. It goes through every minute aspect of Fourier mathematics from the ground up.

• Assignment 1
  • Adobe Audition is available in J310.
  • Audio data for question 1 (or make your own).
  • wavtxt_tools.zip: by Robert Flack. TXT-format audio file tools for Linux. Also, wavtxt_tools-win32.rar binaries for Windows.
• Assignment 2
• Assignment 3
  • VST 2.4 libraries
  • Lib PNG to make skins for your VST plugin (from libpng.org)
  • Possibly useful for the assignment: midi2cs, csedit, lame, and razorlame.
  • How to write a song at Tweakheadz.

• Term test: Friday March 16 (during class)

• Seminar schedule.
• Some areas for seminar topics.

• Project
  • Deadline: 12:00 noon, Monday May 7, 2012. No lates!

• Lecture notes:
  • Amplitude and decibels
  • Discrete Fourier Transformation equations
  • Fourier Series and Discrete Fourier Transformation side-by-side
  • MIDI
  • Synthesis
  • Granular synthesis
  • Csound
  • Ableton
  • VST Programming
    • Examples

• Assignments and old tests.

• CSound: Windows system, Windows help, PDF manuals.
• Misc applications, VST info. (Brock access only)
• Misc wave files. (Brock access only)

Reading...

• COSC 4P98 Reserve List at library.
• Recommended reading.

Topics (time permitting):

• Fundamentals of digital audio
• Synthesis and sampling
• Digital signal processing
• Fourier transformations
• Computer Music and Midi
• Music and audio programming languages
  • CSound
  • Processing, Beads
  • Supercollider
• Commercial applications
  • VST plugin development
• Fractals and music
• Automated composition, AI
• Arduino and art installations
• ???

Online papers and pages

• Fourier Transformation and applications
  • Fourier and other tutorials
    : Papers, software, and examples of spectral morphing.
• Reverb/Echo/Delay by Scott Madigan.
• Csound
  • Introduction to Sound Design in Csound (R. Boulanger)
    : chapter 1 of The Csound Book.
  • Wave Terrain Synthesis
  • Other onine tutorials
• Automated composition
  • 1/f noise publications
• The Scientist and Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing
  :free PDF download of book. See Ch. 13 and 8 (and others) for Fourier discussions!

Misc demos

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Software environments

MIDI

• MIDI @ Wikipedia
• MIDI Manufacturers Assoc.
• MIDI specification

Csound resources

• Csound @ Wikipedia
• The Csound FrontPage
• cSounds.com
• CSound Editor

Processing

• Processing(programming language) @ Wikipedia
• Processing.org
• Beads (audio library for Processing)

SuperCollider

• SuperCollider @ Wikipedia
• SuperCollider @ Sourceforge
• SuperCollider community

Pure Data

• Pure Data @ Wikipedia
• Pure Data Portal

VST SDK resources

• VST resources (local copy)
• The Yvan Grabit Developer Resource: best place at Steinberg to get VST SDK stuff!
  • Good tutorials
• VSTGUI
• jVSTwRapper (Java wrapper for VST)
• VST Tutorial at asktoby.com
• How to make VST plugins in Visual Studio
• Synthmaker: graphical programming environment for VST plug-in development.
• KVR Audio: portal for VST apps.

Arduino

• Arduino @ Wikipedia
• Arduino homepage
• Get Arduino boards at: Robotshop, Amazon.com, Mouser Electronics, Make Magazine.
• More h/w at: Evil Mad Science.
• Two alternatives to Arduino: Netduino, Raspberry Pi.

Other music languages

• Nyquist: Music language.
• jMax:visual programming environment (Java based)
• CLM: Common Lisp Music
• OpenMusic:visual programming environment (Lisp based)

Programming libraries

Java:
• Java Sound API: audio and midi for Java
• Java Sound Resources: Large list of Java resources!

  C/C++:

• JUCE: C++ library which includes audio and graphics.
• SoX: C++ library for audio
• PortAudio: small audio library for C and C++
• TempAu: Lightweight audio library for C++
• libsndfile: C library for audio I/O
• Soundtouch: library for changing pitch and tempo of audio.

