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Music by Numbers Master Final

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Music by Numbers Master Final Music by Numbers The Impacts of Music Technologies on Pop David Harrison A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Arts University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand ii ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates issues surrounding music technologies and their use by performing artists and music producers. I discuss the accessibility of devices such as compositional softwares as invaluable tools, but I also endeavour to illuminate the problematic areas associated with these practises. The emerging artist today must negotiate a plethora of technical mediations and to this extent, the impact of technologies become apparent in terms of how artists adapt to this environment. Furthermore, this adaptation raises questions relating to musical code and the methods by which this is ascertained. By deconstructing the components of pop, value and meaning can be examined more closely by utilising construction methods that can be applied to these components. I argue that production values are essential parameters for understanding the inner workings of modern music creation with contemporary technology. I situate producers, and their associated skills, as integral components of this process. In this context, production standards act as score and this has ongoing implications for musicological study. Through closer inspection of several key aspects of what many consider to be complex interactive processes, the apparent lack of structural and harmonic content often associated with modern electronic music today can be redefined as a highly complex and skilled process. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to extend gratitude to my supervisors Alan Anderson for his unwavering support and especially Robert Burns for his constant enthusiasm and friendship for which this task would have been far greater without. I would also like to thank my family: Vivienne, Kaela, Jazz, Olivia and Brynmoor for their understanding and remaining intact whilst I was temporarily removed at times throughout this study. I would also like to thank staff at the Otago University Music Department. In particular, Dorothy Duthie and Mary–Jane Campbell for putting up with my administration requests. Louise Kewene for making sure my computer kept working. Graeme Downes, Ian Chapman and Dan Bendrups for just being there, and Henry Johnson for his invaluable support. I want to also extend gratitude to Leyton for his humour and advice on all things technical and finally, I want to thank those who participated in my questionnaires and surveys. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..................................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................................. vi PREFACE ............................................................................................................................. 1 METHOD AND ANALYSIS ................................................................................................ 2 CHAPTER 1.......................................................................................................................... 6 1a Thesis Introduction........................................................................................................ 6 1b Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 2 -- CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL KIND.................. 20 2a Historiographical Encounter........................................................................................ 20 2b Music Creation Technologies...................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER 3 -- THE TWO WAY CONVERSATION......................................................... 36 3a The Accumulation Process .......................................................................................... 36 3b Programming versus Presets........................................................................................ 38 3c Collaboration .............................................................................................................. 44 3d Creative Styles............................................................................................................ 46 CHAPTER 4 -- THE TECHNICAL AVENUE IN PERSPECTIVE..................................... 48 4a Social Issues................................................................................................................ 48 4b Virtual Societies.......................................................................................................... 52 4c Assembling the Voices................................................................................................ 56 4d Compositional Style.................................................................................................... 58 4e The Creative Process................................................................................................... 61 4f. Music Production........................................................................................................ 63 4g The Internet ................................................................................................................ 65 CHAPTER 5 -- PRODUCTION MATTERS ....................................................................... 69 5a The Role of Production in Pop Music.......................................................................... 69 5b Body in Electronic Music............................................................................................ 73 5c Fluency ....................................................................................................................... 76 5d Production as Score..................................................................................................... 78 CHAPTER 6 -- HIGHLIGHTING THE DETAILS.............................................................. 85 6a Technology Montage, Contradiction, Irony and Juxtaposition in Madonna’s Music .... 85 6b Chaotic Editing Processes Thematic of Industrial Horror Music.................................. 95 6c Vocalisms as an Integrated Instrument in the Music of Justin Timberlake ................... 97 v CHAPTER 7...................................................................................................................... 101 Propositional Statements................................................................................................ 101 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................... 111 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................. 119 DISCOGRAPHY............................................................................................................... 124 GLOSSARY...................................................................................................................... 125 APPENDICES................................................................................................................... 132 Appendix 1 .................................................................................................................... 133 Appendix 2 .................................................................................................................... 142 Appendix 3 .................................................................................................................... 145 Appendix 4 .................................................................................................................... 147 Appendix 5 .................................................................................................................... 163 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 -- Table of Aesthetic-Poietic analysis process as conceptualised by Laura Zattra...... 4 Figure 2 -- Photograph of Duran Duran................................................................................ 24 Figure 3 -- The League of Automatic Composers. Photograph by Peter Abramowitsch........ 25 Figure 4 -- Depiction of DAW signal flow........................................................................... 29 Figure 5 -- Fairlight CMI Mark 2 sampler............................................................................ 30 Figure 6 -- Screen shot of Apple Logic 7 Mixing window.................................................... 32 Figure 7 -- Screenshot of the Garageband instrument/loop bank........................................... 33 Figure 8 -- Screenshot of Native Instruments Traktor DJ software interface......................... 34 Figure 9 -- Photograph of Telharmonium............................................................................. 39 Figure 10 -- Photograph of Hammond Novachord................................................................ 40 Figure 11 -- Photograph of Prophet 5................................................................................... 41 Figure 12 -- Screenshot of compressor pluggin preset menu................................................. 43 Figure 13 -- Graphic depicting the modern musicians digital environment........................... 57 Figure 14 -- Screenshot of MIDI editor...............................................................................
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