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Course Title: Desktop Audio Production

Cogswell Polytechnical College

Digital Audio Technology

Spring 2009

 

 

 

General Course Information

 

Course Title: Desktop Audio Production

Instructor: Zack Ferris Phone: (415-305-7942)

e-mail address: funktofugue@gmail.com

Class schedule: Tuesday & Thursday 4:30-6:30PM

Credit: 2 semester hours (2,2)

Required text: Logic Pro 7 and Logic Express 7; Martin Sitter; ISBN 0-321-25614-x

Lab manual: Room: 224 (Sound Design Lab)

 

Course Description

 

Desktop Audio Production

 

Application of the principles, methods and essential tools of audio production in a desktop workstation environment. Topics include the seven basic elements of music (pitch, rhythm, timbre, texture, form, dynamics, spatialization), the methods and practices of MIDI sequencing and digital orchestration, elements of MIDI 1.0 Standard, Standard MIDI Files, fundamental concepts of digital audio, digital audio production techniques, audio file formats, effects processing and plug-ins, and basic concepts of soundtrack creation.

 

 

Objectives

 

1) Steps involved in how to sequence multi track

2) Steps involved with how to score to picture

3) Steps involved with how to build a good melody

4) How to thicken and orchestrate a track

5) How to make your computer not interrupt your creative work flow aka “Don’t stop the sequencer”

6) Fully understanding how to utilize how to incorporate the seven elements in composition

 

 

Requirements

 

Students must be able to navigate effectively  around logic. Students must meet deadlines. The work of a professional is meeting deadlines. Students must be able to understand how to add effect to a track. PLEASE bring headphones and Logic key to class. Allow ample time to sign out material.

 

 

Syllabus by week

 

Week Topic

 

 

 

 

I) Class Introduction to MIDI

  1. i. MAKING SOUND

    1. Active sensing

    2. How the computer talks to the keyboard

    3. CLASS EXERCISE

      1. TROUBLE SHOOT CLASS studio set up

      2. CLASS: I’ll set up a scenario

      3. Student has to figure out what is wrong with the station

      4. 6 stations

      5. CLASS: students come up with own troubleshoot for the other classmates

II)    Melody WRITING PITCH

  1. i.     Augmentation vs. diminuition

  2. ii.     Truncation

  3. iii.     Pedal tone

  4. iv.     Concept of Q/A

  5. v.     Sequence

  6. vi.     EXAMPLES

    1. Yellowjackets

      1. Sightseeing

    2. A remark you made

      1. Weather Report

III)   SPECIAL NOTES:

  1. i.     Clean up as you go

  2. ii.     Delete any unused audio or midi ‘

  3. iii.     FOCUS

IV)  CLASS: Melody writing

  1. i.     I play a melody

  2. ii.     Students come up with variation

  3. iii.

V)    Class Controllers

  1. i.     SOUND and MIDI

    1. Pitchbend/ modulation

      1. CLASS: Do a guitar solo on keyboard controller

        1. i.     Edit the solo

        2. ii.     Change midi to audio

    2. Mod Wheel

      1. Show details in the event list

    3. Volume ped

      1. Show details in the event list

    4. INTRODUCE RPNS

    5. Seven parameters

      1. After touch, control, patch, noteon note off, program change, cha pressure

    6. CLASS: make a collage of different cds at least 7 styles ADD your 6 melodies PITCH

      1. GOAL: smooth transitions

 

