Telematic Music: History and Development of the Medium and Current Technologies Related to Performance
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TELEMATIC MUSIC: HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEDIUM AND CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO PERFORMANCE Mark Cook A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS December 2015 Committee: Roger Schupp, Advisor Bonnie L. Mitchell Graduate Faculty Representative Elainie Lillios Conor Nelson © 2015 Mark Cook All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Roger Schupp, Advisor Telematic music is a little-known sub-genre of telematic art and a new phenomenon in the world of music. This paper seeks to provide aspiring telematic musicians with the necessary knowledge and background that will enable them to participate in this art form by supplying a historical and aesthetic background for the elements of telematic art, discussing commonly used technologies and how they are implemented today, investigating performers who employ telematics, and examining the telematic opera Auksalaq. Additionally, this paper explores the adaptation of telematic art into telematic music. Chapter I reviews artistic and technological precursors of telematic art, centered around its three main aspects: telematics, integration of art forms, and interactivity. Chapter II provides a general guide for the aspiring telematic musician, covering the unique variables associated with performing telematically and giving practical advice relating to topics such as choosing technology, preparing telematic music, and more. Chapter III explores the current state of telematic music and creates a framework for analyzing it. This chapter includes an interview with Scott Deal, an accomplished musician and telematic artist and also discusses Auksalaq, one of the most ambitious telematic art projects to date. iv To my loving wife, without whom I would never have succeeded. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am eternally grateful to the guidance of many people, and the support of many more. First, my deepest gratitude goes to my advisor Dr. Roger Schupp for all of his encouragement, patience, support, and guidance through the entirety of my doctoral degree, including several very challenging years. Second, I am deeply indebted to Dr. Marilyn Shrude, who has been my advocate throughout my doctoral degree and has been incredibly supportive of all my musical endeavors. I would also like to extend my thanks to the rest of my committee, including Bonnie Mitchell, Dr. Elainie Lillios, and Dr. Conor Nelson for their invaluable assistance and patience in my pursuit of this degree. I especially wish to thank Dr. Scott Deal, who originally showed me this unique art form and then was kind enough to really encourage and guide me in my learning process. His help both in giving an interview and all of the additional sharing of knowledge he has done has been invaluable. Finally I wish to thank my family for all of their unconditional love and support. In particular, I am forever grateful to my wife Amy for everything. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. ARTISTIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL PRECURSORS OF TELEMATIC MUSIC ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 1.2 HISTORICAL AESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS ........................................... 3 1.3 THE GESAMTKUNSTWERK ........................................................................... 7 1.4 TECHNOLOGY .................................................................................................. 13 1.4.1 The Computer ....................................................................................... 13 1.4.2 The Internet ........................................................................................... 14 1.4.3 Video Conferencing .............................................................................. 16 1.4.4 Integration of Computers, Internet Technology, and Art ..................... 18 1.5 AUDIENCE INTERACTION ............................................................................. 20 1.6 AESTHETIC IMPLICATIONS ........................................................................... 27 1.7 CONCLUSIONS.................................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER II. A GUIDE FOR THE BEGINNING TELEMATIC MUSICIAN ................. 31 2.1 THE COMPUTER ............................................................................................... 31 2.2 SOFTWARE ........................................................................................................ 33 2.3 VIDEO ............................................................................................................ 33 2.4 AUDIO ............................................................................................................ 39 2.5 SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................. 41 2.6 HARDWARE ...................................................................................................... 42 2.7 TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT SETUP.................................................................. 51 vii 2.8 SYNCHRONIZATION ....................................................................................... 53 2.9 DATA COMPRESSION ..................................................................................... 56 2.10 INTERNET SPEED ........................................................................................... 58 2.11 PREPARING A TELEMATIC PIECE .............................................................. 60 2.12 TROUBLESHOOTING ..................................................................................... 63 2.13 TELEMATIC PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS ................................... 67 CHAPTER III. TELEMATIC MUSIC TODAY .................................................................. 70 3.1 STATE OF TELEMATIC MUSIC ...................................................................... 71 3.2 THE INTERVIEW............................................................................................... 75 3.2.1 Short Biography of Scott Deal .............................................................. 75 3.2.2 Aesthetics of Telematic Music .............................................................. 76 3.2.3 Technology ........................................................................................... 77 3.2.4 Problems in the Telematic Music World .............................................. 79 3.2.5 The Internet ........................................................................................... 79 3.2.6 Telematic Music as a Niche .................................................................. 81 3.2.7 Other Uses of Telematics ...................................................................... 82 3.2.8 Telematic Music Composition .............................................................. 83 3.3 AUKSALAQ.......................................................................................................... 83 3.3.1 Explanation of Performance Venues .................................................... 87 3.3.2 Brief Analysis ....................................................................................... 88 3.4 FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING TELEMATICS IN MUSIC ..................... 91 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 95 APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY ................................................................................................. 102 viii APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT DEAL .......................................................... 108 APPENDIX C: AUKSALAQ PREMIERE FORM ................................................................ 139 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2.1 ConferenceXP Video Settings ................................................................................... 36 2.2 vipr Video Transmitter ............................................................................................... 38 2.3 vipr Video Receiver ................................................................................................... 38 2.4 ConferenceXP Audio Settings ................................................................................... 40 2.5 JackTrip images ......................................................................................................... 41 2.6 Software Recommendations ...................................................................................... 42 2.7 Audio and Video Signal Flow from the Musician ..................................................... 43 2.8 Signal Flow at Performance Venue ........................................................................... 44 2.9 Microphone Polar Patterns ......................................................................................... 47 2.10 XLR and TRS Connections ....................................................................................... 48 2.11 Sample Audio Interface inputs ................................................................................... 49 2.12 Balanced and Unbalanced Cable Diagram ................................................................ 50 2.13 Cable Setup ............................................................................................................ 51 2.14 Picture of Sample Audio Setup .................................................................................