CUST 3143H fall 2015 Syllabus - text-only copy:
Cultural Studies
Trent University
CUST 3143H: Workshop in Computer Media Audio Production 2015 Fall Term, Peterborough
Instructors:
Thomas Hughes
Michael Morse Trent Email:
thomashughes@trentu.ca
mmorse@trentu.ca Telephone:
748-1771
Campus: Peterborough Office Location: Office Hours: TBA
Department Admin: Rosemary Devlin Email: cultstudies@trentu.ca
Office Location: TC SH 202 Telephone: 705-748-1011 ext 1771
Course Description:
A workshop and critical introduction to software-based music production and recording. The course aims to explore issues in contemporary music media through the direct practice of learning to create and produce music with computer software, and ongoing discussion of the processes involved. We will rely on texts and online material, and above all on shared in-class work and “comparing notes”–in both senses of “notes”! In the process, we will explore the media critically through class discussion. What are the musical and social assumptions of music software? For whom is it designed, and how? What kinds of obstacles, musical and technological, are involved in learning to use these softwares? What kind(s) of role does software-generated music play in contemporary musical culture? What kinds of product can it generate? What are its strengths and limitations?
The typical format for the class will include: presentation of lecture material as needed, usually brief and oriented to working concepts (see Week-by-Week Schedule); software use instruction & feedback on previous work; discussion of practical problems; advice and mutual criticism of ongoing projects and experiments. At least 45 minutes of every class will be free time for students to apply, develop, and experiment with the techniques and concepts of electronic music, with instructors on hand to help. Learning components will include online seminar and instruction material, in part replacing, in part supplementing in class work. Reading and written work requirements are relatively modest; but students are expected to spend at least three hours each week practising software use, experimenting with the possibilities, getting control of the basic terminology, participating in the course blog, and preparing for classroom discussion. The primary course aims all require developing as good a working knowledge of the software as possible.
No previous training in music making is required. Music and song writing abilities will be developed in conjunction with using DAW [digital audio workstation] (Reaper), and sound editing (Audacity) software. Training in these programs will be explicitly aimed toward cross-platform learning, the eventual ability to use similar programs and softwares. At the same time, the class is designed to encourage as rich a dialogue as possible between different kinds of practice, expertise, and perspective. The goal of the course is to help all concerned learn equally by doing and discussing, developing their own perspectives on broad issues of technological and media understanding through the case of creative music software practice.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: Cultural Studies 1000Y, Cultural Studies 2045Y, or permission of the course directors
COURSE FEE: none; however, see below:
Required (and Recommended) Hardware & Equipment
Required:
- regular access to a dedicated music computer with a decent soundcard and decent speakers
- a decent microphone
- a laptop computer with Reaper and other course-related software installed, to bring to class
OR
- a zip drive to bring work to class
- decent headphones/speakers
- access to midi-capable musical instrument or keyboard
{ The usefulness and importance of these items is explained in Home Recording for Beginners.]
Total Cost Scenarios:
Software: Reaper $0 Reaper program $0 - 60
Hardware: REQUIRED: microphone: $50 - 100
sound card: $100 - 150
(Subtotals) [$150 - 310]
RECOMMENDED: headphones: $60 - 80
midi controller: $60 - 100
Total: $270 - 490
Required (and Recommended) Software Programs:
name cost description download links
Reaper (required) free/$60 Digital audio workstation http://www.reaper.fm/
Looperman (required) free huge supply of free loops http://www.looperman.com/loops
Audacity (required) Share-ware Multi-track audio editor and recorder http://audacity.sourceforge.net
Wavosaur (alternate recommendation) Share-ware alternate Wave editor, if installing Audacity is against your religion www.wavosaur.com
NotePad (optional) free music notation program http://www.finalemusic.com/products/finale-notepad/resources/
Required Texts:
- Home Recording for Beginners, Geoffrey Francis, available at the book store
- Up and Running: A REAPER User Guide v 4.76 [see “Reaper Documentation” link below]
- Course-related links and websites, including Dropbox, private YouTube channels
Course Related Websites:
- Course Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/home/CUST%203143H%20Electronic%20Music%20Production
- Course Blog: http://cust3143.blogspot.ca/
- Reaper Documentation:
http://wiki.cockos.com/wiki/index.php/Reaper_Documentation
Very useful links to help files and guides, mostly .pdf
- YouTube intro to Reaper use:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw969vFZaLg
- YouTube How-Tos and Guides for Reaper [warning: some use out of date versions of the software]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxpqbsiVVuM&list=PLdLxR5oWtKJe2RVGHE4xkB1_FqvWAQYa6
Course Format:
Type Day Time Location
3 hour workshop/seminar F 10-12:50 SH 105
(Please check www.trentu.ca/timetable/ to confirm times and locations.)
