CMNS 358-4               SOUND RECORDING:  THEORY AND USES                   Fall 2004

 

Instructor:                            David Murphy, AQ2002, phone 291-3623, email: davidcot@sfu.ca

                                                website:          www.sfu.ca/sonic-studio/

 

Seminar/Lab:                       Tuesdays, 12:30 - 3:20 p.m., 6204 RCB.

                                                Thursdays, 1:30 - 3:20 p.m., 6204 RCB.

 

Prerequisites:                     CMNS 258-3 and permission of the Instructor.

 

This course is concerned with the theory and practice of production in the Sonic Research Studio. Technical and conceptual issues are presented in class and used as the basis for a number of individual audio productions submitted for grades (see below).

 

Texts:

 

CMNS 358 Studio Notes; Equipment Notes; Readings

B. Truax (ed.), Handbook for Acoustic Ecology. CD-ROM version, Cambridge Street Publishing 1999.

R. Runstein & D. Huber, Modern Recording Techniques. Indianapolis: Sams, 1995 (TK 7881.6 H85 1995), chapters 5, 6, 10, 11.

 

Note:  Each student will be asked to pay $20. for the course notes that are provided.

 

References:

 

D. Keane, Tape Music Composition.  Oxford University Press, 1981. (MT 41 K4)

S. Alten, Audio in Media, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1990. (TK 7881.4 A46 1990)

J. Woram, Sound Recording Handbook, Howard Sams, 1989. (TK 7881.4 W68 1989)

T. Zaza, Mechanics of Sound Recording, Prentice Hall, 1991. (TK 7881.4 Z39 1991)

T. Zaza, Audio Design (Sound Recording Techniques for Film & Video), Prentice Hall, 1991.
(TK 7871.4 Z39)

Contemporary Music Review (ML 197, C752) vol. 15(1-2), A Poetry of Reality.

 

Recommended Listening:

 

Glenn Gould, The Solitude Trilogy, CBC Records CDs (ML 417 G69 A345) 

Consult the Fine Arts room in the Library for other works, e.g. soundscape compositions

 

Grading:

 

Your grade will be based solely on the studio projects you complete (see page 3 for more details).  These will consist of:

 

#

Assignment

Due Date

% of Grade

1

An introductory exercise (voice modification);

Sept. 16

10%

2a

Studio Project: Timber/Spectrum

Oct. 21

15%

2b

Studio Project: Rhythm/Texture/Space

Oct. 21

15%

3

Final Project: a major tape project (6-10min)

Dec. 2

40%

 

Mid-term terminology exam

Nov. 13

20%

 

Alternate: Projects 2a and 2b can be combined to make one larger composition

 

The Department expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established university-wide practices with respect to both levels and distribution of grades.

 

READING ASSIGNMENTS

 

 

Although the pacing of topics will have some flexibility in the lab, the following reading assignments in the first column should be done for the date shown. And because descriptions of techniques and equipment often make a lot more sense after they've been demonstrated, it is recommended that you read the relevant sections of the Studio Notes in particular, and the Equipment Notes as reference, for a second time after the lab session.

 

 

Date                Studio Notes (SN)                             Equipment Notes (EN)                     Runstein

                       

 

 2 Sept.           Mixer Overview (SN 4-5)                  O2R Setup (EN 137-147;                Ch. 5

                        DAT Recorder (SN 47-48)                           & EN 183-189)

                        Peak (SN 37-39)                              

 

9 Sept.            Filtering (SN 12-15)                          O2R EQ (EN 148-158)                     Ch. 11

                                                                                    DAT Recorder (EN 63-72)

 

16 Sept.         Parametric Equalization                   Adap Sampler (EN 44-56)               Ch. 6

                          (SN 16-17)                                       Adap Looping (EN 57-62)

                        Ring Modulation (SN 18)                  O2R Routing (EN 159-162)

                        Level Setting (SN 6-9)

                       

23 Sept.                                                                     ProTools (EN 1-36)                          Ch. 10

                                                                                                           

