COLL 119 - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER MUSIC

INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION

Instructors: Paul Mayer & Zichao (Jack) Wang Office: N/AEmail: pmm3@rice.edu; zw16@rice.edu Office Hours: TBD

COURSE DESCRIPTIONEver wanted to turn that melody in your head into a real song? This course is designed to introduce students to the domain of computer music, focusing mainly on techniques to produce music using computers. Computers have become a source of inspiration for contemporary musicians, as they can use computers to alter and create novel sounds. Harnessing the awesome power of technology to synthesize patches, compose melodies, and mix tracks, students taking this course will leave the class with the ability to create music pieces of their own. Additionally, students will develop a newfound appreciation for music technology and music production, enhancing their creativity and becoming more technologically literate in the process.

During the first half of the semester, we focus on music theory and terminologies that will be frequently referred to throughout the course. Students will learn to recall terms such as pitch and frequency domain, as well as distinguish concepts such as amplitude and loudness. Optional readings that complement the lectures will be assigned weekly to help students understand. Once students are familiar with the theories and terminologies behind music production, the second half of the course will focus on skills needed to manipulate and create music. Assignments in the second half of the semester will include projects where students experiment with music signals with a freely available digital audio workstation (see Text and Materials section). No prior experience is necessary; all that is needed is simply a Windows or Macintosh laptop and a desire for students to learn and create their songs.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:Skill Based:

1. Develop confidence with technology, especially with regard to a Digital Audio Workstation.2. Explain how music is a form of communication and expression.

Content Based:3. Identify key element of a sound and be able to reconstruct these sounds in a synthesizer.4. Compose melody and harmony using scales and chord progressions.5. Understand when and how to apply audio effects such as compressors, equalizers, and reverb.

TEXTS AND MATERIALS A Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is required for this course. Please download OhmStudio before the second

week of class. We will use this DAW throughout this course. (Can be found at http://www.ohmstudio.com/) The following materials are recommended:

1. Snoman, Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys and Technologies, 3rd Edition. ISBN-13: 978-04158256412. MATLAB (Can be found at http://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab/)

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Course: COLL 119; CRN: 25351Term: Spring 2016

Room: RZR 205Class: Wednesday, 7:00 PM-7:59 PM

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADESThere are no exams or papers; however the course includes several projects where students will be given feedback on how they are applying what they learn in the classroom. All of the projects will be given a letter or numerical grade along with written feedback. Since everyone enters the course with different experiences, final grades will be determined based both on a weighted sum of the projects along with an evaluation of student’s effort and improvement. The projects are the most important part of the course; applying the theory developed in class makes it possible for students to write their own songs.

Participation (15%) Students are required to attend class and are encouraged to participate in class discussions. Students with more than two (2) unexcused absences will fail the course. See Absence policies.

Synthesis Project (25%) The goal of this assignment is to use the provided sound tracks and synthesize them in a virtual instrument to create new sounds.

Mixing Project (25%) The goal of this assignment is to balance the levels of all of the tracks and apply effects such as reverb, delay, and equalization so everything sounds cohesive.

Final Project (35%) The final project in this class is a single music composition that should be the culmination of everything learned. Students are free to use any patches or melodies they have created throughout the class to help them build their song.

Detailed instructions and grading rubrics will be released before the project deadlines.

GRADE POLICIES1. Minimum grade to pass the course. You have to earn at least 60% of the course in order to pass. No exceptions.2. Regrade. If you think you were graded unfairly, you have two weeks after your received grade to ask for a re-grade.

Please come to office hours or email either one of us with details of why you thought you were graded unfairly. Since music can be very subjective, all re-grades will be taken seriously, and students are encouraged to discuss comments on their projects with the instructors if they have any questions.

3. Late turn-in. Please turn in your assignments in time. They are designed to cost you no more than an hour to finish. That said:

a. No late turn-in is allowed for the final project. This means that after the deadline for the final project, you receive zero (0) credit.

b. For the synthesis project and the mixing project, you can turn in your work within four (4) days of the deadline (which is Sunday of the week) with 20% penalty. After that you receive zero (0) credit.

ABSENCE POLICIESStudents are required to attend class, and are allowed 2 (two) unexcused absences. Any student having more than two unexcused absences will fail the course. If you are unable to make a class period, please email either one of the instructors about your absence no later than 24 hours before the class, or it will be counted as an unexcused absence (save for emergencies).