Course Evaluation:
Type of Assignment Weighting Due Date
2 creative projects 2 x 10% Oct 9th, Nov 13th
2 diagnostic exercises 2 x 5% Sept 18th, Nov 6th
Course Blog 20% [3 x 3%:]
[1 x 5%:]
[1 x 6%:] Sept 18th, Oct 2nd, Nov 3rd
Nov 13th
Dec 15th
Final Project 30% Dec 4
Attendance and Participation 20%
Creative projects involve assigned, problem-solving tasks in the use of music software. As the course
progresses, the degree of creative freedom for these projects will expand accordingly.
Diagnostic exercises involve analysing and exploring particular problems with music software creation.
The Course Blog http://cust3143.blogspot.ca/ will be used for announcements and sharing certain kinds of materials; audio materials will be found on the course Dropbox site: https://www.dropbox.com/home/CUST%203143H%20Electronic%20Music%20Production
Questions will be raised in class and posted to the class blog about different kinds of practical and theoretical problems, such as clarifying concepts, refining Reaper software techniques, formulating issues of musical form and aesthetics. Posting samples of student work and musical examples is encouraged. [NB: see copyright notice, page 4]
Students will need to sign up for and create a blog for the written portion of the course. This can be done at blogger.com, wordpress.com, blog.com, weebly.com, or any other blog site you may prefer, including the course blog. Please note that, if you have privacy concerns, you are not required to share your blog with the other students or use your real name on your blog. However, you will be required to submit your real name and blog address to us for assessment purposes.
Students should post thoughts, experiences, questions, problems, and suggestions in at least five weeks of the course. Contributions should be in the vicinity of a page, 200-400 words, for the first three; 500-800 words for the fourth; and 800-1,000 words for the fifth.
If outside sources or ideas are used, please make this clear through proper citation. Blog contributions will be evaluated as a folio, on relevance, coherence, and engagement. (“Saying something meaningless for the mark” is not acceptable.) Two of the blog entries, due on the Tuesday after weeks 7 and 9, are “free form”; students can write about whatever is on their mind, with creative reflection warmly encouraged. [Note that the last two blog entries are somewhat longer, and worth more of the final mark]
The final project will be a finished piece (or suite of pieces) of original music. By arrangement with the instructors, students may work on this project with a partner, with the expectation that the result will be correspondingly more developed.
By their very nature, the creative possibilities of electronic media are not set in stone, and evolve through the ongoing activities of active users. Attendance and participation involve active teamwork and sharing of skill development ideas, as well as critical and self-critical discussion of progress and conception. Thus the participation component is higher than usual in the evaluation, and somewhat wider in scope. A reminder that we will always take previous experience, or lack of it, into account. “Participation” means that students are expected to make the same effort, not to produce cookie cutter identical “results.”
Important practical Notes:
1. Home Recording for Beginners is an excellent text, a useful, clear introduction to electronic music practice. It is coordinated with Reaper, BUT: it refers to an outdated version of the software. The discrepancies are minor, and it should be obvious in most cases what the newer version’s equivalent screen image or keystrokes are. (Wherever it isn’t, please let us know on the blog right away!) Any substantial differences will be addressed in class as we go through the book and work with Reaper. The Reaper Guide is also helpful for clearing up confusions.
2. Please be extremely careful about uploading and sharing copyrighted material. We would like to
keep the course arrest record at a comfortable “zero.” If you need to cite a particular passage from a popular song, edit the passage you’re interested in, making sure the excerpt is no more than 4 bars, about 8-10 seconds. We will be using private YouTube channels as well as Dropbox and the course blog to share music and project ideas.
CUST 3143H: Workshop in Computer Media Audio Production
2015 Fall Term
Week Topics Seminar Goals Assignments
Week 1
Sept 11 Introduction and overview
Preparation
Introductory Lecture: music and electronic music;history of electronic music Acquire Reaper software, install and begin exploring
Parts of a modern DAW
make sure you have submitted the Student Questionnaire
make sure you have been invited to join the course Dropbox link (by sending an email to mwmorse@bell.net)
make sure you visit the course blog
Week 2
Sept 18 Lecture: brief introduction to sequencer software/ DAWs Why use digital?
Hardware and software
PC/Mac vs Dedicated solutions. USB sound cards. Cut Copy Paste
due today: Diagnostic Assignment #1 (Compile short piece using 4 loops provided on course Dropbox)
due next Tuesday: Blog post #1
Week 3
Sept 25 Lecture: Elements of songwriting; melody, harmony, rhythmic style, accompaniment,
form, style/genre, structure Changing keys, pitch
Installing effects and plugins
Inserting track effects
Week 4
Oct 2 Electromagnetism.