                                                                                   

30 Sept          Reverberation (SN 31-32)               O2R Auxiliary (EN 163-169)                       

                          & Tape Delay Trans-                      Alesis Reverb (EN 40-43)

                          formations (SN 19-25)

                       

 7 Oct.             Tape Delay Transformations           O2R Effects (EN 170-174)              Ch. 6

                         & Phasing (SN 26-29)

 

14 Oct.            Digital Delay Unit                              Lexicon Delay (EN 37-39)               Ch. 9

                          (SN 33-36)

                       

 

21 Oct.            Dynamic Range & Envelope           O2R Dynamics (EN 175-182)

                          Control (SN 40-44)                        

 

28 Oct.            Multi-Track Recording                      DA-88 (EN 103-114)

                          (SN 45-46, 49-51)

 

  4 Nov.           Granulation & Time Stretching (SN 52-57)

 

18 Nov.                                                                       Digital Effects Processor (EN 73-102)

 

 

Note:               All of the "References" listed on page 1 contain useful additional information and background to supplement these readings.

EXERCISES AND PROJECTS

 

Project Submission:  Projects may be handed in on DAT, CD, or stereo half-track tape. Clearly identified on the box: Name, Date, Assignment #, Title, and IDs or leader at the start of each program.

 

Project Notes:

 

(1)       Record a short segment of voice reading (several takes may be needed).  Using small speed variations and equalization, record three variations of the voice. Include your original at the start of the tape.

 

(2)       Materials for the following exercises:  Studio record a short segment of voice [it may be from the same material as in (1)] or other vocal material and studio record a sound object.  Alternatively, the sound object may be field recorded, but the quality must be excellent.  One set of source material is used for each of the following two exercises. The sampler and digital editors (Peak & Adap) may be used to loop or generate modified versions of your material.

 

(A)       Exercise in timbre and spectrum:  Using speed changes (transposition and variable speed), bandpass filtering, equalization (1/3 octave, parametric), loops and reversal, editing, and ring modulation, create a set of timbral variants of your given sound.  Mix these together in the stereophonic format into a short composition (2 to 3 minutes).

 

(B)       Exercise in rhythm, texture, and space:  Use classical manipulations (editing, loops, reversal, echo, feedback), spatial techniques (reverberation, digital delay, panning, layering) and mixing techniques to obtain sequences of sound of rhythmic, textural, and spatial interest and definition.  Mix these together in stereophonic format into a short composition (3 to 4 minutes maximum).

 

Alternative:  Mix A and B together into a 5-6 minute composi­tion in stereo format (Project 2A+B).

 

(3)       Final Project:  This is a 6-week project of your own design, and may use field recorded or studio recorded material, or copies of material in the W.S.P. Environmental Tape Library. The piece may be in any of the standard tape medium genres:  Aural History, Documentary, First-Person Story, Text-Sound, Soundscape Composition, Abstract Sound Composition, or combinations thereof.  Most of these will be discussed in class and illustrated (see also recommended listening).  The project should be discussed with the instructor before it is begun in terms of resources needed, format, length, etc. It is strongly recommended that you use the digital multi-track tape recorder (and/or ProTools) for this project. Duration of the project depends on which genre is chosen, but normally this project will be in the 6 - 10 minute range.

RULES FOR STUDIO USE:  THESE MUST BE CONSCIENTIOUSLY FOLLOWED IF YOU ARE TO RETAIN STUDIO PRIVILEGES.

 

1.         NO smoking, eating, or drinking in the Studio; take a break in the foyer or the hall ‑‑ it will clear your head!

 

2.         If unable to use your studio time, make every possible effort to trade with someone, or have someone else use the time.

 

3.         Clean up after studio use (also a good precaution against losing things). Also, sign the studio log sheet and note any problems.

 

4.         Razor blades, splicing tape, and leader tape are provided in the studio for analog tape use.  Please use them responsibly. Purchase floppy disks and blank CDs to back up your computer soundfiles. The Jaz drives for the Mac are shared; keep your files in your own folder and do not exceed your fraction of the drive's space.

