Rack MUE332 F21

 Here is the finished Rapper's Delight Project: Adam Rack · Rapper's Delight The AudioTool portion of this project was a lot of fun, as I got to experiment with the synthesizers and drum machines that were available and adjust some of the parameters, such as decay and equalization. I was less comfortable with the vocal part of the assignment, as I realized quickly that the mp3 I exported from AudioTool was quicker than the original rap. The words were also a little bit different from the original, so trying to practice along to that messed me up on a few occasions. I eventually settled on a recording, which had one big stumble in words but was ultimately better than other attempts. In the classroom, I can see how a project like this could be a great learning experience. Students get the opportunity to use the same tools professionals use to make beats, learning about the music industry. Plus, they get to work on their rhythm and recording skills with the rap. Still, I might ...

  Class Outline Today's class was a lecture on drum machines and digital drums: Drum Machines - Programmable devices to simulate drummers In modern times, they can be played by trigger pads These are often velocity sensitive Both real-time and step entry is available Drums sounds are loaded together as kits Digital Drums - Reproductions of acoustic drum sets Also include mallet and hand percussion models Trigger pads come in a variety of permutations and materials Often used as cheaper substitutes for full kits Can also be used in schools for ease of use Digital drums are sometimes used in marching band settings to replace instruments that cannot be exposed to harsh weather conditions We then looked into the history of each of these technologies: Drum Machine History - "Rhythmicon," invented by Leon Theremin Marketed as the world's first "rhythm machine" Ace Tone Rhythm Ace Manufactured by the company that would become Roland before they rebranded Early drum...

   Class Outline Today's class began with an exploration of loops and their use in the classroom: Loops - Infinitely repeatable snippets of prerecorded music Public domain The tempo and pitches of a loop can be changed independently With MIDI loops, every aspect of the loop can be edited Blues Activity - Many general music classrooms have units on the blues Simple blues compositions are often used as a "final project" for the unit The blues can be used to teach: Formal structure Lyrical forms (AAB) Simple chord progressions Melodic pitch content (use of the pentatonic scale for improvisation) Loops can be used to simplify the composition process We then spent some time writing a simple blues track with loops. A full description of this activity is featured later in the blog post. "Soundbreaking" Documentary - Originally broadcast on PBS Discusses aspects of musical production Each episode focuses on a different aspect of the process Episode topics include vocals...

Adam Rack · Musique Concrete  This project was a ton of fun to create since there were so many possibilities available through Audacity. I opted to make my project a series of increasing layers, starting with a "drum kit" edited from my own voice. I then used a series of hums and "doo" syllables from my voice to create the additional ostinato lines. In the editing of my voice, I shortened and elongated sections, raised and lowered pitches, reversed sounds, and added volume, equalization, and reverb effects. I would love to try something like this again with a wider variety of sound effects to work with instead of just my voice.  With modern DAW technology, the possibilities for the manipulation of "random" sounds is basically endless. Giving students a project similar to this in a simple DAW like SoundTrap could be an excellent project, as students will learn their way around the programs while composing their own music. Avoiding MIDI will keep the proje...

  Class Outline Today's class began with a crash course on the history of recorded sound: Edison's Cylindrical Recorder - Invented in 1877 Wax cylinders hold recorded data A sapphire needle deciphers the info into sound waves The needle carves into the wax to reproduce the sound Wax cylinders could hold up to 2 minutes of music, spinning at 160 RPM Video: "From Phonograph to Spotify" - The phonograph was invented in 1877 (Edison) Columbia Records introduced the Vinyl LP in 1948 Cassettes were introduced soon after Cassettes could be played on the go in cars, increasing popularity The Walkman in 1981 allowed people to take their cassettes anywhere CDs were introduced in 1982 Sales peaked in 1999 Napster arrived in 1999, allowing people to download mp3 files of nearly any song imaginable free of cost Site eventually shut down after long legal battle Spotify was introduced in 2011, revolutionizing the industry and starting the current streaming fad We then spent some tim...

Here is my version of Pachelbel's "Canon in D" in the style of Wendy Carlos' Switched on Bach : Adam Rack · Canon In D I started the project by placing the bassline into the piano roll, manipulating the synth to mimic a cello in its attack and decay, though with a longer sustain than would normally be heard in pizzicato strings. The other three parts are based on similar synth pads, with slight differences in resonance, attack, decay, and cutoff to differentiate between each part. I chose to do a large portion of the canon because I had easy access to a MIDI keyboard and knew I could simply copy and paste the MIDI data between the three "violin" parts. I found this project to be generally simple, but I liked the creative freedom in it to manipulate synthesizers in whichever way we wanted to emulate Wendy Carlos' style of sound. I would love to do another similar project in the future with a DAW with a few more tools to add automation and other process...