The technology of the microphone
Audio drivers. Sound sources Advanced audio drivers
Recording live instruments/microphones due next Tuesday: Blog post #2
Week 5
Oct 9 Lecture: MIDI, sequencing then and now. Controllers
The bottom line Virtual Instruments
Piano Roll
Information not sound due today: Creative Assignment #1
Week 6
Oct 16 Lecture: Drums
Acoustic vs. electronic
Percussion
Music styles vs. choices Composing drum parts from loops and midi files
Percussion
Week 7 Reading Week Reading Week due next Tuesday: Blog post #3 (Free form)
Week 8
Nov 6 Preparing for your final project Ensemble Assignment #3 due today: Diagnostic Assignment #2:
Week 9
Nov 13 Lecture: The final mix. Exploring different mixing styles for different audiences/environments Mixdown, rendering, mixdown effects, compression, limiting. due today: Creative Assignment #2 (piece integrating drums/percussion [groove])
due next Tuesday: Blog post #4 (Free form)
Week 10
Nov 20 Copyright issues. Sampling,
Samplers, How has sampling changed the musical landscape and business, piracy. Final Project help, brainstorming, technical issue solving.
Week 11
Nov 27 Formats - LP/Web/CD
Final Project help, brainstorming, technical issue solving.
Dec 4 Final Project discussion Final Project / Blog post #5
Weekly schedule: detail:
Week 1 - September 11
Introduction and overview
Preparation - establishing experience levels, interests and goals, available equipment
Introductory Lecture: music and electronic music; the computer as a means of music
production; aesthetic and social values; computer-generated music and popular music forms; music examples for discussion:
Introductory Software demonstration [see Required Software]
Assignments for next week:
- If you haven’t already, acquire Reaper software, install and begin exploring
- download the Reaper Documentation [see Course Related Websites]
- read Home Recording for Beginners [HRB] Chapter 1, beginning of chapter 2 pages 1-30; skim the rest
- read Up and Running: A REAPER User Guide v 4.76 [Guide] chapter 6.2-6.24
- compile a short piece on Reaper using the 4 loops provided on the blog & course Dropbox
Week 2 - September 18
Discussion: results and experiences of initial software exploration; questions/technical issues
Lecture: brief introduction to sequencer software/DAWs
Assignments due today: Diagnostic Assignment #1 (Compile a short piece with Reaper using
the four loops provided on the course Dropbox)
Assignments due next Tuesday: Blog post #1
Assignments for next week:
- read HRB Days 3-6, pages 30-54
- read Guide 2.12-2.14 (optional: all of 2.1-2.16)
- If you haven’t already received an invitation to join ths Dropbox group, write an email to
Tom or Michael right away!
- open All Through the Night.RPP [on Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/home/CUST%203143H%20Electronic%20Music%20Production
and explore it on Reaper
- visit and explore Looperman [see Course Related Websites]
Week 3 - September 25
Discussion: results and experiences of software exploration; questions and technical issues
Lecture: Elements of song writing; melody, harmony, rhythmic style, accompaniment,
form, style/genre, structure
Supplementary Reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_music#Popular_dance_music
Assignments for next week:
- read HRB Days 7-10, pages 55-68
- read Guide 3.5-3.10, 3.38-3.40 (and 23.1 if you have trouble)
- if possible, find a good example of electronic popular music and bring to next class
- perform some of the modifications to All Through the Night.RPP suggested in HRB;
experiment!
