Digital Sound and Remix

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SFAI Fall 2005 Faculty: Jon Phillips M/W, 4:15 - 7 PM, DMS2

Contents

Goal

The goal of this course is to work towards enhancing each participants art practice with the specific concerns of contemporary digital sound and remix techniques and concepts.

Summary

Through assigned readings, discussion and the creation of sound-related projects, this course will explore the historical, conceptual, and artistic aspects of sound and remix. This course will also familiarize students with the basic concepts of audio and current hardware and software.

Generally, this course will weave contemporary art practice with an investigation into evolution of sound art with technology. Starting early with Alexander Graham Bell and continuing with John Cage onto present, this course will survey general trends in order to raise awareness of the field and to encourage creativity within aural practice.

While positing the aforementioned historical framework, the majority of the course will dwell upon contemporary topics such DJ/VJ culture, Internet Streaming Radio, MP3 PodCasting, file sharing, and copyright. Also, contemporary sound artists and their craft will be explored in addition to how to plug into current scenes.

Augmenting the discussion of digital sound will be the concept of remix. The general concept of remix will be explored through the framework of MESH which stands for Mixing, Editing, Sampling and Harvesting of different media into another - a remix. While bricolaging material is not new, or exclusively dependent upon contemporary technology such as the Internet and computing, they allow expansive possibilities for source material, a means for projection of ideas and a medium for transmission of new sound content simultaneously around the world.

This course is project-driven driven and interdependent upon the participants own interests and goals. As such, there is no specific prerequisites in programming, math, or sound engineering. Generally, if one downloads content from the web regularly, has an email address, enjoys audio/music/sound, and/or wants to learn more about these topics, this course will enhance your art practice.

Keywords

audio, sound, digital media, realtime performance, DJ, VJ, Internet Radio, Icecast, Podcasting, Open Source, PHP, RSS feeds, file sharing, media salon, real-time determinism, media theory, media sharing, networking, broadcasting, scrapers, bots, spidering, data feeds, sound art, protools, audacity


Syllabus

Policies

Attendance

  • Please arrive on time. Repeated tardiness will effect your grade!
  • Only 2 unexcused absenses and afterwards grade drops full letter grade!
  • 2 unexcused absenses in a row and you will be asked to drop the class
  • e-mail me if you cannot make it in ADVANCE
    • You are responsible to bring in work the following week!

Readings

  • I will make all available for free on this wiki as link or PDF.
    • NOTE: check out critical-art.net online book projects

Grading

NOTE: Approximately half-way through the semester, students will receive a mid-term evaluation grade and brief synopsis. This will come via email. (Make sure your email address is up to date on your profile!)

  • Assignments (20%)
    • You are graded on
      • 4 or more hours outside of class spent per week on this course
      • I'm generally not into practice! Do REAL work!
      • At least 1 weekly post on the class notes for the week - Due Wednesdays
      • Weekly posts to personal pages about what you did for the week are encouraged.
      • Weekly sound projects to build upon your final project.
      • Final Project (work on throughout the quarter)
  • Participation (30%)
    • Show up! Talk to each other! Talk about work!
  • 2 Submissions to festival or 2 professional performances/shows
    • invite everyone!
  • Final Project (50%)
    • Final Presentation and/or Performance
    • Breakdown of final project
      •  %60 - project's quality, depth and interoperability between other projects
      •  %20 - 800-850 words paper with 3 references about your project. Due Nov 30, 2005
      •  %20 - documentation website that includes the images from the show and sound excerpts (extra credit for having your personal website for your work and this documentation) Due Nov 21, 2005.

Office Hours

  • Before and after class, or come visit me on Mondays in the admissions office anywhere during 9-4 PM. You should still alert me if you are coming on Monday because I might have another meeting.

Communication

Visiting Artists and Field Trips (in progress)

  • Matmos (mc schmidt and drew)
  • Chris Willits (artist)
  • Josh Kit-Clayton (programmer for Cycling 74)
  • James Polanco (Fake Science Podcaster)
  • JD Gawkus (Dolby Sound Engineer)

Schedule

This schedule is tentative, but our general contract. Visiting artists and off-campus classes to be announced.

