This is an introduction to audio synthesis, both in theory and in
practice, using Pd (Pure Data) as a platform.
Pd is free and you can run it on Windows, Linux, or Mac OSX.
You can get it at
https://msp.ucsd.edu/software.html .
There are eight weekly assignments, due Fridays.
The exam (3-6PM, Tuesday, March 17) is a final project presentation. Assignments are worth 10 points apiece and the final is worth 20.
Patches from class will gather on
https://msp.ucsd.edu/syllabi/171.20w/patches/.
- or here is a zip file.
Videos of this year's classes will appear here:
https://msp.ucsd.edu/syllabi/171.20w/movies/.
Videos of lectures, with searchable transcripts, from an earlier year are
avalable on
https://pd-la.info/pd-media/miller-puckette-mus171-videos/.
List of topics (about one per week):
Jan. 7-9. Making sinusoids and controlling their amplitudes and
frequencies. Read chapter 1 of the textbook, particularly looking at the
examples at the back of the chapter. These are included in the Pd
distribution (Pure Data/3.audio.examples from the "Browser....' help
menu item).
Homework assignment 1 is due Friday, Jan. 17.
Jan. 14-16. Wavetables (Chapter 2).
Homework assignment 2 is due Friday, Jan. 24.
Jan. 21-23. Control and signal paths (chapter 3).
Homework assignment 3 is due Friday, Jan. 31.
Jan. 28-30. Polyphony and control strategies (chapter 4).
Homework assignment 4 is due Friday, Feb. 7.
Feb. 4-6. Waveshaping, FM, and ring modulation (chapter 5 and a bit of
chapter 6).
Homework assignment 5 is due Friday, Feb. 14.
final project proposals will be due Feb. 21
along with homework assignment 6.
Feb. 11-13. Delays and delay effects: echos, comb filters, flangers,
pitch shifters (chapter 7).
Homework assignment 6 is due Friday, Feb. 21.
A final project proposal is also due then.
Feb. 18-20. Filters and filter design (Chapter 8).
Homework assignment 7 is due Friday, Feb. 28.
Feb. 25-27. Patch design strategies: parameter controls, presets, mixing.
Homework assignment 8 is due Friday, Mar. 6.
Mar. 3-5. Classical waveforms (chapter 10).
Mar. 10-12. Miscellaneous: Fourier analysis and resynthesis (chapter 9), Gem and 3D graphics; audio analysis tools; networking; spooling sounds to/from disk.