The Computer Music Tutorial

Book Description

The Computer Music Tutorial is a comprehensive text and reference that covers all aspects of computer music, including digital audio, synthesis techniques, signal processing, musical input devices, performance software, editing systems, algorithmic composition, MIDI, synthesizer architecture, system interconnection, and psychoacoustics. A special effort has been made to impart an appreciation for the rich history behind current activities in the field.

Profusely illustrated and exhaustively referenced and cross-referenced, The Computer Music Tutorial provides a step-by-step introduction to the entire field of computer music techniques. Written for nontechnical as well as technical readers, it uses hundreds of charts, diagrams, screen images, and photographs as well as clear explanations to present basic concepts and terms. Mathematical notation and program code examples are used only when absolutely necessary. Explanations are not tied to any specific software or hardware.

Curtis Roads has served as editor-in-chief of Computer Music Journal for more than a decade and is a recognized authority in the field. The material in this book was compiled and refined over a period of several years of teaching in classes at Harvard University, Oberlin Conservatory, the University of Naples, IRCAM, Les Ateliers UPIC, and in seminars and workshops in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Customer Reviews:

The vast majority of the book is still useful and relevant.......2007-02-15

Don't peruse through this book and let the pictures of people from the 1970's and 1980's working with musical instruments and synthesizers that appear to be assembled from Heathkits scare you away. This book still has vast quantities of information that are very relevant today to the person interested in computer music. In this age of "Garageband", it's just hard to find information on the mathematics of sound synthesis and signal processing as it applies to music in a detailed well-illustrated format. Of course, many people don't need this information nor do they want it - but if you do this is one of several sources that I turn to. It assumes that you know music, but that you do not have a background in mathematics past algebra, and it is wonderful at explaining what goes on mathematically in computer music so that you can turn to a language like CSound and put to work what you learn in this book. I even know some engineering students have had difficulties with certain signals and systems concepts that I refer to this book, and afterwards they are crystal clear.

The first four sections of the book are completely relevant today, and they deal with fundamentals, synthesis, mixing and signal processing, and sound analysis. That is the first 600 pages of the book. Section five, on the musician's interface, is relevant and correct as to history and the basic facts. Many of the instruments used as illustrations no longer exist, but the theory of operation is still employed today. The section does discuss the "Max" software in the context of interactive performance, and Max is still used in various forms. Other systems such as MODE, MacMix, and NoteWriter, are now obsolete. However, even these sections are worthwhile in talking about how such systems work even if these particular systems are defunct.

Section six, on Internals and Interconnections, is probably the section with the most obsolete material, and even then it is not that bad. The sections on MIDI and the internals of digital signal processors are good detailed explanations. DSP hardware and dataflow are especially clearly explained. However, in the chapter on system interconnections, we are in a time gone by as there is much material on how to connect to devices no longer in existence such as the 2-track and 4-track recorder. Section seven is a very short one on psychoacoustics. It is not that it is dated, it is just a very short introduction to the subject. Among the appendices, there is a very useful section on the details of Fourier analysis. This is essential knowledge for the computer musician.

I would still highly recommend this book. Just recognize that a very few sections - and a good number of the photographs of actual equipment - are dated.

Cmt.......2005-09-28

Nice book.
Although it may seem outdated, trying to making up one's mind one has to consider a few things:

It's true that synthesis techniques have evolved in a very impressive way during theese 20 years (the book as you may guess has been written during the 80's), but it's also true that many of today's so called "new" synthesis techniques (as some software synthesis companies are fond of saying) are simply the natural evolution of past ones.
Just to give you an example the plugin "melohman" by ohmforce can be viewed as moving wavetable synthesis tool combined with ring modulation and effects like delay filters etc.

On the other hand, some chapters like ones on music equipment or software for algoritmic composition -fields in which technology plays a very important role- do are really outdated.

Cmt is a very complete book, it covers most important fields involved in electronic music composition, as one can see stepping through the index. Explanation of FFT calls for a review of trigonometry and algebra if you didn't studied them well at school, like me for example.

This review must come to an end, so here it is:
If you are/want to become self-taught serious about computer music and you like to make music with softwares like Pure Data or Max/MSP this book is a good place to start. Buy it.
Profund understanding of the possibilities of synthesis techniques or effects design of course requires more specifc scientific/academic readings.

