Music Technology for Performing Arts Educators
Syllabus:
| mued417.3-w2017-lec1-outline.pdf |
Important Dates
Feb 15th - Guest Speaker Richard Cangro F210
|
The Song Machine:
Phase 1 Due: Feb. 6 Phase 2 Due: Feb. 13 Phase 3 Due: Instrument Invention: Mar. 15 - First prototype due |
Demonstrate & Discuss:
Jan. 30 - Courtney Feb. 1 - Christian Feb. 6 - Taylor Feb. 8 - Amanda Mar. 13 - Taylor Mar. 15 - Courtney Mar. 20 - Christian Mar. 22 - Amanda |
Song Exploder:
Feb. 1 - Christian Feb. 8 - Amanda Feb. 13 - Taylor ? - Courtney |
Student Blogs
Class 2
for Monday, Jan. 16 (2017):
1. Read:
"The Song Machine" by John Seabrook (2012): http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/03/26/the-song-machine
"The Doctor Is In" by John Seabrook (2013): http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/10/14/the-doctor-is-in
"Blank Space: What Kind of Genius is Max Martin?" by John Seabrook (2015): http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/blank-space-what-kind-of-genius-is-max-martin
"How Mike Will Made It" by John Seabrook (2016): http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/11/how-mike-will-made-it
Also, if you have Netflix, check out The Art of Organized Noize if you feel inclined.
2. pick a song you've been listening to lately and start thinking about why you like it. we'll start breaking down songs from a production perspective to draw out what makes pop pop.
3. go over the song machine assignment: HERE
4. have you settled on your producer name yet?
Activity: FX Roulette
1. Read:
"The Song Machine" by John Seabrook (2012): http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/03/26/the-song-machine
"The Doctor Is In" by John Seabrook (2013): http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/10/14/the-doctor-is-in
"Blank Space: What Kind of Genius is Max Martin?" by John Seabrook (2015): http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/blank-space-what-kind-of-genius-is-max-martin
"How Mike Will Made It" by John Seabrook (2016): http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/11/how-mike-will-made-it
Also, if you have Netflix, check out The Art of Organized Noize if you feel inclined.
2. pick a song you've been listening to lately and start thinking about why you like it. we'll start breaking down songs from a production perspective to draw out what makes pop pop.
3. go over the song machine assignment: HERE
4. have you settled on your producer name yet?
Activity: FX Roulette
Class 3
Activity: Tin Pan Alley to Taylor Swift (link coming soon)
Class 4
Sample Songs for the Song Machine Assignment
There are the songs chosen by the class that will serve as exemplars. Key question: what are the production hallmarks of each song?
Activity: Cell Phone Sound Hunt
Record sounds using your phone. You cannot use prerecorded material. This is a sound hunt, go hunt for sounds!
1. something mechanical (e.g., some sort of machine)
2. something electronic
3. something comical
4. something alive
5. something crunchy
6. something ambient
7. something that involves a liquid
8. a sound made with your mouth
9. a sound made with paper
10. a sound made with _______ (choose your own)
After you've recorded the sounds you may need to convert them to another file format in order to be able to used them in your DAW, Usually .wav files work, and you can use zamzar.com (Links to an external site.) to do this.
We'll be using these sounds to a make beats. The aim of this activity is to sharpen your editing skills. If you can make a beat out of these random sounds, you'll be able to comp a vocal with the best.
1. something mechanical (e.g., some sort of machine)
2. something electronic
3. something comical
4. something alive
5. something crunchy
6. something ambient
7. something that involves a liquid
8. a sound made with your mouth
9. a sound made with paper
10. a sound made with _______ (choose your own)
After you've recorded the sounds you may need to convert them to another file format in order to be able to used them in your DAW, Usually .wav files work, and you can use zamzar.com (Links to an external site.) to do this.
