Syllabus
OVERVIEW
This course provides an introduction to modern music technology. Topics include elementary acoustics and physics of musical instruments, studio setup, principles of recording, history of music technology, digitization of audio, MIDI, computer music engraving, and the digital audio workstation (DAW). MU 1310, Fundamentals of Music Theory, is the prerequisite for this course, which in turn is the prerequisite for MU 2771, Studio Production I.OBJECTIVES
Students will learn the basics of musical physics and gain skill with Audacity (an open-source audio editor), Logic Pro (a professional software DAW), and Sibelius (music notation software) through a variety of projects.WORK EXPECTATIONS
Class lectures will be followed by short response, discussion, or exploration assignments. Assignments will include online response forms and hands-on projects in audio production/editing projects and computer music notation. There will be a midterm exam on principles of acoustic, audio, and MIDI. There is no final exam.REQUIRED MATERIALS
- An Introduction to Music Technology by Dan Hosken, 2nd ed. ISBN 9780415825733.
This will be in the UVM Bookstore but not until the first or second week of classes. I will post any needed pages online until it is stocked. Of course you can also purchase or rent it online. - Midrange (or better) over-ear headphones, or high-quality external speakers. Internal computer speakers, earbuds, and smaller, cheaper external speakers do not have the necessary fidelity. You can get good quality from an over-ear headphone for about $50, such as the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x.
- An external hard drive or large thumb drive dedicated to your project files is recommended but not required. Either way, you are responsible for your files. To be safe, you need to keep all project files in two separate locations that are under your control, such as your laptop hard drive, your UVM OneDrive cloud space, an external hard drive, or a high-capacity flash drive. The computers in the Southwick 200D Tech Lab are not reliable locations for your files!
Working at home vs. the tech lab
You may work in the Catherine Eaton Technology Lab (our classroom) during building hours and on weekends except when there is a class scheduled. Your CatCard will give you access; if it does not, let me know. That said, you will be able to do most or all of the work remotely on your own computer. If you do:- Much of the work is best done with a MIDI controller connected to your computer. A MIDI keyboard is the obvious and most usable option. Full size is nice but 2-3 octaves will suffice.
- Much of our work will be on cross-platform software, but eventually you will need to run Logic Pro, which is Mac-only.
- All applications are either freeware, or have free trial periods long enough for class purposes. Do not begin your trial versions early, or you may use up your free license.
- If you are on Mac, the Pro Apps Bundle is a great deal for students. You get perpetual use of Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, and three other applications for $199 (which is what Logic usually costs by itself).
GRADING
There will be a steady stream of lecture-response assignments, short exploration assignments, or short projects; one exam; and required, regular participation in our online discussion group. Timely completion is important in general, but in particular, lecture response assignments must be on time to receive credit.Our class discussion is on the Yellowdig platform, which you can access via Brightspace. The discussion setup and requirements are explained there. This is the only component of the course that uses Brightspace.
Principles of sound + work with Audacity 20% Midterm exam 15% Logic projects 35% Sibelius projects 20% Discussion on Yellowdig 10%
A: 94-100 A-: 90-93 B+: 87-89 B: 83-86 B-: 80-82 C+: 77-79 C: 73-76 C-: 70- 72 D+: 66-69 D: 60-65 F: <60