COURSE OUTLINE
Introduction to COMPUTER MUSIC
(timings are tentative)
Fall 2023
August 22
Introduction; format and goals of the course
Ways in which computers are used in music:
sound analysis/synthesis,
composition, notation, recording, etc.
Computer Music centers, organizations, venues.
Computer Music at Illinois; Computer Music Project
August 24 - 31
September 5 - 14
Elements of acoustics/psychoacoustics and programming
Acoustics and Psychoacoustics
- About computers
- representation of numbers; integers and floats
- Operating Systems languages; compilers:
- representation of sound waves; sampling rate, formats
- Object-oriented programming and C++
- UNIX/Linux
- logins, passwords;
- directories and files;
- basic UNIX commands (ls, cat, more, cd, mkdir,
rm, rmdir, etc.), sftp, ssh, putty, winscp
- available editors (gtom, emacs, edit, vi/vim)
- Audacity
September 19 - 26
September 28 - October 5
Computer-assisted (algorithmic) Composition
- stochastic distributions
- Markov chains
- sieves
- other methods used by Xenakis: Group Theory, Game Theory,
Random walks, arborescences
- genetic algorithms, cellular automata, AI
- Manifold compositions
October 10 - November 9
Using DISSCO with the interface LASSIE
- DISSCO structure: CMOD, LASS, LASSIE
- unifying synthesis and composition; object-oriented
- tutorial; XQuartz
- LASSIE and DISSCO features
November 14 - December 5