We'll be using these sounds to a make beats. The aim of this activity is to sharpen your editing skills. If you can make a beat out of these random sounds, you'll be able to comp a vocal with the best.
to do for Class 5:
on your blog:
- post your remixed track from Class 3
- post your beat made in Class 4. Some guidelines:
- post your remixed track from Class 3
- post your beat made in Class 4. Some guidelines:
- use a minimum of 4 different sounds on 4 different tracks
- your beat should be at least 4 bars long AND have some variation in it so that each bar is not identical
- recall from playing FX Roulette that you can manipulate the sound of each track significantly
Class 5
- Sharing/presenting remix & beat assignments
- Listening for field of depth and stereo field in our sample songs
- Listening for field of depth and stereo field in our sample songs
Class 6
- Continued listening for field of depth and stereo field; listening for performance intensity and musical balance
- Introduction to Logic: soft synths, recording MIDI, bussing to FX
- Forming production teams
- Phase 1 of Song Machine due Monday February 6
- Introduction to Logic: soft synths, recording MIDI, bussing to FX
- Forming production teams
- Phase 1 of Song Machine due Monday February 6
Class 7
- D&D presentation
- Micro Lesson 1: drummer tracks in Logic X
- Micro Lesson 2: quantize, humanize, swing, and other MIDI transform functions in Logic
- Working on Phase 1 of the Song Machine Assignment
- Micro Lesson 1: drummer tracks in Logic X
- Micro Lesson 2: quantize, humanize, swing, and other MIDI transform functions in Logic
- Working on Phase 1 of the Song Machine Assignment
Class 8
- D&D presentation
- Song Exploder presentation
- Micro Lesson 3: Snap to Grid (for editing in Logic)
- Micro Lesson 4: Tool options in Logic (cutting, fading, etc)
- Working on Phase 1 of the Song Machine Assignment
- Song Exploder presentation
- Micro Lesson 3: Snap to Grid (for editing in Logic)
- Micro Lesson 4: Tool options in Logic (cutting, fading, etc)
- Working on Phase 1 of the Song Machine Assignment
Class 9
- D&D presentation
- Micro Lesson 5: bouncing audio files in Logic
- Micro Lesson 6: recording audio in Logic
- using auxiliary send/return on a mixing console to an effects unit (signal flow)
- equalization: frequency chart
- Micro Lesson 5: bouncing audio files in Logic
- Micro Lesson 6: recording audio in Logic
- using auxiliary send/return on a mixing console to an effects unit (signal flow)
- equalization: frequency chart
Class 10
- D&D presentation
- Song Exploder presentation
- Micro Lesson 7: guitar/bass tracks in Logic; Logic's pedalboard
- Writing hooks!!!
- Song Exploder presentation
- Micro Lesson 7: guitar/bass tracks in Logic; Logic's pedalboard
- Writing hooks!!!
Class 11
- Song Exploder presentation
- Writing hooks (and finishing them!)
- Writing hooks (and finishing them!)
Class 12
- Guest Speaker Richard Cangro (F210)
- 2 blog posts are needed for this week:
1. A post about Richard Cangro's presentation.
2. A post about your experiences writing hooks AND your thoughts and what you think you've learned so far in the course (including what you think the evidence of this learning is)
- 2 blog posts are needed for this week:
1. A post about Richard Cangro's presentation.
2. A post about your experiences writing hooks AND your thoughts and what you think you've learned so far in the course (including what you think the evidence of this learning is)
Class 13 (second half of the semester begins)
- intro to MaKey MaKey & Scratch
- helpful resources:
MaKey MaKey Workshop: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
MaKey MaKey Labz (lots of great ideas here)
- helpful resources:
MaKey MaKey Workshop: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
MaKey MaKey Labz (lots of great ideas here)
Class 14
- the song machine phase 3 begins
- groups return hooks to each other
- focus on song structures (markers in Logic)
- groups return hooks to each other
- focus on song structures (markers in Logic)
Class 15
- refresher on inserts vs. sends
- reverb as glue in a mix
- reverb as glue in a mix
Class 16
- user testing of first MaKey MaKey musical instrument prototypes