Week 2 and Week 1 - Warren Burt and Robin Minard

Week 2 - Warren Burt

The Mac OSX operating system was covered in this weeks creative computing class. I have had some experience with the Mac format, but I have been using Windows for so long it’s going to take me a while to slip back into Mac mode. Stupid one button mouse. It’s the same deal for the AMS, really, as I have had some experience with MIDI systems, but it still comes down to working with a Mac.

In Audio Arts we were shown the signal flow between the 01V deck, ProTools and the dead room in Studio 2. Using the signal test radio (on Fresh FM *shudder*), it was shown that a microphone plugged into ‘Studio 2 - 1’ went straight to channel 1 of the 01V deck, then was normalised through the patch bay into track one in ProTools. I plan to practice patch cabling a lot, so I don’t have to fumble around for 10 minutes every time I want to use studio 2.

Warren Burt has indisputably helped shape the digital music age we are in today. His optimistic view of any technological advancement and an obsession to create, understand and/or improve any new noise fabrication technology that has emerged throughout his career has been groundbreaking. His idea of creating a ‘new form of musical community’ is understandable when examining the position that the music culture is in today, with much less of an emphasis on live performance (1) and the explosion of MP3. He has produced many pioneering masterpieces, such as his work on the ‘Aardvarks IV’ composition machine he built, as well as various other pieces very suited to the modernist age.

In his talk for our forum, Warren presented a brief outline of his expansive career, and I was very impressed with the scope of sound research he has been involved in, such as micro tonality. Also included was a behind-the-scenes look at some of his performance work, such as a piece that he will be performing somewhere in Hindley Street. As an extra twist, he decided to use the sound of a church organ as the instrument performing the piece, as this would seem very out of place in the middle of the night on a real dodgy street. Using a mathematical algorithm, a seemingly random melody was played by a computer, with a visual representation being displayed through the projector. While this was interesting, I can’t imagine why it would need to be played all night long on a public street. I found it to be very dull after about 15 seconds, thanks to the lack of comprehensible melody or rhythm. See my other blog if you can be bothered reading my psycho-analysis of music and sound. I wanted to hear some of his other works, so I found this MIDI file that uses micro tonality. I’ll give you $10 if you can sit through the whole thing.


(1) Burt, Warren. “Experimental Music in 2005” World Literature Today Article and MP3s. May-August 2005. http://www.ou.edu/worldlit/onlinemagazine/ Accessed on 10/03/2006

Warren Burt, "Artist Talk – Composing with Technology." Lecture presented at the Electronic Music Unit, EMU space, University of Adelaide, 09/03/2006.

Christian Haines, “Creative Computing - OSX and AMS” presented at the Audio Lab, Schulz Building, University of Adelaide, 09/03/2006.

Christian Haines, “Audio Arts - Studio 2 Signal Flow” Lecture presented in Studio 2, Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide, 07/03/2006.



Week 1 - Robin Minard


Our first audio arts class was only an overview of the semester’s topics and such, which is what I’ve been doing for every other class so far. During the tour of the studios, I realised the extent at which the University of Adelaide has gone to support the field of Music Technology. Studio 2 seems like it has about $30 grand worth of recording and mixing equipment, and I was struggling not to drool at the sight of the C|24 mixing desk in Studio 1 with its motorised faders. I have used a relatively advanced recording studio throughout years 11 and 12 in high school, but the Uni setup is on a whole new professional level. I am a bit nervous about ProTools, as every other person I have spoken to has had experience with it, and I have never heard of it before. Perhaps I’ve lived a sheltered life?

Apart from some assigned readings on the EMU website, we mostly covered course outlines, rules and regulations etcetera during Creative Computing. I am still a little curious as to what this class actually involves, but I will probably find out when we start getting assignment topics.

Robin Minard was the guest speaker in our first forum. I didn’t know what to expect to happen in these forums, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Canadian born Minard studied composition in his home country as well as in Paris, and since the 1980’s his major focus has been sound installation art.(1) An installation that is of particular interest to me is “Silent Music” (1994-95). In museums throughout Germany, Minard created a sound installation, consisting of 100 to 500 high-frequency loudspeakers. This work is intended for use in quiet public places or galleries, with the sounds being emitted creating a ‘colour‘ for the environment. Minard arranged the speakers such that they appeared organic in the environment, even making them ’grow’ attracted to a light source in the room.(2)

Minard’s work is the first truly artistic collection of compositions that I have seen/heard, and his use of sound, structure and aesthetics to make a collage of visual and auditory mediums is quite inspiring. I would love to visit one of his exhibits while he is in town for the Fringe, and experience his work in person. While I normally conform to the mainstream views of what music is, regarding harmony, melody and rhythm, this forum has showed me a new perspective. I believe that Minard’s creations are leaning more towards art than music, but he still uses his musical experience and knowledge in the application of sounds used for spaces. I wish I had 500 speakers in my bedroom.


(1)Robin Minard, Lecture presented at Bauhaus Universität, Weimar, Germany: 'Between Sound Art and Acoustic Design' http://www.acc-weimar.de/ (Accessed 03/03/2006) Direct link to article

(2) Institut für Elektronische Musik und Akustik “Silent Music 1994-95” http://iem.at/ (Accessed 03/03/2006) Direct link to article

Robin Minard. "Artist Talk – Sound Installation Art." Lecture presented at the Electronic Music Unit, EMU space, University of Adelaide, 2nd March 2006.