Transcript the class 1 powerpoint

General Points re: EAMT 203 Tutorial Outline
• My e-mail:
[email protected]
• Consult the class web page for documents, assignment explanations, course notes, and other info
pertaining to the EAMT 203 tutorials:
http://alcor.concordia.ca/~mikep/eamt203
• The tutorial schedule as well as portfolio guidelines are already posted there, and the Powerpoint
presentations I use in class will soon be as well.
•
Help is given in tutorials for two major assignments in the lecture portion of the course
• Listening assignment
• Concert report assignment
•
These assignments are marked by the lecture professor
•
For the tutorial grade, participation in the form of in-class playing & discussion of work and in-class
presentations is vital, as is attendance.
Technical / Software Dimension of EAMT 203
• Acknowledge that experience in sound editing & sound montage software is more and more common
• No particular software editor, sequencer, etc. is therefore absolutely required in the course
• HOWEVER, for those who do not have access to their own audio editing & montage software, and to facilitate
communication between students & professor in composition techniques workshops, basic instruction is given in
Peak and Soundmaker (advanced audio editor-processors) as well as Deck (audio montage editor) to provide useful
& necessary tools for composition and consultations (Weeks 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 in MacLab).
• Who has laptops with audio software? Please bring them to the techniques labs, along with headphones.
[Review syllabus]
Technical assistance is available all year on an ad hoc basis from
the Music Department’s studio assistant, Colin de la Plante.
Contact him to set up a time, preferably in small groups, at:
[email protected]
Spectrum
Analysis: sonogram/spectrograms
Sonogram colors show intensity of spectral elements:
Softest
Loudest
20kHz
Sonogram height shows frequency of spectral elements:
10kHz
Sonogram L-R axis shows time placement of spectral elements:
5kHz
1kHz
500Hz
200Hz
20Hz
Musical example: excerpts from Debussy, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
1
Spectrum analysis (sonogram/spectrograms)
Sonogram colors show intensity of spectral elements:
Softest
Loudest
20kHz
10kHz
5kHz
1kHz
500Hz
200Hz
20Hz
EA example
2
Spectrum analysis (sonogram/spectrograms)
Everyone should have their own (or have access to) Sonogram/Spectrogram software:
FREE option: Sonic Visualizer (cross-platform; download from www.sonicvisualizer.org)
Spectrum analysis (sonogram/spectrograms)
Everyone must have their own (or have access to) Sonogram/Spectrogram software:
FREE option: Sonic Visualizer (cross-platform; download from sonicvisualizer.com
Small learning curve - only learn necessary commands / menus, e.g.:
Other options:
- [MAC] Amadeus II or
Amadeus PRO
- includes audio editor
(PRO is multitrack) as well
as sonogram analysis;
as little as $30 U.S.
- [PC] several shareware,
freeware and inexpensive
possibilities;
- input search words
‘spectral analysis software’
or ‘spectrogram software’
Amplitude and loudness
The vertical axis of an oscillogram represents the amplitude or force of the pressure wave
Lower amplitude (softer) parts of the sound
Higher amplitude (louder) parts of the sound
(Beginning / earlier part of sound)
(End / later part of sound)
The horizontal axis of an oscillogram represents the timeline over which the pressure wave plays out
Amplitude and loudness
In amplitude terms,
around -1 dB
In amplitude terms,
around -12 dB
In terms of loudness,
difference sounds
a bit less dramatic
Musical example: excerpts from Ravel, Boléro
3
EA example:
4
Frequency - pitched & unpitched sounds
Certain sounds, like the notes produced by musical instruments, have what is referred to as pitch
Pitches are more neatly organized compared to other sounds, consisting of stable frequencies that reinforce one
another because of being mathematically related in a simple way.
Again, a zoomed-out oscillogram does not tell us whether a sound is pitched or unpitched:
Sound A
All we know is that the first sound has sharp attack, and
then a consistent decay…
Sound B
…and that the second sound has several peaks before
decaying
Frequency - pitched & unpitched sounds
But a look at the sonograms for the two sounds immediately reveals which is a stable, organized pitch, and which
isn’t:
Sonogram A:
Harmonic
multiples of
the fundamental
Fundamental
frequency
Sonogram B:
Thick clusters
of partials not
reinforcing any
particular frequency