Microsound

by Curtis Roads

Overview

Below the level of the musical note lies the realm of microsound, of sound particles lasting less than one-tenth of a second. Recent technological advances allow us to probe and manipulate these pinpoints of sound, dissolving the traditional building blocks of music—notes and their intervals—into a more fluid and supple medium. The sensations of point, pulse (series of points), line (tone), and surface (texture) emerge as particle density increases. Sounds coalesce, evaporate, and mutate into other sounds. Composers have used theories of microsound in computer music since the 1950s. Distinguished practitioners include Karlheinz Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis. Today, with the increased interest in computer and electronic music, many young composers and software synthesis developers are exploring its advantages. Covering all aspects of composition with sound particles, Microsound offers composition theory, historical accounts, technical overviews, acoustical experiments, descriptions of musical works, and aesthetic reflections.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262681544
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	08/20/2004
Series:	The MIT Press
Edition description:	BK&CD-ROM
Pages:	424
Product dimensions:	8.13(w) x 9.13(h) x 1.13(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Curtis Roads is Associate Professor of Media Arts and Technology, with a joint appointment in the Department of Music, at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	vii
	Acknowledgments	ix
	Overview	xi
1	Time Scales of Music	1
2	The History of Microsound from Antiquity to the analog Era	43
3	Granular Synthesis	85
4	Varieties of Particle Synthesis	119
5	Transformation of Microsound	179
6	Windowed Analysis and Transformation	235
7	Microsound in Composition	301
8	Aesthetics of Composing with Microsound	325
9	Conclusion	349
	References	353
	Appendixes
Appendix A	The Cloud Generator Program	383
Appendix B	Sound Examples on the CD	389
	Name Index	399
	Subject Index	403

What People are Saying About This

David Zicarelli

Microsound offers an enticing series of slice 'n' dice audio recipes from one of the pioneering researchers into the amazingly rich world of granular synthesis. I can't wait to try these at home.

Miller Puckette

Roads has assembled a thorough survey of software and techniques for granular synthesis, and provides a useful discussion of related musical practices and aesthetic implications that arise.

Endorsement

Roads has assembled a thorough survey of software and techniques for granular synthesis, and provides a useful discussion of related musical practices and aesthetic implications that arise.

—Miller Puckette, Professor, Department of Music, University of California San Diego

From the Publisher

The 'final frontier' of computer music is undoubtedly microsound—the quantum level of acoustics—and Curtis Roads boldly leads us into this new domain, which will become increasingly important in the twenty-first century. In providing the history, theory, and compositional practice of the micro scale of sound design, Roads clearly lays out the roadmap to this exciting and challenging area of digital research. The book is destined to become the standard reference in the field for years to come.

—Barry Traux, Professor, Simon Fraser University

The best survey to date of real-time machine techniques for musical composition, performance, and improvisation.

—Miller Puckette, Professor, Department of Music, University of California San Diego

Barry Traux

The 'final frontier' of computer music is undoubtedly microsound—the quantum level of acoustics—and Curtis Roads boldly leads us into this new domain, which will become increasingly important in the twenty-first century. In providing the history, theory, and compositional practice of the micro scale of sound design, Roads clearly lays out the roadmap to this exciting and challenging area of digital research. The book is destined to become the standard reference in the field for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

Microsound is packed with insight and stimulating ideas.—Douglas Geers, Electronic Musician—

From the Publisher

Microsound is packed with insight and stimulating ideas.

—Douglas Geers, Electronic Musician

Reviews

Microsound is packed with insight and stimulating ideas.

Electronic Musician - Douglas Geers