Week 4 - October 2
Discussion: results and experiences of software exploration; questions and technical issues
Lecture/Demonstration: electromagnetism, microphone technology, audio drivers, sound sources
Assignments for next week:
Due next Tuesday: Blog post #2
- read HRB Days 11-15, pages 69-86
- read Guide 3.26-3.40, (optional 12.1-12.17)
- bring All Through the Night experiments to class for discussion
- begin creative project 1: create an original track by modifying and adding new tracks to
All Through the Night.RPP, using loops [see selection available on course Dropbox, and
elsewhere on the web]
Week 5 - October 9
Discussion: results and experiences of software exploration; questions and technical issues
Lecture/Demonstration: MIDI; sequencing & sequencers; controllers; virtual instruments
Due this week: creative assignment #1
Assignments for next week:
- read HRB Days 16-20, pages 86-102
Week 6 - October 16
Discussion: initial project outcomes; critical discussion of software applications; final project
brainstorming; sound ideals of various musical styles and genres
Lecture/Demonstration: Drums - acoustic & electronic, instruments, grooves, styles, choices
Assignments for week after next:
- read HRB Days 21-26, pages 103-117
Week 7 - October 25 -31
Reading Week
Lecture-Demonstration: single malt selection in finer Peterborough establishments
Due next Tuesday: Blog Post # 3 (free form)
Week 8 - November 6
Discussion: results and experiences of software exploration; questions and technical issues;
preparing a final project
Lecture: Recording & editing processes: aims, aesthetics, histories, technologies
- Due today: diagnostic assignment #2
Assignments for next week:
- read HRB Days 27-30, pages 119-133; skim/browse pages 134-202, noting any useful info
[these pages are mostly for reference]
- read Guide chapter 10
Week 9 - November 13
Discussion: results and experiences of software exploration, questions and technical issues
Lecture/Demonstration: The final Mix: exploring mixing styles for different audiences
and environments; examples from popular music literature
Due this week: creative assignment #2
Assignments for next week:
- Work on Final Project
Week 10 - November 20
Discussion: general comparative discussion of projects; brainstorm final project ideas
Lecture: Copyright Issues; sampling, samplers; how sampling (and piracy) have changed the
musical landscape and the music business
Demonstration: Audacity; editing software techniques; integrating and combining software
Assignments for next week:
- skim HRB Chapter 5, pages 203-211; read Appendix: Glossary carefully, pages 211-218,
making sure you understand all these terms clearly; bring questions to class week 1.
- Install and explore Audacity [see Required Software Programs]; use Audacity to edit
and remix creative project 1, your modifications to All Through the Night.RPP
- Work on Final Project
Week 11 - November 27
Discussion: progress report & general comparative discussion of projects; problem solving,
reports on software issues
Lecture: Formats, LP/Web/CD; musical form and substance; ethics and aesthetics
Assignments for next week:
- read relevant passages in the Reaper User Guide for your project
- Work on Final Project
Week 12 - December 4th:
Discussion: presentation & critical discussion of final projects
- final project due
- Blog post #5 reflections on the final project (and the course) due December 15th
Learning Outcomes/Objectives/Goals/Expectations:
We cannot predict the future, and so cannot foretell what you will or will not learn. This will vary with a great many factors, most of them unknowable. Among the ones we do know, all of us, is that effort and commitment are paramount. Passive learning, sitting back and going through the motions of absorbing information, is a lousy excuse for learning in any case. This is a workshop course, which increases the demand for involvement considerably. You cannot learn except by doing; if attendance and course work are whims that depend on your mood, this is not the course for you.
We have developed the course to address several learning potentials. By the end of the course a successful, moderately sober student should:
Be familiar with basic concepts of computer music software.
Have practical experience with same.
Become depressed by the morality of computer music.
Have acquired some basic song writing and musical composing skills.
Have completed several creative computer music projects.
Have an introductory exposure to the arid foolishness of cultural “results” quantification.
Have learned to cheer the team of their choice at the World Cup in their own language.
Department and/or Course Policies:
All assignments except the final project have a one week grace period. Cellphones must be turned off or thrown into the Otonabee River. Since note taking is largely superfluous, laptops may only be used for in-class musical practice. Social media use is explicitly prohibited. Anyone caught texting will be obliged to set the words to music in the style of Lil Wayne and perform it for the class.
University Policies
Academic Integrity:
Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic offence and carries penalties varying from failure on an assignment to expulsion from the University. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set out in Trent University’s Academic Integrity Policy. You have a responsibility to educate yourself – unfamiliarity with the policy is not an excuse. You are strongly encouraged to visit Trent’s Academic Integrity website to learn more: www.trentu.ca/academicintegrity.
Access to Instruction:
It is Trent University's intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a student has a disability and/or health consideration and feels that he/she may need accommodations to succeed in this course, the student should contact the Student Accessibility Services Office (SAS), (BH Suite 132, 705-748-1281 or email accessibilityservices@trentu.ca). For Trent University - Oshawa Student Accessibility Services Office contact 905-435-5102 ext. 5024 or email nancyhempel@trentu.ca . Complete text can be found under Access to Instruction in the Academic Calendar.
Clickers (Personal Response Systems): (to be included where applicable)
As clicker records are not used in this course to compute a portion of course grades, the use of a clicker other than your own is a grotesque irrelevance. All clicker sales must include a 30% cut for the course instructors. In lecture or tutorial, possession & sale of more than one clicker, or that of another student, is clear evidence of intent to waste your time, and may be interpreted as intent to commit an academic offense.