Muy buena heramienta.......2005-08-28

El texto es muy claro, con una gran profusión de gráficos y ejemplos. Lástima que no lo haya en castellano

King of Kings.......2004-03-02

If your looking for a definite guide to computer music and synthesis, this is the book. There is no other book like it. The writting style is clear and concise. The subject at hand is never confused and made as simple as possible without fluffing on the details.
Although it is a technical book with plenty of calculus functions it can easily be read by the non-technical as the math is more a by-product of the explaination than the focus.
If your very new to computer music and synthesis I might get this book and another called ~ Sound, Synthesis & Sampling by Martin Russ. Between the two there is very little to know before you can start focusing an one particular synthesis method.

excellent.......2003-12-26

Some parts are a bit arcane, but this book mostly succeeds in explaining mathematical principles of audio synthesis to the musician who doesn't know much math. It's a bit dense at times, but overall a great read.

Readings in Computer-Generated Music (Ieee Computer Society Press Tutorial)

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Readings in Computer-Generated Music (Ieee Computer Society Press Tutorial)

Manufacturer: Ieee Computer Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0818627476

Music retrieval: a tutorial and review.: An article from: Foundations and Trends in Information Retrieval

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Music retrieval: a tutorial and review.: An article from: Foundations and Trends in Information Retrieval
Nicola Orio
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Business | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Foundations and Trends in Information Retrieval, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2006. The length of the article is 29880 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Music retrieval: a tutorial and review.
Author: Nicola Orio
Publication: Foundations and Trends in Information Retrieval (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Page: NA

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Csound : a manual for the audio processing system and supporting programs with tutorials

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Csound : a manual for the audio processing system and supporting programs with tutorials
Barry Vercoe
Manufacturer: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006QPRMO

Developing an intelligent music tutorial: An investigation of expert systems and their potential for microcomputer-based instruction in music theory

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Developing an intelligent music tutorial: An investigation of expert systems and their potential for microcomputer-based instruction in music theory
John W Schaffer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

The MEDICI tutorial in melodic dictation (CMR report)

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The MEDICI tutorial in melodic dictation (CMR report)
Steven R Newcomb
Manufacturer: Florida State University, School of Music
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00071XGTY

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The MUSIC tutorial for UTSA
Gerald W Adkins
Manufacturer: University of Texas at San Antonio, Computer Resources
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006Y0OBU

PLA, a tutorial and reference manual (Report / Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music)

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PLA, a tutorial and reference manual (Report / Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music)
Bill Schottstaedt
Manufacturer: CCRMA, Dept. of Music, Stanford University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00071FBE2

The Fundamentals of Drawing Landscapes: A Practical and Inspirational Course
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The Fundamentals of Drawing Landscapes: A Practical and Inspirational Course

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0760755256

Product Description

Synopsis What is a landscape? It can be a stunning view in unspoilt countryside. It can also be much closer to home. According to Barrington Barber's definition, a landscape is any view and can be found in towns and cities as easily as rural areas. Just look out of your window and you will find a landscape worthy of your attention. The book begins by outlining the key areas you need to master and then takes you through each one in detail, incorporating practices, approaches and examples that will extend the range of options available to you when you go out in search of worthwhile subjects.

Book Description

The first authoritative, comprehensive study of photography from a purely aesthetic point of view, spanning its history from the daguerreotype to modern photo-reportage. With 240 superb examples of the photographer's art by Julia Margaret Cameron, Jacob Riis, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Andre Kertesz, Eugene Atget, Man Ray, Edward Weston, and many others.

Customer Reviews:

A good introduction from the beginnings to the 50's or so.......2007-01-03

The history of photography from the early ages (1830s) to the (then) current times, the late 50's (the book is a reprint from 1962.) The book proceeds chronologically with, for each era, a wealth of photographs. The general feel of the book is more of a history book than an art book, even if some chapters are organized around specific art movements, such as "impressionnistic photography" or "the aesthetic movement." Each movement is well explained in its historical context. An overall good read.

An excellent, if somewhat dated, history of photography.......2006-06-13

Gernsheim writes a history of photography concerned with aesthetic trends, especially the evolution of visual styles in photography in response to changing styles in painted art, and vice versa. His central argument is that photography is a legitimate art form and ought to have its own standards and mores. This point may have been more controversial in 1961, when the book was first published, but I suspect Gernsheim's insistence dates to an even earlier era, perhaps the 1930s, when the role of photography in art was less settled.

Gernshein's contempt for photographic technology is refreshing; this book is the inverse of a typical "buy hot gear!" photo magazine.

The book contains many photos, all black and white, reasonably well printed. The cover is very cheap and my copy showed a marked crease after only one reading.

