Prerequisite: Music 1a, 2a, or 4.
Textbook: Rossing, Moore, and Wheeler,
The Science of Sound.
Meetings:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00-12:20, Mandeville B210
Instructor: Professor
Miller Puckette
, CRCA room 7, 858-534-4823,
msp(at)ucsd(dot)edu, https://msp.ucsd.edu/ .
Office Hours: Thursdays, 1:00-2:00 PM,
CRCA
TAs:
Cristyn Magnus: cmagnus(at)ucsd(dot)edu.
Office hours: Wednesdays, 1:30-2:30 PM,
CRCA
Derek Keller: dkeller(at)ucsd(dot)edu.
Office hours: Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30 PM, Mandeville B130
This course is designed to give students of the digital arts an understanding of the workings of sound, not only in traditional musical roles but also as a medium that is used in many different artistic practices. Four main areas concern us. First, how sound travels through the air and how solid objects either emit or absorb it. Second, how and what we hear when the air moves. Third, sound technologies: computers, microphones and speakers, musical instruments. Finally, sound and its artistic uses.
Although there is a textbook, the main content of the course is presented in class (so it is essential to attend regularly). There are weekly problem set/laboratory assignments, to be turned in during class.
The ``final exam" is to design and build your own musical instrument, and play some music on it for the class. You'll divide up in pairs. The music should have pitches (so just a rattle isn't suitable) and should demonstrate that you know about vibration and projection of sound. On Oct. 23 you should turn in a written, one- or two-page proposal so that we can check that your project idea is reasonable. The proposal should contain a drawing and a short description of the materials you propose to use and what kind of sounds you expect should come out. The actual instrument and your performance are due during the regularly scheduled final exam period; each pair will have three minutes to show and play their work.
The laboratory assignments use the Pd
program which you should download. For PC users, download Pd from https://msp.ucsd.edu/software.html , install, click on "\pd\bin\pd.exe", and open the lab (such as "lab1.pd") as a document. Macintosh users can get a nice Pd package from https://www.pure-data.org/Members/hans/ . Documentation for Pd lives in https://msp.ucsd.edu/Pd_documentation/index.htm.Final grade is a weighted average of problems (40%), labs (40%), project proposal (5%) and final project (15%).
Topics :
1. Sound and vibration (Sep. 25 - Oct. 9) Text: Ch. 1,2
Homework 1 due Oct. 2, and Lab 1 FIXED Sept. 30,, due Oct. 9
Homework 2 is due Oct. 9.
2. Pitch and musical scales (Oct. 14-16)
textbook: chapters 5-8. Homework 3 and Lab 2 , due Oct. 16
Homework 4 and Lab 3 , due Oct. 23
3. Timbre (Oct. 21-30)
Proposals for final project due Oct. 23
Homework 5 and
Lab 4 , due Oct. 30
!!! We will accept homework for full credit through Tuesday, Nov. 4 !!!
(but please get the lab in on time, Oct. 30.)
Homework 6 and Lab 5 , due Nov. 13.
4. Sound radiation and propagation (Nov. 4-13)
Homework 7 is due Nov. 20.
Lab 6 (Reverberation) was run during class Nov. 18 - here
are the
DATA .
This lab is due Nov. 20 along with homework 7.
5. Room acoustics (Nov. 18-20) Lab 7 (Radiation , due Tuesday, Nov. 25. No homework is due that week.
6. Computers and audio (Nov. 25) (Note: no office hours Wednesday or Thursday).
7. Sound and art (Dec. 2-4)
Homework 8 and
Lab 8 (Sampling Theorem)
are both due Dec. 4.
An
EXTRA CREDIT Lab (counts the same as any
other lab) is also due Dec. 4 if you want to do it.
Final Presentations: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 11:30-2:30, same classroom.