Week 7 - ProTools and Milkcrate

I was sick for the first week of holidays, thanks to nobody in particular *coughchristiancough*.

In out first week back, creative computing finally began its perilous descent into ProTools. Having not used it before this year, I certainly hope to gain some functional tips for use in my projects. It is interesting how we study a program in CC that is essential to our project in AA. Considering this crossover, I recall Stephen Whittington’s quotes from last week’s forum, namely Carola Boehm from the University of Glasgow; "To integrate an interdisciplinary field, such as Music Technology, into an academic discipline-segregated structure, such as that existing in our Universities, provides, in many ways, more challenges than opportunities: in research as well as teaching and administration”. (1) I feel our ProTools studies are a perfect example of how the ‘segregated disciplines’ of music technology are umbilically(2) connected through the application of technology itself.

Audio Arts fell on Anzac Day, so this class was nonexistent. I have had some more recording experience with honours student Tim Swalling, this session requiring us to connect a Casio MIDI keyboard into studio 1. The direct MIDI input on the back of the ProTools drive did not work, and I assume there was a setting on the keyboard itself that needed to be changed. Thanks to an anonymous tip, I ran some guitar leads straight from the L&R outputs of the keyboard into channels 3&4 ‘line in’ on the C|24 desk. While this did work, the signal level was fairly low when the keyboard was kept at a bearable volume, and was perfect when it was up full blast. To neutralise the deafening sound, I inserted a patch cable into the headphone jack on the keyboard, so the only sound audible was the signal running through C|24.

The David Harris portion of our workshop consisted of more ‘pushing the boundaries’ music. I read in someone else’s blog that they want some real perspective in the music we listen to at these sessions and I am definitely starting to agree with this view. Sure, Edgard Varese is important to the history of technologically created music, but the perspective would come from comparing Varese to say, Fatboy Slim. Drawing comparisons between history and the music it has inspired would undoubtedly get the interest levels high. In a future blog I may create my own comparisons, so watch this space. We first listened to “Voyage Des Unari Vers Androméde”, created by Iannis Xenakis (1922 - 2001) (above) in 1989.Considering this piece’s namesake of our nearest neighbouring galaxy Andromeda, there seems to be no actual reference to space itself. Made using graphs that were read by a computer, Androméde was a frightfully diverse collection of waves, with extreme high and low frequencies being reached, and possibly some ultra and subsonic sounds beyond the human ear’s perception. Next up was Garbrielle Manca’s piece, “In Flagranti” (1999). Using an acoustic guitar and a slide, Geoffrey Morris (right) played this difficult piece with ease, and I was surprised that such complexity could be composed, let alone played on a single guitar. The final piece was “Rubric” by Phil Glass (left). Created for his ‘band’, the instrumentation of this song was very much rhythmically inclined. Most of the instruments, real or synthesised, were playing the same melody in repetition, with changes in timing marking the only real progression of the song.



Seb Tomczak presented the history of Milkcrate. I have always been a fan of milk and milk products, so this interested me greatly. As you could imagine, I was disappointed to hear of the complete lack of dairy in the entire Milkcrate process. I may join in this project next year, mainly because I have this knife at home that makes a high-pitched ringing when flicked. I think I’ll bring milk, too.




(1) Carola Boehm. "Abstract.” Between Technology and Creativity,
Challenges and Opportunities for Music Technology in Higher Education. https://dspace.gla.ac.uk/bitstream/1905/82/1/BOEHM_Carola_edited3.PDF (Accessed 28/4/2006)

(2) I am well aware of this adjective not existing in the English language. Then again, how did you understand a word that doesn’t exist? Surely we only assume non-existence when we lack comprehension. Surely understanding a word ‘existifies’ it.

Seb Tomczak. “Forum Presentation: Milkcrate and Desklamps” Presented at the Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide, South Australia, 27/04/2006.

Christian Haines. “Creative Computing: ProTools” Practical class presented at the Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide, South Australia, 27/04/2006.

David Harris. “Music Technology Workshop: Pushing The Boundaries.” Lecture presented at the Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide, South Australia, 27/04/2006.