Courses

This course engages an active Electro-Acoustic performing ensemble as a site for composing interactive performance systems that may be purely digital, hybrid electronic/acoustic, or may manifest across multiple media including spatialized light, sound, haptics and projected visuals. Students develop and perform with an interactive system, iteratively refining this over the course of the term. This 'digital instrumental system' is tested weekly in a performative context defined by rehearsals of the Electro-Acoustic Orchestra. Design and composition of instrumental systems centre around performer or conductor gestures via sensing and new controllers, or around sounds generated by ensemble members. Topics explored include movement and gesture in electroacoustic music, sound analysis and processing, digital instrument design, and the aesthetics of interactive music/media performance practice. Interactive performance systems from the course will be presented in public concerts each term, both on York campus as well as at venues in downtown Toronto. Cross-listed with GS/DIGM 5070 3.0.

This course prepares students to compose and perform interactive music and sound art using computational means. Students learn the fundamental programming techniques required to realize algorithmic music compositions and interactive performance systems. Following the paradigms of composer/performer and of the composed-instrument, students' projects focus on writing an interactive composition (solo or ensemble) for their classmates, and developing an interactive performance system for personal expression. Topics include orientation to algorithmic composition principles, sound analysis/processing/synthesis methods, developing new interfaces for musical expression, and fundamentals of acoustics and auditory perception as they relate to computational music and sonic art creation. Contemporary research-creation practices in these arts are introduced, and contextualized relative to the rich historical, aesthetic and conceptual literature in the field of Computer Music. Integrated with DATT/MUSI 4071.