Creative Computing
This weeks class was to make up for the one we missed in week 10.(1) We looked at methods of the Array class and its superclass ArrayedCollection, and also the Mix UGen. The powerful methods of Array allow one to instantiate an arithmetic or geometric series of any size. These methods make generating a harmonic series, for example, very simple. The Mix UGen enables multiple channels to be converted into a single stream. It's commonly used with Array.fill, which takes an integer arguement 'size', and a function argument, and generates an array of size 'size' with the values created by the function. When using Mix.ar it's vital to remember to scale the amplitude of the channels so as not to exceed 1. as the overall amplitude.1. Christian Haines. "Creative Computing - Supercollider (9)." Lecture presented at the Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide, 8 June 2006.
Forum Workshop
In this weeks listening workshop we listened to two brilliant pieces by Steve Reich, two works by EMU pioneer Tristram Cary, and a Pink Floyd song.(2) I've been listening to Reich's 'Different Trains' and 'Electric Counterpoint' for the last few weeks, it's very much a coincidence (as far as I know) that I found myself listening to them in this session. I like 'Different Trains' for its explicitness. I think a lot of classical music has difficulty expressing themes and emotions directly. For instance, what image does a G# german augmented-6 chord evoke? In 'Different Trains' Reich uses fragments of speech from interviews conducted with people who used to work for railway companies to create a tape part. By analysing the natural inflection of the spoken voice he generates short phrases that are played by the String Quartet, often in tandem with the original voice recording. The rest of the SQ part consists of material that is cyclical, parallel, and repetitive, much like the noise of a train carriage. The tape part also consists of various train calls and whistles, which creates a novel melange of sound and clearly identifies what the work is about. Being able to listen to the stories of real people make it a touching piece, however the clarity of the speech is lost in some parts of the work. The 1980 work of Tristram Cary, "Soft Walls", seemed to be a study of various synthesis techniques. There was a lot of space in the piece. He has not limited the material to certain qualities of sound, I heard a very wide range of pitches, dynamics, timbres, and effects. I believe I identified the following techniques: additive synthesis, FM synthesis, non-linear distortion, audible modulation, modulation resulting in sidebands. To be honest, I listened to this with a more critical ear than usual. I couldn't tell you whether I liked the piece or not, however I can say that I think it's worth listening to again because it holds a lot of interesting sounds.2. David Harris. "Forum Workshop". Lecture presented at the Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide, 8 June 2006.
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