RICE HONOR CODEIn this course, all students will be held to the standards of the Rice Honor Code, a code that you pledged to honor when you matriculated at this institution. If you are unfamiliar with the details of this code and how it is administered, you should consult the Honor System Handbook at http://honor.rice.edu/honor-system-handbook/. This handbook outlines the University's expectations for the integrity of your academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process.

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICESIf you have a documented disability or other condition that may affect academic performance you should: 1) make sure this documentation is on file with Disability Support Services (Allen Center, Room 111 / adarice@rice.edu / x5841) to determine the accommodations you need; and 2) talk with me to discuss your accommodation needs.

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SYLLABUS CHANGE POLICYThis syllabus is only a guide for the course and is subject to change with advanced notice.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1: (1/11/16)

Course Introduction & Logistics: Discussion of what a DAW is and other music production basics Students will install the provided software on their computers

Bring a laptop.

Week 2:(1/18/16)

Music Terminology: We will get into some basics of music production by talking about the

decibel scale, panning, and signal flow in a DAW. Students will be able to hear important parts of a sound, including

frequency and amplitude, and understand how these are described mathematically.

Course Survey Due

Install OhmStudio

Week 3:(1/25/16)

Introduction to Frequency Domain: Students will see (and hear) how different sounds can be represented

using a spectrogram and oscilloscope. We will discuss how any waveform can be constructed via a sum of

sinusoids (the basis of additive synthesis)

OhmStudio checklist

[optional] Read “The Digital Representation of Sound, Part One: Sound and Timbre”

Week 4:(2/1/16) Digital Representation of Music:

Explanation of Bit Rate and Sample Rate. Students will be able to hear the effects of aliasing and the Nyquist

frequency from sound demonstrations.

OhmStudio checklist

[optional] Read “The Digital Representation of Sound, Part Two:Playing by the Numbers”

Week 5:(2/8/16) Sound Design:

Live sound demonstration. We will describe the basic parts of a sound and how to reproduce

these on a synthesizer (ADSR, LFO, Waveforms, Filters).

OhmStudio checklist

[optional] Read “Science of Synthesis” article from Dance Music Manual

Week 6:(2/15/16) Dr. Pitkow Guest Lecture Synthesis Project Due

(25%)

Week 7:(2/22/16)

Effects (Delay, Reverb, Compression): Students will hear examples of each of the common effects used in

music production We will provide examples from popular songs of how these effects are

used.

[optional] Read “Compression” from Dance Music Manual

Week 8:(2/29/16) Spring Break: No Classes N/A

Week 9:(3/7/16)

Mixing: In this lecture, we will discuss the practical applications of the effects

discussed in Week 7. Students will learn how think about music production like a “director.”

[optional] Read “Mixing” from Dance Music Manual

Week 10:(3/14/16)

Mastering: Students will be exposed to some of the techniques used to give songs

a professional, polished sound, including multiband compression, limiters, and saturation.

Students will be given various audio demos in class and discuss which sound “good” and which sound “overcompressed.”

[optional] Read “The Loudness Wars” article.

Week 11:(3/21/16)

Song Arrangement: We will discuss constituent parts of a song (intro, chorus, verse), and

Mixing Project Due (25%)

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how genres use these in different ways. In groups, students will analyze a musical genre, coming up with a list

of arrangement conventions. They will present their findings to the class.

Week 12:(3/28/16) TI Guest Lecture N/A (Beeeeerrrrrr Biiiiike)

Week 13:(4/4/16)

Music Theory: Basic introduction to Music Theory, including Rhythm, Pitch, Scales,

and Chord Progressions Discussion on how music theory (intervals and chord progressions

specifically) relates to the idea of frequency ratios discussed in earlier classes.

[optional] Read “Music Theory” from Dance Music Manual

Week 14:(4/11/16)

History of Computer Music: Students will be able to identify iconic sounds in famous productions

and be able to reproduce them in a basic synthesizer. In pairs, students will be assigned a generator and will look for as

many examples of this generator in popular music as they can. They will choose one example that illustrates this generator the best and play it for the class.

N/A

Week 15:(4/18/16)

Final Project Presentation Students will share their final project with the class and receive peer

feedback.Final Project Due (35%)

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