Postgraduate Course: Sonic Structures (ARCH11009)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Architecture and Landscape Architecture |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://digital.eca.ed.ac.uk/sdhandbook/2008/08/sonicstructures-coursedescription/ |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | On this course students study how to shape sound over time, and learn methods of controlling the form of sound in changing contexts.
Sound designers are often commissioned to produce fixed audio that is custom-fit to picture or play but there is a growing need to expand on this technique and provide audio that can quickly be configured for dynamic contexts.
This course allows students to explore sound-based interaction methods in the context of digital media and to a lesser degree, product and prototype design.
Lectures cover a range of areas based on the development of interactive software systems for manipulating, sampling and synthesising sound in real-time. Students will investigate processes and contexts for the use of sound in areas such as sonic branding, industrial sound design, sonification, sound therapy, audio-visual performance, network-based multi-user applications and immersive simulation environments.
Student projects will be developed using the software programming language MaxMSP. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
¿ skills in programming interactive sound environments, i.e. A detailed knowledge of the MaxMSP programming language (http://www.cycling74.com)
¿ understanding of issues of interaction raised in complex multimedia environments
¿ ability to articulate the usefulness of multiple audio components in a media or object-based environment (e.g. music, sound effects, soundscape¿)
¿ ability to translate adventurous design ideas into a plausible end product.
¿ ability to communicate a complex project idea to a varied audience |
Assessment Information
Max Quiz ¿ Attendance at tutorials, seminar notes and submission of tutorial work 10%
Submission 1 ¿ research and software prototype 40%
Submission 2 ¿ completed sound design with software and documentation 50% |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
The lecture titles below are a guide only, changes are likely.
01 ¿ Introducing MaxMSP, the course and sonic structures
02 ¿ Sequencing and Sampling
03 ¿ Granulation
04 ¿ Seminar ¿ Auditory Earcons and Icons
05 ¿ Waveshaping
06 ¿ Seminar ¿ Case Study ¿ Sound Design for Daimler with special guest speaker Hannes Raffaseder from the University of St Pölten
07 ¿ Listening to the Environment: fitting in and standing out ¿ Using the FFT
08 ¿ Procedural audio introduction
09 ¿ Seminar ¿ Sonification
10 ¿ Practical performance/presentation session 01
11 ¿ Practical performance/presentation session 02
12 ¿ Presentations |
| Transferable skills |
¿ skills in programming interactive sound environments, i.e. A detailed knowledge of the MaxMSP programming language (www.cycling74.com)
¿ understanding of issues of interaction raised in complex multimedia environments
¿ ability to articulate the usefulness of multiple audio components in a media or object-based environment (e.g. music, sound effects, soundscape¿)
¿ ability to translate adventurous design ideas into a plausible end product.
¿ ability to communicate a complex project idea to a varied audience |
| Reading list |
Dan Gärdenfors ¿ Auditory Interfaces (Essay)
www.jld.se/dsounds/auditoryinterfaces.pdf
William Gaver ¿ Auditory Interfaces (Chapter)
www.gold.ac.uk/media/19gaver.auditory%20Interfaces.97.pdf
William Gaver ¿ Synthesizing Auditory Icons (Paper) (NB Need to be on Uni Network)
portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=169184&coll=portal&dl=ACM
Seminar reading includes;
Bussemakers, M., & De Haan, A. (2000). When it Sounds like a Duck and it Looks like a Dog¿ Auditory icons vs. Earcons in Multimedia Environments in
PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUDITORY DISPLAY (ICAD, 184¿189. Retrieved from citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.24.4053
You can download it here; www.icad.org/websiteV2.0/Conferences/ICAD2000/PSs/Bussemakers.ps
You will also be expected to learn the Sound Design programming system MaxMSP; http://www.cycling74.com |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Industrial sound design, procedural audio, computer sound processing, real-time audio, MaxMSP |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Martin Parker
Tel: (0131 6)50 2333
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Shanika Gunasekera
Tel: (0131 6)51 5740
Email: |
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