Creative Photography: Aesthetic Trends 1839-1960

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Creative Photography: Aesthetic Trends 1839-1960
Helmut Gernsheim
Manufacturer: Bonanza Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H18L2Q

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Creative Photography: Aesthetic Trends, 1839-1960
Helmut Gernsheim
Manufacturer: Boston Book & Art Shop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0571055427

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Creative Photography : Aesthetic Trends 1839-1960
Helmut Gerhsheim
Manufacturer: Bonanza Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O6G0EK

Customer Reviews:

Another Great "Peanuts" Gift Book!.......1998-01-19

This another great "Peanuts" gift book, although it has the same problem that I've had with all "Peanuts" gift books - I find them too short! There is a huge supply of love-themed "Peanuts" comics out there, and I'd love to see Henry Holt put out a new edition with more of them. Still, even at this size, this book is a great buy for $7. Kind of like a "Peanuts Classics" book, it features comics from the '60s/'70s through the early '90s. I would recommend this to any "Peanuts" fan wanting a Valentine's Day, or just love, collection.

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LOVE AND KISSES, SNOOPY (CORONET BOOKS)
CHARLES MONROE SCHULZ
Manufacturer: CORONET BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0340268018

We love you, Snoopy;: Selected cartoons from Snoopy come home

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We love you, Snoopy;: Selected cartoons from Snoopy come home
Charles M Schulz
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007E2S7W

Snoopy: Love Is Liking People. No. 4, Super Snoopy Book. (Chinese/English Text).

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Snoopy: Love Is Liking People. No. 4, Super Snoopy Book. (Chinese/English Text).
Charles M. Schultz
Manufacturer: RM Enterprises.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 9576181380

Expectations: A completely unexpected guide to planned & unplanned parenthood
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Expectations: A completely unexpected guide to planned & unplanned parenthood
Andre Sala
Manufacturer: Perigee Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0399505164

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Unplanned Parenthood
Liz Carpenter
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0517284766
Release Date: 1998-11-17

Book Description

Liz Carpenter has been a speech writer, a press secretary, a lecturer, and a well-known Texas character, but nothing prepared her for being a mother the second time around (.
"On his deathbed three years ago, the man she calls 'my soul mate' asked her to take care of his children (.So she opened her Austin home with its chintz-covered couches, and in flopped three teenagers....On the Mount Rushmore of child-rearing--Benjamin Spock, T. Berry Brazelton, Penelope Leach--a fourth face has been etched: Liz Carpenter's."
--The Dallas Morning News
"I wish Liz Carpenter would adopt me. This book tells why."
--Bill Moyers
"Carpenter's how-to on raising somebody else's kids is a frequently hilarious, often-poignant, engagingly homespun road map of inter-generational side trips into unexplored territory where older Americans might once have feared to roam....Not merely did they put her through every torture (but they did it to her at an age when she should have been sitting back with her feet up, sipping a glass of wine and doing the crossword puzzle."
--The Washington Post
"I found the book both moving and wise. Hell, it made me cry. Yeah, sure Liz is funny. Liz is always funny. But Liz is not always funny, moving, and wise. That is why this book is a good value for the money."
--Molly Ivins
"An engaging, if wry, account of her surrogate motherhood--and the undisciplined, confused children she took into her home (.Her stamina is amazing. But her charges had to make adjustments, too. She is quick to acknowledge they brought her a completely new perspective on life, liberty and the pursuit of understanding."
--Detroit Free Press
"It's funny! It's right on target for the nineties! Liz Carpenter, Texas's favorite earth mother, inherits three teenagers and rolls it into a hilarious saga of what it is like to raise 'em at age seventy-three."
--Fannie Flagg

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Unplanned Parenthood : The Confesions of a Septuagenarian Surrogate Mother

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Unplanned Parenthood : The Confesions of a Septuagenarian Surrogate Mother
Liz Carpenter
Manufacturer: Random House, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HNC11G

Unplanned Parenthood: The Social Consequences of Teenage Childbearing

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Unplanned Parenthood: The Social Consequences of Teenage Childbearing
Frank F. Furstenberg
Manufacturer: Free Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Teenagers | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0029110300

Unplanned parenthood: The social consequences of teenage childbearing 1976 Edition HARDCOVER

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Unplanned parenthood: The social consequences of teenage childbearing 1976 Edition HARDCOVER
Frank F. Jr. Furstenberg
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OC0D2O

Birth control experience among pregnant adolescents: The process of unplanned parenthood

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Birth control experience among pregnant adolescents: The process of unplanned parenthood
Frank F Furstenberg
Manufacturer: [Society for the Study of Social Problems]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Family Planning | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00072VUP0

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Unplanned Parenthood
Liz Carpenter
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O68LEW

The Inner Nature of Music and the Experience of Tone: Selected Lectures from the Work of Rudolf Steiner
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The Inner Nature of Music and the Experience of Tone: Selected Lectures from the Work of Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Manufacturer: Steiner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Theory | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Theosophy | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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