Week 1 - W 09-07 - Introduction to Sound and Remix

  • Wed
    • 1st Half - Syllabus + Introductions
      • ASSIGNMENT: Fill out your page! See Jon Phillips and copy as an example.
    • 10 minute break
    • 2nd Half - lecture + workshop
    • Go over assignment for next week


Week 2 - M 09-12, W 09-14 - Recording

  • Monday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: 1-2 page (400-800 words) proposal on your wiki page proposing your course long project, or series of projects, including any sketches, etc.
      • DUE: Your personal wiki page questions answered and page updated. (Notice the Recent Changes link on the left hand navigation as everyone can see updates, etc. Try to not update all at once, like right before class, as conflicts possibly might occur in saving.
    • Class
  • Wednesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Register an account on wikipedia.org. NOTE: This is a different wiki than this one on rejon.org. This is where you will add light-research on sound and remix topics for the duration of this course.
      • DUE: 1 project that involves 1-5 minutes of digital sound that explains your past art history. Be flexible, post up small synopsis on your wiki page (100-200 words). Be prepared to present your audio to the class and discuss it with everyone (ie, get your ideas sorted b4 class...talk them out).
      • DUE: Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording
    • Class
      • First Half
        • Presentation of pieces and discussion (how they relate to one's past work and final projects)
        • Explain adding to wikipedia each week
      • 10 minute break
      • Second Half

Week 3 - M 09-19, W 09-21 - REMIX + MESH = Mixing + Editing + Sampling + Harvesting

  • Monday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Add to week's class notes and in process 1 add to wikipedia.org - be prepared to talk 2-5 minutes about what you added
        • Add either a new topic related to sound or contribute some information to some sound-related topic from the week's class notes onto wikipedia.org
      • DUE: Bring to class 10-20 samples for your final project. Half must be recorded live and other half can be from anywhere.
    • Class
      • Last 3-4 people present intro audio project
      • Touch base on recording techniques
      • Protools + Audacity
      • MESH Lecture
        • Explain MESH concept
        • Go over how to download files and where to find content
        • Listening Examples (Ohm CD part 1)
  • Wednesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Update final project and make a timeline to get your project done that maps to the weeks for the class timeline.
      • READ: New Media and Remix Culture - intro to korean version of his Language of New Media book. Write 3 questions for this for class on your wiki page.
      • READ: Jamaican Dub Revolution. Write 3 questions for this for class on your wiki page.
      • READ: Remix History
    • Class
      • Announcements
        • Sound Art Lecture tomorrow at Rx Gallery (required!)
        • Class chatroom open (during class (and, I'm online all the time)
      • Raf and Darby presentation of howto remix music tracks etc
      • 10 min. break
      • Rest of MESH Lecture
      • Rest of Listening Examples (Ohm CD part 2)
  • Thursday
    • Nigel Helyer presentation at Rx Gallery - time TBA - mandatory to check out the space and think about final project/show

Week 4 - M 09-26, W 09-28 - Sound Art + Artists Notes

  • Monday
    • Assignments
      • READ: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_art
      • DUE: Make a contribution to the class notes and add at least one contemporary or historical sound artist and links to samples.
      • DUE: Prepare small presentation about that sound artist for class.
      • NOTE: If you have laptops this week, please bring them because we will have class in the lecture hall for sound listening.
    • Class
      • Quick presentation about sound artists (half of the class)
      • Present Sound Art
      • break
      • Protools questions?
      • Listen to Sound Art samples while adding to the class wiki


  • Wednesday
    • Assignments
    • Class
      • Rest of class presents sound artist
      • Listen to sound samples relating to concepts and talk about other artists while adding to wiki
      • Finish presenting about Sound Art

Week 5 - M 10-03, W 10-05 - Copyright, Open Source and Free Culture

  • Wednesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Sound sketch of your final project (1 10 minute audio piece or 2 X 5 minute audio pieces)
      • DUE: Burn me a cd of all of your work thus far (due at the beginning of class), including these pieces (15 people means I need 15 cds)
        • I'm going to listen to during the weekend
    • Class
      • Quickly rip through questions and concerns about final projects
      • setup date for speaker overview (who is interested)
      • No wednesday day class before thanksgiving (we will probably have more extra times during final project prep)
      • Unix/linux demo Overview Lecture
      • break
      • workshop on unix/linux

Week 6 - M 10-10, W 10-12 - Realtime

  • Monday
    • Assignments
    • Class
      • Plan out show ideas
        • Discuss times
        • Discuss concept
        • Check out website
      • Talk about patches
  • Wednesday
      • Visiting Artists/Lecturer
        • MATMOS!!!
          • 3 people should be ready to present some sound for live crit in class if time