VI)  Class Parameter numbers

  1. SOUND AND MIDI

  2. REVIEW

  3. Volume 7; Pan 11 …

  4. Giving examples and showing the map

  5. CLASS: sequence

    1. Event list

      1. i.     Different parameters

VII)RHYTHM/ TEXTURE

  1. i.     Concept

    1. Quarter note, eighth note,

    2. Triplet

    3. Rest

      1. Quarter

      2. Eighth

    4. CLASS: work with arpeggiator using quarter, sixteenth,

    5. CLASS: sequence in

      1. 6/8

        1. i.     VOCAL

      2. clave w/ montuno

      3. ODD meter

VIII)                 NOTATION

  1. i. PITCH

    1. Clefs

    2. Lines vs. spaces

      1. Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

      2. FACE

    3. CLASS: use step record melody then transpose to new key. TURN into audio

    4. 4. Transformer

      1. CLASS: Experiment using different areas of transformer TEXTURE

        1. i.     Changing octave

        2. ii.     CLASS: come up with most interesting use

      2. CLASS: work with modes

      3. ​

    5. ​

IX) TIMBRE

  1. i. Audio Units

    1. 1. SOUND AND MIDI

    2. 2. Patches

      1. a. Pianos, drums, guitars, horns

    3. Automating them with controller

    4. 4. SYNTHESIS

    5. Learning how to synthesize FM 8

      1. Attack

      2. Decay

      3. Sustain

      4. Release

    6. CLASS: synthesis a new sound using FM8

      1. CLASS: Pick out sound to mirror

    7. CLASS: layer sounds

X)    REVIEW of techniques

  1. i.     Layering

    1. Building interesting compositions

    2. Editing on the fly

      1. MIDI

      2. Audio

    3. CLASS: games how long can you stay up at the teachers workstation without STOPPING the sequencer

      1. 7 sec if you do stop it

    4. ​

XI) TEXTURE

  1. i.     Monophonic vs. homophonic

  2. ii.     Hetereophonic vs. polyphonic

  3. iii.     CLASS: compose song that starts in monophonic goes to hetereophonic bridges to polyphonic and ends in homophonic

  4. iv.     CLASS: experiment with arpeggiator

  5. v.     SHAPES

    1. Oblique

    2. Similar

    3. Contrary

    4. Parallel

XII)FORM

  1. i.     Examples

    1. Rush

    2. Classical

    3. Son de la loma

    4. CLASS: compose song with verse , chorus, bridge

 

XIII) MIDTERM

  1. i.     PAPER due ANALYSIS using the seven ASPECTS

  2. ii.

XIV) Audio formats

  1. i. CLASS: start sequencing song; students must write original material; save as a mp3

  2. ii.     Mp3, wav, aiff

  3. iii.     Students research the different styles

    1. Terms due

  4. iv.     CLASS: Save as different formats

XV) EFFECTS

  1. i. SPATIALIZATION

    1. ii.     Simple tap on computer

    2. iii.     CLASS: how to come up with best scenario to make tap into something tangible

    3. iv.     Normalize

      1. Effects

        1. Reverb

        2. Exciter

        3. Flanger

        4. Exciter

  2. v. Dynamic

    1. Compressor

    2. Limitor

 

  1. Bussing

  2. Signal FLOW

  3. ANALOG vs. DIgitial

  4. CLASS: relays

  5. CLASS:  mixes

XVI) DYNAMICS

  1. i. Automation

    1. Read write touch latch

      1. Volume

      2. Ch 10

      3. Hex panning

    2. CLASS: mixes

XVII)               Viewing DEMO movies Trailers

  1. i.     Looking for strong motifs

  2. ii.

  3. iii.     Picking out the seven ASPECTS

    1. Ptich, timbre, texture, rhythm, spacialization, form, dynamics

XVIII)              Song

  1. i.     Working with Chorus, Bridge, Prechorus

  2. ii.     Variety

    1. Keeping compositions thick or full

    2. Layering

    3. Working with seven aspects of music

    4. Don’t stop the song

      1. Seven seconds rule see above

XIX)                 PICKING OUT MOVIE PROJECT

  1. i.     Cue mapping movies;

  2. ii.     Talking about the story line

  3. iii.     Scoring movies

  4. iv.     Turning audio to midi

  5. v.     QUICKTIME movies

  6. vi.     Don’t stop the movie

    1. 10 second rule

 

XX)Quicktime movies LABTIME

XXI) REVIEW

XXII) FINAL PROJECTS ALL DUE including analysis

XXIII)

 

 

 

 

  • Labs, exams and grading                                    Grading scale

 

Quizes 25%                                                90 – 100

Final Project       25%                                                80 –  89     B

Final exam 50%                                                70 –  79     C

60 –  69     D

Below 60   F

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