  Python:

• Audio with Python
• Python audio tools
• Tons of Python music resources

  C#:

• C# Midi Toolkit
• Bass Audio (C#)

  Images:

• Freeimage: easy-to-use image I/O library.
• libpng.org: PNG utilities

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Other links

Examples of MIDI control surfaces and other instrument UI's

• Lemur: $4000 (discontinued, thanks to iPad)
• Liine Lemur for iPad. Examples.
• M-Audio ProjectMix I/O: with motorized faders ($1600)
• Korg padKONTROL : for percussion ($230)
• AXIS-64 controller
• Roland FR-7 Accordion :
• Yamaha WX5 wind controller : $550
• Starr Labs : guitar and other wacky controllers ($2500+)
• PanKAT and other controllers
• Continuum Fingerboard: $5000 US
• Example of dials with digital display (Behringer BCR2000): solves problem of when memorized settings do not correspond to physical orientation of dials
• Eobody2: set up your own motion-sensitive MIDI interface ($700)
• Wacom Tablet!: X, Y, and pressure! Here's another video
• Or use a Kinect!

Even more cutting edge interfaces, etc.

• Touch screen studio? (Youtube)
• Yamaha Tenori-On and video of it as a controller
• lemurbots
• Ensemble Robot
• Reactable and Video. And iPad version!
• Percussa audiocubes, video, and another video.
• Tangible Drum Machine
• Jello
• Optical turntables
• Tangible musical interfaces

Cool hardware

• Open Synth : an open-architecture keyboard
• Access Virus: digital synth, fully computer integrated
• M-Audio: good quality, reasonably priced hardware
• Edirol: also good hardware
• Roland
• Korg
• Doepfer: Analog synth modules.

Commercial software

• peerSynthV Internet collaboration
• crusher-X granular synth
• Arturia: :softsynths based on old classic keyboards
• Native Instruments Reaktor: build your own virtual instruments
• Propellerheads Reason : a complete electronic soft-synth studio
• Steinberg: creators of Cubase and VST (Virtual Studio Instruments)
• Ableton: music software for studio and live composition
• UI Software's Metasynth: graphical music composition
• Melodyne: real-time pitch and time warping

Free tools

• Audacity: free wave editor for Mac, Windows, Linux
• Rosegarden: free sequencer for Linux
• Shortcircuit: free sampler
• QuickAudio: Another free wave editor
• Sound 2D Warper: free Windows apps that process and alter wave files; nice visualization front-ends
• The Music in the Numbers: another fractal music generator
• Winamp plugin developer: site and wiki
• Razorlame: Front-end for Lame, a MP3 encoder
• P22 Music Text Composition generator: turns text into MIDI.

Old vs New...

• Pictures of Moog modular synths: image 1, image 2, image 3, image 4
  versus... Arturia Moog Modular V
• Pics of a Yamaha CS-80: image 1, image 2, image 3
  versus... Arturia CS80 V
• If you want a real modular analog synth, check out: Doepfer synths; MOTM synths; and Synthesizers.com

In the News...

• Draw what you want to hear (Wired)
• Why Lady Gaga Could Deploy a Sound Only Your Smartphone Can Hear (Wired)
• 3D Music Performance (Create Digital Music)
• 3D Music Interface (and links to s/w tools) (Create Digital Music)
• Sound, the way the brain and the ear prefer to hear it (NY Times)
• Oldest recorded voices sing again (BBC)
• Drum playing robot (CNN)
• Body movement to create music (BBC)
• Interview with Liam Howlett from Prodigy on use of Reason 2.5 on their albums.
• Whisper the Sounds of Silence : Lower-case music!
• Soundless Concert Stirs the Emotions
• Programming tool makes bugs sing
• Toying with musical instruments

Creative inspiration

• Electronic Works 1 by Iannis Xenakis (pioneer in experimental music)
• Clicks & Cuts: vol 1-4; experimental minimalist music

Various links

• Canadian Electroacoustic Community
• International Computer Music Association
• Microsound.org
• Sound on Sound: some good technical articles
• CreateDigitalMusic.com
• Granular Synthesis Resource Site
• Tweakheadz: lots of home studio info
• Stanford Laptop Orchestra (image).
  Also, DIY hemispherical speakers (made with Ikea salad bowls!): here, here here history,
• Music algorithms
• Freesound Project: tonnages of free samples!
• SampleSwap.org: yet more free samples!
• Synthtopia: electronic music news
• Using AI to analyze music
• Analoguehaven: excellent synth store!
• Moog Audio: stores in Toronto and Montreal
• Saved by Technology: Toronto store
• Digital music conference list
• Audio Spotlight
• MP3 Tech
• Animusic

Graduate schools in new media

• School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) (Simon Fraser University)
• CIRMMT (McGill University)
• Some links to schools in the USA

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