ta212 the technology of music welcome introductions hopes and fears the module assignments what...
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TA212 The Technology of Music
Welcome
• Introductions• Hopes and Fears• The Module• Assignments• What Happens Next
TA212 The Technology of Music
Hopes and Fears
• TA212 is both “Arts” and “Technology”• What brings you out in a cold sweat?
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TA212 The Technology of Music
You should have...
• Home Experiment Kit– recorder, microphone, headphones– 3 cardboard tubes, 1 drinking straw!!!
• First Mailing– Block 1, Companion to Block 1– 1 CD ROM– 2 Audio CDs
TA212 The Technology of Music
Module Website
• Searchable electronic versions of course material (pdf)• News• Study Calendar• Conferences
• Assignments– assignments are not provided in hard copy.
TA212 The Technology of Music
The Module
• Five Blocks:– Prelude– Investigating Sound (what is sound?)
– Musical Instruments (how is sound made?)
– Sound Processes (how is sound manipulated?)
– Project
TA212 The Technology of Music
Block 1: Prelude
• Making Sense of Music• Listening to Music• Maths for Music
This block is designed to bring everyone up to the same basic level in both Music Theory and Maths.
TA212 The Technology of Music
Block 2: Investigating Sound
• Sound Basics waves, frequency, wavelength
• Sound Shape and Colour timbre, temperament
• Sound and Time more music theory
• Sound and Space reverberation
• Sound and the Listener listening, perception
• Sound Capture andRecapture microphones, amplifiers
TA212 The Technology of Music
Waves
• Sinusoidal Pressure Waves• Frequency
– How many times per second• Amplitude
– How big
wavelength
pressure
TA212 The Technology of Music
The Octave
• Double the frequency• Notes an octave apart have the same name
TA212 The Technology of Music
Decibel Examples (SPL)
• Threshold of pain
130 dB• Bass drum roll
106 dB• Violin at player’s ear
85 dB• Piano practice
70 dB• Domestic Living Room
40 dB• Empty Concert Hall
20 dB• Threshold of Hearing
0 dB
Investigating Sound -1, Page 45
TA212 The Technology of Music
Harmonics
• Modes of Vibration• Harmonic Series
– frequencies: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500...– Pitches
– Most higher harmonics are out of tune!
TA212 The Technology of Music
Reverberation
• Many Paths• Long paths
– have more reflections– take longer to arrive– are are quieter when they arrive
TA212 The Technology of Music
The Human Ear
• Outer ear– Collects sound
• Middle ear– Impedance Coupling– Acoustic Reflex
• Inner Ear– Detects sound
Outer Ear
Middle Ear Inner Ear
TA212 The Technology of Music
Impedance Matching
• Impedance– Property of all electronic circuits
• Get it wrong and you get distortion
low high
low
high
high
veryhigh
highlow
Pre-amplifier
TA212 The Technology of Music
Block 3: Musical Instruments
• What is a Musical Instrument• Making sound strings, pipes, pitch
• Families of Instruments orchestral, electronic, voice
• How do Instruments Work?
TA212 The Technology of Music
String Harmonics
• Many different standing waves • The sounds they produce are the harmonics of the
string.
TA212 The Technology of Music
Wind Harmonicsopen pipe stopped pipe
NOTE: A conical pipe (such as an oboe) behaves like a pipe open at both ends
TA212 The Technology of Music
Vowels
• Shape of the vocal tract
• Each shape emphasises different frequencies• The frequencies which are emphasised are called
Formants
TA212 The Technology of Music
Electromagnetic Induction
• Given any two, the third is produced
electricity + magnetism = motion (electric motor)
magnetism + motion = electricity (generator)
electricity
magnetism motion
TA212 The Technology of Music
Block 4: Sound Processes
• Desktop sound studio on your desktop
• Notation history, music printing
• Recording mechanical music, MIDI
• The Industry creating a recording, media, copy protection etc.
TA212 The Technology of Music
WAV File“RIFF”
Size
4 bytes
4 bytes
Size bytesFormat Chunk
Data Chunk
“WAVE”
TA212 The Technology of Music
MIDI Connections
Synthesiser
MIDI Out
MIDI Thru
MIDI In
“local off” switch
TA212 The Technology of Music
Media Bandwidth
• Telephone 3.4 kHz• FM Radio 15 kHz• CD 20 kHz• MiniDisc 20 kHz
– but is always compressed!
TA212 The Technology of Music
Block 5: EMA (The Project)
• Part 1: An essay about a musical instrument– Includes research outside the course material and
analysis of the sound of the instrument using the course software.
– Refer to Block 3 for the kind of information expected– Choose an “acoustic” instrument.
• Part 2: Desktop Sound– This may include creating sound samples and using
them to realise a few bars of music presented as a score.
TA212 The Technology of Music
Assignments
• Submitted and returned electronically– TMA00
• optional• used to prove that you have managed to connect into
the eTMA system correctly
• 6 TMAs (Tutor Marked Assignments)• EMA (End of Module Assessment)
• There is NO EXAM!!
TA212 The Technology of Music
TMAs
• TMA01 (20%) - Block 1• TMA02 (15%) - Block 2 part 1 & Audition part 1• TMA03 (15%) - Block 2 part 2 & Audition part 2• TMA04 (15%) - Block 3 part 1• TMA05 (15%) - Block 3 part 2• TMA06 (20%) - Block 4
TA212 The Technology of Music
Substitution
• Substitution does not apply to this module– If you fail to submit a TMA, you will get zero marks for
that TMA.