Assignment 1 - Bach
Required:
Download the audio excerpt and score of Bach's Prelude #10 from the WTC book 1 (see links below), and perform the following edits:
1- convert bars 1-3 from 4/4 to 3/8 (each 4/4 bar becomes two 3/8 bars)
2- delete bars 4-20
3- convert bar 21-22 from 4/4 to 3/8 (as above); seamlessly join this to bar 3 and 23
4- find a musical way of reducing bars 23-41 (= 19 bars) by about half, to only 9 or 10 bars (tip: look for similar harmonies)
The end result should be one continuous piece of music, lasting about 48s.
Please send me, by email, a bounced version (WAV or AIFF, 16bit, 44.1kHz) of your edited piece by Monday, Oct 1st, 10pm. Also, be prepared to present your Logic project in class (bring your laptops!)
This first assignment is worth 10% of your final grade.
Assignment 2: Mini Concrète
Week 1
• Record a variety of sounds using the Sony portable recorders (click here for tips on how to use them). Microphones can reveal lots of unexpected sounds, so try as many sources as possible and see what happens. If it doesn't sound good, it's fine, you can just delete it!
• Bring all your recordings into Logic and edit them to remove all the unnecessary or bad sounding parts.
Week 2
• Compose a 60sec miniature composition using ONLY clips from the sounds you recorded with the Sony recorder.
• All your sounds clips should be no longer than 5 sec long.
• You can use reversing, but NO time stretching, and NO pitch shifting
• You can only use three plug-ins: Channel EQ, Platinum Verb, Valhalla Room, and Space Designer. You can start with a preset, but it MUST be modified.
• You MUST use automation for panning, volume, and EQ, to create a sense of space and motion (left-right, near to far)
This project is due for class time on Wednesday, Oct 17th.
You do not need to send me a bounced version, but be prepared to show your Logic project and talk about your work in class. Be also prepared to play some of the sound files you recorded.
Evaluation
Your mini-concrète composition, worth 10% of your final grade, will be evaluated as follows:
Use of automation /20
Use of reverb /20
use of EQ /20
Recording quality /20
Overall quality of edits and composition /20
total /100
As mentioned in the first class and on the syllabus, work submitted late will be penalized 50%.
Assignment 3: Mini Acousmatic
• Record a variety of sounds using the Sony portable recorders (click here for tips on how to use them). Microphones can reveal lots of unexpected sounds, so try as many sources as possible and see what happens. If it doesn't sound good, it's fine, you can just delete it!
• You cannot use sounds from Assignment #2, but you can use sounds from Assignment #3 in your final project. In other words, Assignment #3 can serve as a sketch, or section, of your final project. Of course, if you wish, you can also use entirely new sounds for your final project.
• Bring all your recordings into Logic and edit them to remove all the unnecessary or bad sounding parts.
• Compose a 60sec miniature composition using ONLY clips from the sounds you recorded with the Sony recorder.
• Your piece MUST use four channels (i.e., front and back speakers). You must actually have four channels coming out of Logic; you cannot diffuse a stereo file into four channels at the mixer (although you will be able to do this for your final projects).
• All your sounds clips should be no longer than 5 sec long.
• Any type of editing is possible: you may use reversing, time stretching, and pitch shift.
• You may use any plugins.
• You MUST use automation for panning, volume, and EQ, to create a sense of space and motion (left-right, near to far)
You do not need to send me a bounced version, but be prepared to show your Logic project and talk about your work in class. Be also prepared to play some of the sound files you recorded.
This project is due for class time on Wednesday, Nov 14th.
Evaluation
Your mini-acousmatic composition, worth 10% of your final grade, will be evaluated as follows:
Use of automation /20
Use of plug-ins /20
use of EQ /20
Recording quality /20
Overall quality of edits and composition /20
total /100
As mentioned in the first class and on the syllabus, work submitted late will be penalized 50%.