COSC 4P98 Topics in Computer Media and Digital Audio

Course Information // Software // Interesting Links // Student Work

In the news...

• Listen to music through sense of touch (TechXplore)
• Using AI to compress audio files.(Facebook)
• cables.gl update(CDM): free VR/graphics/audio environment.
• Free GPU-based audio processing software (Synthtopia)
• AI matches drums to music (TechXplore)
• How to make an iOS music app in 100 lines of code (CDM). Done with Audiokit Pro
• Acid Hit generates 30-second 303 tunes in your browser (CDM)
• Free sample mangling app (CDM)
• Portable inexpensive USB/MIDI interface (CDM)
• Hardware for audio processing (Synthtopia)
• Restoring lossy audio compression via neural networks (techxplore)
• Live coding (CDM)
• New MIDI specification for MIDI Polyphonic Expression (Synthtopia)
• Using AI to make tools for musicians (CDM)
• Playing music with 100 cars (CDM)
• Automatica - robots play instruments (Synthtopia)
• How A.I. is creating building blocks to reshape music and art (NY Times)
• Evolve Synth Patches with Rasp Pi (Synthtopia)
• Neural Audio Synthesis with Google (Synthtopia).
• Using Neural Nets to Create new Musical Sounds (Wired). Project web site (Magenta)
• Howler Monkey (video with music/3D landscape generation)
• Classic paintings transformed into music (Gizmodo)
• A system that absorbs 99.7% of sounds (Science Alert)
• Fourier and Napoleon (Wired)
• Computer hackers unleash new generation of cool and bizarre instruments (CNN)
• Emily Howell (AI composition)
• Synthesizing Sound and Image (Create Digital Motion)
• FRACT: an electronic music game (Create Digital Music)
• Control a giant modular synth via a web interface (Wired)
• Robot Quadrotors Perform James Bond Theme (Youtube)
• Turn any surface into a musical instrument (Create Digital Music).
• Download a Unique Album (Create Digital Music). Wikipedia article on generative music.
• The CCC-Pad (Synthtopia). More here.
• Draw what you want to hear (Wired)
• Why Lady Gaga Could Deploy a Sound Only Your Smartphone Can Hear (Wired)
• 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)
• Whisper the Sounds of Silence : Lower-case music!
• Programming tool makes bugs sing
• Toying with musical instruments

Algorithmic composition

• Neural Network Composes Bach (Hackaday)
• AI Soundscape (Adafruit)
• Algorithmic Composition @ wikipedia
• Computer Music @ wikipedia
• FractMus
• Live Coding @ wikipedia. Example concert.
• Real DJs Code Live (Wired). Here is an example.

Examples of MIDI control surfaces and other instrument UI's

• Midi blaster: Light beam controller. (Similar to old Roland V-synth's D-beam) (Synthtopia)
• Equis expressive isomorphic controller (Synthtopia). More information on isomorphic keyboards.
• iRing: $25, motion controller for iOS devices
• AXIS-64 controller
• Roland Accordions w. MIDI
• Akai EWI wind controllers
• Starr Labs : guitar and other wacky controllers ($2500+)
• Slim Continuum fingerboard: $6000 US
• Example of dials with digital display (Behringer BCR2000): solves problem of when memorized settings do not correspond to physical orientation of dials
• NI Maschine Studio, Interface to sampling/beat software ($1000)
• Wacom Tablet!: X, Y, and pressure! Here's another video
• Or use a Kinect!

Even more cutting edge interfaces, etc.

• Motion capture drums (Synthtopia)
• Acupuncture interface(?) (Synthtopia)
• Touch screen studio? (Youtube)
• Yamaha Tenori-On and video of it as a controller
• Ensemble Robot
• Reactable and Video.
• Percussa audiocubes, video, and another video.
• Jello
• Optical turntables
• Tangible musical interfaces
• Dodecaudion Spatial Multimedia Controller

Cool hardware

• Video synth modules: Some integrate with audio and MIDI. Here are more examples at LZX Industries. You can also do it virtually (cheaper, and more powerful?).
• Microgranny: portable granular synthesizer
• Zoom R12: inexpensive portable 8-track recorder (builtin synth too)
• The Organelle: computer keyboard that runs Pure Data patches.
• : digital synth, fully computer integrated
• M-Audio: good quality, reasonably priced hardware
• Edirol: also good hardware
• Roland
• Korg
• Doepfer: Analog synth modules.

Creative inspiration

• 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers by Dennis DeSantis (book). Free PDF version.
• 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 (some made with Ikea salad bowls!): here, here here history,
• Freesound Project: tonnages of free samples!
• SampleSwap.org: yet more free samples!
• Synthtopia: electronic music news
• Analoguehaven: excellent synth store!
• Moog Audio (Montreal). A "Toys R Us" for electronic musicians.
• Audio Spotlight
• MP3 Tech
• Animusic

Graduate schools in new media

• School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) (Simon Fraser University)
• Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT) (McGill University)
• Some links to schools in the USA

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COSC 4P98: Course Information // Software // Interesting Links // Student Work

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