TECH 101 TECH 101 Pendulum Music by Steve Reich For microphones, amplifiers speakers and Performers
Three, four or more microphones are suspended from the ceiling or from microphone boom stands by their cables so that they all hang the same distance from the floor and are all free to swing with a pendular motion. Each microphone’s cable is plugged into an amplifier which is connected to a loudspeaker. Each microphone hangs a few inches directly above or next to its speaker.
Before the performance each amplifier is turned up just to the point where feedback occurs when a mike swings directly over or next to its speaker, but no feedback occurs as the mike swings to either side. This level on each amplifier is then marked for future reference and all amplifiers are turned down.
The performance begins with performers taking each mike, pulling it back like a swing, and then holding them while another performer turns up the amplifiers to their pre-marked levels. Performers then release all the microphones in unison. Thus, a series of feedback pulses are heard which will either be all in unison or not depending on the gradually changing phase relations of the different mike pendulums.
Performers then sit down to watch and listen to the process along with the rest of the audience.
The piece is ended sometime shortly after all mikes have come to rest and are feeding back a continuous tone by performers pulling out the power cords of the amplifiers.
Steve Reich 8/68 revised 5/73
William Basinski Notable Work: disintegration loops (2002-2003)
Ambient: lowercase music / slow music tape loop processes Conlon Nancarrow temporal dissonance
Often used poly-tempi and poly-meter
Complex temporal canons
Precise ratio-based acceleration and deceleration listen to Study 21
Types of Synthesis
Additive Synthesis Combining sine waves to make more complex waveforms.
Subtractive Synthesis Removing some part of the sound spectrum through fltering.
Modulation Amplitude Modulation (AM Synthesis, Ring Modulation) Frequency Modulation (FM Synthesis)
Granular Synthesis taking short snippets (grains) of sound and building fexible tones and textures that take on qualities of the source sound. Types of Modulation Synthesis
Ring Modulation = Multiplying two bipolar (-1 to 1) signals
Result: If sines, 2 frequencies
Amplitude Modulation = Multiplying a bipolar signal (carrier wave) with a unipolar signal (0 to 1, amplitude) (modulating wave)
Result: If sines, 3 frequencies
Frequency Modulation = Modulating wave changes the frequency of the carrier wave
Result: If sines… infinite frequencies (!) FM Synthesis the modulating wave or operator changes the frequency of the carrier wave. FM SYNTHESIS
Frequency modulation frst used in radio
FM synthesis developed by John Chowning in the early 1970s effcient algorithm - little computation to generate rich sound palettes.
Yamaha DX7 (1980), one of the most popular synths of all time DX7
FM Synthesizer based on the research of John Chowning frst commercially successful digital synthesizer
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
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Chowning with Max Mathews and his radio baton
Excerpt from Stria (1977) Extending MIDI
MIDI CC (continuous controller)
Most well-known: pitch bend, modulation, ‘expression’
MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression)
Extends the standard MIDI protocol to have control over every note,
instead of CC applying to all notes Working with Virtual Instruments
Treating them as Electronic Sound Generators rather than “instrument emulators” -> Applying effects, etc. to extend their sound worlds
Using CC to Control VST Parameters Over Time SAMPLING TECHNOLOGIES THE SAMPLER
E-mu SP-1200, 1987
Fine-grained control over samples: pitch-shift, looping, and pad-based triggering
Can ‘slice’ samples, important for the emergence of electronic dance styles Pete Rock Playing MPC LaunchPad + MIDIFighter: Shawn Wasabi’s Marble Soda