Sound design - Introduction

In this unit, you will explore some of the possibilities on the field of sound design.

You will learn what the different components of a synthesizer are and how to program some basic patches.

Next, we will explore different sampling techniques and attempt to apply it in a musical context.

However, before we dig into the digital world, let us learn a bit of the history of music technology. Watch the following video attentively. Keep an accurate record of every key word (or new word) you hear and the questions you may have on the paper provided. I will do my best to answer at the end of the session.

Enjoy!

The new sound of music (part 1)

3rd Computer Music Assignment

This is a creative task. For the first time in the course, you’ll be able to use the things you’ve learnt for making some music of your own.

There are a few simple rules that you must follow though. Apart from that, I hope you have fun with this small project!

1. Your piece of music must be instrumental
2. The track counting is limited to a maximum of six
3. You can input notes with the mouse or the keyboard but you are not allowed to record yet
4. The time signature is 4 by 4 but you can set the tempo the way you want
5. The length is limited to 8 bars only (later, I will teach some tricks to develop this 8 bars into longer sessions and will also be giving you a few tips on mixing)
6. Your music must include the following musical idea:

Think of it as a starting point. It can be anything you want, examples: 1) A straight drum or percussion beat, 2) A guitar or synthesizer riff, 3) A bass line, 4) You may break down the pattern and assign it to different instruments, 5) You may as well explore repetition, 6) You may double or halve the pattern, etc.