Introduction to Digital Sound Design

Sound has always been a significant part of human experience. It shapes and transforms our everyday world.  Sounds and music are embedded in almost every aspect of daily life, from communication and artistic expression to commerce, politics, and our social and cultural identities.

This course will provide an overview of the fundamental principles of sound and the factors that determine our audio perception. It will explore techniques of recording, mixing, processing, synthesis, sampling, analysis, and editing of digital audio using freely distributed audio production software for both PC and Mac. Students will also learn an array of sound design and editing techniques for use in film and web-based media, art installations, soundscape creations, or live and internet music performances.

Week 1: THE NATURE OF SOUND

Sound

1. The Human Ear
2. The Six Properties of Sound
   Pitch
   Loudness and Amplitude
   Timbre
   Perceived Duration
   Envelope and Articulation
   Spatial Location, Diffusion, Reverberant Environment
3. Timbre and the Overtone Series
4. Music and the Human Condition
5. SOFTWARE Tutorial: Sonic Visualizer
6. Music and the Environment

Week 2: MUSIC TECHNOLOGY - BASICS

Recording

1. Microphones
2. Mixer Basics
3. Digital Audio File Formats
4. Musical Instrument Digital Interface MIDI
5. Digital Audio Effects
6. SOFTWARE Tutorial: Audacity Audio Processing

Week 3: MUSIC TECHNOLOGY - SYNTHESIS
1. Synthesis:
     Oscillators
     Filters
     Envelope Generators
     Modulation with LFOs
     Amplitude Modulation
     Frequency Modulation
     Granular Synthesis
     Physical Modeling

MIDTERM EXAM

Week 4: TUNING AND TEMPERAMENT / SOUNDATION

1. Soundation Web-based Digital Audio Workstation
2. Sound Project Using Soundation
3. Tuning and Temperament

Week 5: DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATIONS

1. Logic Pro (Mac only)
2. Avid ProTools
3. Reaktor
4. Kyma
5. Hydrogen
6. Mammut

Week 6: CREATIVE STRATEGIES
Sonification
Sound for Visual Media
Ableton Live
Max
Pure Data
Supercollider
Mobile Interactions

FINAL EXAM