 

5.         When leaving the studio at the end of your work time:

 

(a)       Return all pots on the mixer and the digital delay to zero, and return all switches on the mixer to their off position.

 

(b)       Remove all patch cords and return to their proper storage.

 

(c)        Turn power off on all tape recorders, computers, diffusion amps and peripheral devices.

 

(d)       Shut the outer door only if you are the last person in the afternoon or evening, or if you are sure no one is coming in after you. Regular users gain access to the studio with the punch code for the outer door.

 

6.         You may work in the studio only during the day-time hours (8:30 a.m. ‑ 6:30 p.m.) until you pass a studio competency test, details of which will be provided to you early in the semester; after passing the test, you will have punch code privileges for off-hours studio use; these may be revoked at any time for irresponsible behaviour.

 

7.         You may use the studio when it is free even if it has been booked.  When the person who has booked it is more than one hour late, he/she still has priority for the remaining time but must allow the person using the studio sufficient time to finish (up to 1/2 hour).  Please co-operate as much as possible.

 

8.         Studio security is an important issue! Make sure the studio door is shut at ALL times when you are temporarily out of the room - the punch code makes it very easy to get back in quickly.  NEVER leave the door to room CC 6202 open when you are working in the studio. Other people's belongings are in that room.

HANDBOOK TERMINOLOGY

 

The following list of terms are those in the Handbook for Acoustic Ecology (book or CD-ROM) with which you should be familiar by mid-term.  At this course level you are expected to be knowledgeable about the details of these terms and their precise usage, as well as their general meaning and inter-relationship.  Many of these terms will be used and illustrated during the tutorial periods; others which you would like to have discussed should be brought up in tutorial. You are also responsible for the terminology in the Studio Notes.

 

ELECTROACOUSTIC AND TAPE STUDIO TERMS

 

Audio                                           Amplification                                 Mixing

Signal                                          Amplifier                                        Montage

Electroacoustic                          Attenuation                                    Potentiometer

                                                     Attenuator                                      Fader

Magnetic Tape                           Gain                                               Pan

Magnetic Wire                            Dynamic Range                            Linear

Bulk Eraser                                 Decibel

Channel                                       Compression                                Modulation

Crosstalk                                    Limiter                                           Carrier

Cue                                              VU Meter                                       Modulated Carrier

Dropout                                       Zero Level VU                               Sideband

Dubbing                                                                                             Amplitude Modulation

Emulsion                                     Frequency                                     Frequency Modulation

Fade                                            Frequency Response                  Demodulation

Flutter                                          Filter

Mixing                                          Centre Frequency                        (Tape) Feedback

Montage                                      Band/Bandwidth                           Acoustic Feedback

Print-through                               Spectrum                                       Phasing

Separation                                  Bass/Treble                                  Comb Filter

Splice                                          Waveform

Tape Loop                                  Sine Wave/Sine Tone                  Generator

Tempophone                              Sawtooth Wave                            Oscillator

Wow                                            Square Wave                                Oscilloscope

                                                     Triangle Wave                              Level Recorder

Transducer                                 White Noise                                  Sound Analyser

Microphone                                Equalization                                  Switch

Loudspeaker                              Presence

Baffle                                                                                                  Oral History

Enclosure                                    Signal-to-Noise Ratio                  Tape Music

Tweeter                                       Fidelity                                           Tape Recorder

Woofer                                        Hi-fi/Lo-fi                                        Tape Recording

Parabolic Reflector                    Distortion                                       Musique Concrete

Spill                                             Schizophonia                                Digital Recording

Windscreen                                Peak Clipping                               Electronic Music

Directivity                                    Rectification                                  Sound Synthesis

Binaural Recording                    Flat                                                 Sound Effect

Kunstkopf                                    Alternating Current                       Sound Object

                                                     Direct Current                               Sound Event

Stereophonic                              Hum

Monophonic

Quadraphonic

Pan

Reverberation

Azimuth