Computer Music (MUSC 216)

Why do CDs sound better than old vinyl records? How can you make a keyboard sound like a big brass band? How are rap musicians able to assemble sounds like visual artists' collage images? The answer--technology, and in particular, computer technology. In MUSC 216 you'll learn about this technology. You'll learn how to use it to create your own sounds and, if adventurous, create your own musical compositions. In our information-based society, software has revolutionized the way music is communicated. Like a word processing document, a musical composition (or any sound data) can be edited and manipulated on a computer. From basic acoustic principles, computers can also create new sounds, new instruments. Computers can even be used to create new music.

In Computer Music, you'll design an instrument and hear it! You'll learn what digital audio is and how you can use it to create sounds and musical compositions. You'll hear some of the current radio hits and see how computers are used in their making. You'll hear the work of very avant-garde composers who are creating new sounds and giving us new insights into what music is and how we hear it.

This class is taught in the Wilson Hall Electronic Classroom, where you'll be using a computer to construct, hear (and see!!!) sounds. You don't need to read music to take this course, but you should be ready to be creative and explore a new world.

Prerequisite: A 100-level computer science course or the consent of the instructor.

"A great class. I would recommend it to anybody."
--former student, on a course evaluation form

Credit?
Arts and Science--professional
Engineering--elective
Peabody--check catalog for specific major

Return to Music to Go or go to Discovering Music Creatively: Composition for the Novice.