Week 7 - M 10-17, W 10-19 - Sound Installation

  • Monday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Proposal for final show. To consider:
    • Title/Concept
    • Personal Project/Contribution
    • Group Work
    • What Equipment needed?
    • Installation Time?
    • jon firm up the schedule.
    • Class
  • Wednesday

Week 8 - M 10-24, W 10-26 - Performance + Group Show

  • Monday
    • Assignments
      • Work on project and group show leads report on progress
    • Class
      • update on status of project - Group Show
      • flier?
      • catch up from matmos lecture
      • Who can go to rxgallery this week on WED? What is the best time?
      • Lecture on Sound Installation
      • break
      • workshop: Basics of setting up a website (html/css/php/domain)
        • "This is my package, check out my package!"


  • Wednesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: People with tasks need to have ideas sorted about the show, and need to talk to everyone
      • DUE: Project for the show is pretty much final at this point. Need to talk about it.
    • Class
      • Class will meet at http://www.rxgallery.com/ at 4:15 for class to talk about the projects, space, etc
      • break
      • If time, Lecture on Performance
      • Assign that everyone must have a website for their final sound project somewhere and an email for contact.
        • BEST: Get your own site and be professional

Week 9 - M 10-31, W 11-02 - Media Streaming + Group Show


Week 10 - M 11-07, W 11-09 - Podcasting + Group Show

  • Wednesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Bring in work for show for critique and discussion (Work in progress)
        • People Presenting: Jen, Deer Fang, Raphael, Gary, Todd, Jsun, Jose... Jacob (Technical diff.)
      • DUE: Have website up that has the text for your project for rxgallery.com, any audio, and helps to connect you.
        • Extra points for your own domain name and simple / solid concept for site
        • Keep it professional!
    • Class
      • Critiques and discussion of work, logistics of work, etc.

Week 11 - M 11-14, W 11-16 - Work in Progress Critiques + Acoustics/Speakers Lecture + Group Show

  • Monday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Bring in work for show for critique and discussion (Work in progress)
        • People Presenting 2nd Round: Ashanti, Darby, Mike, Dax, Han, Kanako, Josh, Sarah
    • Class
      • Discuss rest of works
      • Questions
        • What are the threads throughout the work?
        • Are there any projects that don't work?
        • What projects do work?
  • Wednesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Work online along with 3 sound samples as MP3
        • Please either get a domain name and put up, or use a service like myspace.com or multiply.com to put up your media
        • Ideally you should add a 1-2 paragraph biography about yourself as an artist
        • Add your public site to Group Show
    • Class
      • GUEST LECTURE: Speakers and Acoustics Lecture in DMS2

Week 12 - M 11-21, W 11-23 - Guests + Max/MSP + Jitter

  • Monday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: At least 1-2 Submissions to a festival, and/or 1-2 professional performance (provide documentation) and posting materials onto your personal page from the submission.
      • DUE: Proposal for festival in envelope ready to be mailed or copy of email confirming submission of final project to something given to professor at beginning of class. Or, if professional performance, then please turn in documentation of this on a disk (solid media of some sort)
    • Class
      • GIVE JON YOUR SUBMISSIONS THAT ARE DUE
      • Meet in Lecture Hall at 6 PM - 9 PM for guest talks/presentation/lecture by Chris Willits and Josh Kit Clayton
  • Wednesday
    • NO CLASS!!! Happy thanksgiving!
    • DUE: Eat Pumpkin Pie!

Week 13 - M 11-28, W 11-30, Th 12-01 (SHOW) - Group Show

  • Monday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: If you are doing video give Todd Fiore a DV or quicktime file of your work for the show DVD
      • Bring in projects for complete workshop on all things related to the project
      • Make sure your web presence and project are on-line
      • DUE: FINAL PROJECT FOR THE FINAL SHOW
    • Class
      • Go Over Schedule for the week
      • Go Over Tasks
      • Questions?
      • Installation?
      • Who can meet on WED @ 2 - 7 PM?
      • WORKSHOP: This is fully for critiquing and discussing projects, making sure all logistics are sorted out for the night
      • One fly-by final critique of the work will happen
      • Make sure you update your wiki on the group show for the print out


  • Wednesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Final project!!!
      • DUE: Make sure that you can come to Rx Gallery to install work during class hours
    • Class
      • CLASS MEETS AT RXGALLERY!!! - http://www.rxgallery.com - MANDATORY DURING CLASS (4 - 7)
      • Anyone who can come at 2 PM to help install, please do so. Will install until done.
  • JP DOING A TRUCK RUN @ 1:00PM - IN DMS.
  • THURSDAY - NIGHT OF THE SHOW (7 PM - 10 PM) - MANDATORY
  • FRIDAY - Clean-up at Rx Gallery starts at 9 AM and lasts until its done. We have to be out of there by NOON (12 PM).

