Week 4 - Headphones and David Harris

Creative computing this week involved editing PCM files and the issues with zero crossing. I have covered most of these things through my music tech classes in high school, but it is good to get refreshed on things that I learnt four years ago. I didn’t know that PCM meant Pulse Code Modulation. The picture on the left is of a section of music that made a ‘pop’ sound. Zero crossing, where art thou? In Audio Arts we covered headphone monitoring and using the patch bay effectively. I am still a bit confused about how the headphone amplifier works, so I will have to delve into that in my spare time.

The following is the Lite description of the forum, as I had to shave off 200 words to make the limit. If you can be bothered with the Maxi version, it's right here.

When people were taking their seats for the Thursday workshop, there was a piece of music playing called “Sweet Air” by David Lang. It sounded familiar, and I deciphered that the melody and harmonies were looping, yet the rhythm that they were being played with was looping at a quicker rate. It turns out I have been paying attention in Introduction to Theory and Analysis, as this form of music is called isorhythm. The result was harmonically sound, yet intellectually stimulating due to the regular changing of the timing. A nice start to the lesson, but a false pretence for the following ‘song‘.

The next piece, “Surf Music II” by Jack Vees, was certainly a tangent to the planned structure of the ‘entrance’ music. There were some fantastic effects at the start that I’m sure took a long time to create, like some of the upper-harmonics that would beat against each other while seeming to pan around the room. As the song moaned on with the deep, dying elephant sound, the collaboration of effects seem to get less organised, conjuring images of audio mixing with a food processor. I've found a real cool Jack Vees piece-Strummage.

“Fog Tropes II” by Ingram Marshall ironically could have been called “Surf Music II”. With the Kronos string quartet playing ever-so-slightly modulating harmonies, the tranquil boat/whale-ish sounds added environmental depth to the emotion present in the music. As the piece moves on from the introduction, the tuned harmonies became more and more scarce, and anticipation for the next resolute chord increased, until the song reaches a violent climax of upper-partials and senselessness. If I must be critical, in the second half there were human voices and possibly a pan-flute quietly polluting the concept of solidarity created by the strings. Ingram Marshall has also done a similar piece called Dark Waters.

Now to my favourite, Michael Gordon’s “Trance IV”. Beginning with his trademark ‘Irrational Rhythms’(1), with seemingly just a saxophone and xylophone playing the exact same melody at the start, it becomes apparent that there are many more instruments playing. Gradually, a saxophone begins to break away from the main rhythm, playing just out of time. Enter a third sax, and two more xylophones all playing the same melody just after one another, and it’s only just getting started. In comes 3 trumpets and suddenly it becomes difficult to locate specific instruments. As complication increases, what needs to be added? How about asking BassSatan and OverdriveGuitarDemon to kick in with a head-bashing death metal riff, and while you’re there, molest a drum kit to get some palpitating psycho-rhythm.

Then Stop.




(1) Article by Michael Gordon’s Publisher for cantaloupemusic.com, “Michael Gordon” http://www.cantaloupemusic.com/artists.html#gordon (Accessed 24/03/2006)

David Harris. "Music Technology Workshop / Artist Talk – David Harris." Lecture presented at the Electronic Music Unit, EMU space, University of Adelaide, 23 March 2006.

Christian Haines. "Audio Arts - Studio 2." Practical class presented at Studio 2, Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide, 21/03/2006.

Christian Haines. “Creative Computing - PCM Files and Editing.” Practical class presented at Audio Lab, Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide, 23/03/2006