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Re: [microsound] Getting started

On 5/15/07, craquemattic <craque@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

but i've never felt the rush in performing with computers that i have
singing with a 100 piece orchestra. not once. same with a lot of the
vocal repertory i've sung, there's a disconnect with the computer
that i haven't quite been able to verbalize, but someday i'll get my
brain wrapped around it.


I agree. There is also the human connection with the audience, where
they see what you are doing and respond to it in a subconscious way.
Although singing a solo without accompaniment might be worse, I've had
some hard moments performing computer pieces, namely because of the
sacrificing of this human connection. People want to see what you are
doing, or else the connection won't be quite there. Now, DJ-ing or
doing a live PA is a different matter entirely, because the audience
become the performers in their own dance interpretations of the music.
Sure there are curious pastey white computer geeks (myself often
included) who will stand with arms crossed watching for tips and
tricks, but that doesn't count as an engaged and rapt audience ;-).


> authenticity is a huge deal in music, both academic and popular.
> music that uses presets is largely deemed inauthentic and therefor
> has less cultural worth. and it is quickly exposed.



Why are presets so horrible? I agree you don't want to sound canned,
but sometimes I will load up one of a million acquired DX7 presets and
get a very nostalgic reference to whatever 80s pop song happened to
use it. The 'loops' that come with most programs though...icky. I
guess it depends on how multipurpose and generic sounding the preset
is. The more specific sounding the preset, the less likely you will be
able to pull it off without being cheesy. There is a definite art to
this...


> you mean by making a kazoo out of wax paper instead of buying a
> computer? or maybe recording the colliding beads of an abacus?
> microsound is digital music. it is computer music.

...

that said, i'm not of the opinion that all microsound must
necessarily be digital, i personally do not see computers
inextricably linked to creating this kind of music.



True true. Every vocalist is implementing FOF or VOSIM synthesis! Some
of my favorite time are just hanging out with friends doing electronic
music with just our body parts or bits of things around the flat.
Shakers and maracas are definitely microsound granular events (they
are filled with grains after all), and a mouth harp or didgeridoo is a
pretty sweet TB 303. Is a close up recording of crackling embers not
considered microsound? What about the sound of tiny hairs rising on
end (a la The Fountain)?


> there is definitely a kind of elitism here.  just because someone
> is an expert programmer certainly doesn't make them a brilliant
> musician.  programming can be music. but it can also just be
> programming. in this kind of community there is often a sense of
> authenticity that comes from writing all the code oneself.  but
> what really counts is the end result.  one could spend years
> learning how to program an ableton live style program in max/MSP.
> or you could buy the software and spend a year making music on it.

yeah, agreed. and if you take the latter route, you probably end up
being more imitative than not.

why exactly are packages like Live and Logic so expensive anyway?

is it because someone else has already done the footwork?

so are we paying for convenience?


Hmmm I don't think so. I think we are paying for craftmanship and
skill. You can build a violin for free, but a Stradivarius will sound
better. Open Source software is beautiful, but even the prime example
of successful open source technology (FireFox) got its start as a
proprietary project. I'm a big fan of the idea that companies open up
their source code if it is older than say 7 years, or if they go under
it should become public domain or GNU-ish.

I got over my dork pride long ago when I realized that I had limited
time to spend reinventing the wheel, and that I was spending hours
making patches rather than music. Now if the 'wheels' I'm using don't
have a certain tread, I'll change that, but there's no need building a
new axel if you've already got one that works fine.

~Kyle
--

http://theradioproject.com
http://perhapsidid.blogspot.com

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