Week 14 - M 12-05, W 12-07 - Documentation + Sound Follow Up

  • Monday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Final 800 words paper due for the project from the group show
        • Questions to address
          • How does your project relate to sound and remix?
          • What artists do you reference with your work?
          • What would you do differently with your version 2.0 of your project?
          • How did the show transform your work and thinking about sound and remix?
        • Print out your paper and hand it in to me
        • 3 references minimum
        • ALSO: Post text to your website along with your work
      • DUE: Personal Documentation Project Due
        • This should be your own high quality representation of the project. It can be online (virtual) and/or offline (physical), yet has to be able to be combined onto one DVD for the entire class to have.
    • Class
      • Decisions on final remix
      • Review Documentation
      • Discuss Documentation
      • QUESTION: How to combine all people's documentation
  • Wednesday
    • Assignments
      • DUE: Paper and personal documentation from last class if not handed in to Tood
      • DUE: get your documentation to Todd
    • Class
      • Discuss one last assignent
      • Work on one last assignment
      • Work on documentation

Week 15 - M 12-12, W 12-14 - FINAL EXPERIMENAL PROJECT DUE

  • Monday
    • Class
      • Work on final experimental project
      • Bring in the various artists, musicians, videos, software that you have not had time to check out this semester. We will review and discuss
  • Wednesday

People

Grades

Group Show

NOTE: I moved the descriptions to the group show page.

Upcoming Events

Calls for Works

External Links 

                   oh shit.    check out this mp3.  its like a manual to our class
(its one hour long--and contains a compresssed history of sound it gets kinda heavy in the DJ Realm ) incrediblebleblebleble  ridiculous     jsun
  • Examples
    • OHM- The Early Gurus of Electronic Music (4 cds) download torrent of discs
      • "AMG REVIEW: This three-CD, 42-track compilation, spanning 1937-1982 (though largely comprised of performances from the '60s and '70s), includes pieces by many of the big names in experimental electronic music: John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Milton Babbitt, Laurie Spiegel, Robert Ashley, LaMonte Young, Morton Subotnick, and Iannis Xenakis. That alone would make this anthology impressive, but there are also contributions from composers who have made some impact with rock and pop recordings (Brian Eno, Klaus Schulze, Holger Czukay of Can, Jon Hassell), along with some names that are not commonly discussed in highbrow serious music circles (Raymond Scott), some composers not always associated with electronic music (Olivier Messiaen, Edgard Varese), and a host of names that aren't too well known beyond the avant-garde community. What is most impressive about this set, however, is that is not only serves as a reasonable overview of pre-1980 electronic music, but also is much more accessible in content to non-experts than many such compilations would have been. Contrary to the stereotype of serious electronic music as being difficult to listen to, many of the pieces are quite engaging for novices and electronic specialists alike. That's not to say there aren't plenty of more jarring or abstract pieces with minimal ambience or cut-up assemblages, or even occasional tracks that most listeners might find downright annoying (such as MEV's cacophonous "Spacecraft," mercifully placed at the very end of the first disc). On the whole, however, the set achieves the effect of both educating and entertaining, and is likely to expand the audience for a music that is too often unwilling to offer inviting introductions that might incite listeners to explore further. The 98-page booklet includes detailed track descriptions and comments, usually by the composers/performers themselves. -- Richie Unterberger"
  • SOUND RESEARCH
    • Bilateral Beats
  • The Science of Audio Based Brainwave Entrainment

http://brain.web-us.com/thescience.htm

  • The Center for Neuroacoustic Research

http://www.jeffthompson.com/registry/consult.htm

  • EUROPEAN AUDIO FRACTAL SCIENCE::Tamas Lab

Tamas Laboratorium soundscapes http://cerebrex.com/strobecd.html http://cerebrex.com/archives.htm#tamas

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