Controllers and Synthesizers

I’ll be travelling during all of week 5, so we won’t meet in person. Use class time strategically. You might:

  • to start developing, investigating, and experimenting with ideas for your final project
  • get ahead in other classes to make more time for this class when we resume meetings, or
  • work on that week’s assignment, which is optional, but which will be very helpful in making full and expressive performances in future assignments. The assignment is on eCampus, and the following videos walk you through the new material:

 

WaveDrag Example Performance

This video will give you some ideas of the musical ideas you can create with WaveDrag. This particular version uses two channels, controlled by Wiimotes instead of the mouse and keyboard, and it’s meant to be one part in a 4-piece ensemble, so it’s a bit fuller than you’ll be able to achieve at a times and too sparse at other times, but you might still find some licks you can borrow for your assignment—I’m using one of the same sounds you are!

Dynamics notes

Owsinski’s steps for setting a compressor, summarized:

  1. Start with slow attack and fast release (i.e., slow to act, quick to leave it alone).
  2. Lower the threshold until you see the compressor turning on and off.
  3. Make attack faster until note attacks sound dull (then back up a bit).
  4. Make the release longer to pump in tempo (ie.., release by the next note).
  5. Adjust ratio as needed.
  6. Check against the original (bypass).
  7. Check against the full mix.

Loudness war overview: Continue reading