Author: Keith Kothman

If you want to do simple time and pitch changes on an audio file, use the FilterWarper module. Launch Cecilia4. The editor window opens. Close the editor window, and under the File menu, choose Modules > Time > FilterWarper. The FilterWarper is designed to produce the smoothest time and pitch shifting of any granular operator…

I’ll explain a bit more about using the FilterWarper and Granulator in other posts. For now, the basics of getting started with Cecilia 4. As with all new audio programs that you run, first check the preferences under the Cecilia menu. The odd aspect of Cecilia is that you don’t want to choose Core Audio…

Reverb allows one to create a sense of depth in music. Controlling the dry (unprocessed) to wet (processed) balance can be used to move a sound from the near field (dry) to distant (reverberant). For maximum flexibility you want to use an aux track for your reverb so that you can control dry and wet…

We will be using Cecilia (version 4) for granular synthesis processing. You can download it for free for either Mac OS X or Windows at its project page on Google Code: http://code.google.com/p/cecilia4/ Cecilia is a graphical front end that uses Csound to process audio. Csound is a text-based language that is beyond what we want…

Equalization and Filtering The difference between equalization (EQ) and filtering is generally one of amount and purpose. Since EQ is form of filtering, I’m going to explain filters first. Filters A general definition for a filter is anything that changes the gain of frequencies in a sound. This definition is so general it is useless,…

Final Project – Due at Final Exam Time (12/11, 9:45 am for Section 1; 12/14, 9:45 am for Section 2) Overview Your final project adds granular synthesis to your repertoire of audio processing routines. You will create a 2.5-minute work of concrete music that uses recorded sounds from any source, processed with granular synthesis, spectral…

The final listening quiz will be during the final exam time period. Check your syllabus to see when that will be for your section. For the final listening quiz you will be asked to know composer last name, title of work, and year composed, without any word bank aids. The list can be downloaded from iLocker.…

I mentioned in class that there were email listservs for composition and for mmp (music technology). We also have Facebook groups for both areas. Listserv We use the listserv to communicate to students about upcoming events and other important announcements. You can subscribe to either or both lists with the following steps: go to http://web.bsu.edu/listserv/ucs/. From…

Multi-Track Spectral Project – Due 11/15 Overview Building on your knowledge of sample processing learned in your two-track collage, create a two-minute work of concrete music. You may use sounds from Project 1, sounds from online libraries, sample CDs in Bracken (Education Resources Desk), and/or other recorded sounds of your own choosing. Use an audio…

Convolution is a fundamental process in digital audio processing. Even if you do not specifically know that the process is happening, you know the effects of the process. Filtering, reverberation, and cross synthesis (similar to vocoding) all illustrate convolution. For example, a filter convolves its impulse response (IR) with the input signal to produce filtered output.…