Gesture, Composition, and Sound Design [0]

Pre-Class Music Mario Davidovsky Synchronism No. 6, for piano and tape

Metaphor as an Organizing Compositional Principle Metaphor - –1. a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. –2. an object, activity, or idea treated as a metaphor. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary

Gesture as a Metaphor Gesture –1. the use of motions of the limbs or body as a means of expression. –2. a movement usually of the body or limbs that expresses or emphasizes an idea or sentiment.

Beginning, Middle, End Gesture implies a finite period of time (a motion…) Finite periods of time have a beginning, middle and an end. Within the different levels of musical hierarchy, elements are finite (beginning, middle, end). –note, motive, phrase, period, section, movement, work Metaphor can link these different levels of hierarchy, or structure, through abstract ideas.

Envelopes, Sound Events, Gestures In Electronic Music, the idea of the note is not very useful. Sound Event (long for “Sound”) Sound Design (instrument programming, etc.) becomes a compositional process. ADSR Envelope as Metaphor –A and D = beginning –S = middle –R = end Sound Events take on BME functions when combined into gestures.

An Important Gotcha in Kontakt Parameters can usually be controlled with MIDI CC’s or MIDI Remote (among other things). MIDI Remote is a MIDI CC, assigned to physically control a virtual knob in the instrument. Even thought both are MIDI CC’s, Kontakt responds differently to them.

Gotcha, cont’d MIDI Remote: the controller becomes the knob, with the range of values ( ) mapped to the full range of the knob. MIDI CC: the controller is scaled by the Modulation Router, so that the value range may only be a portion of the knob. Also, MIDI CC maps either the max value (127) or min value (0) to the current position of the knob. –In effect, MIDI CC is a unipolar control source; MIDI Remote is bipolar. MIDI CC: incoming values can be remapped in the Mod Router. ASSIGNING THE SAME CC# TO BOTH MIDI REMOTE AND MIDI CC CAUSES PROBLEMS.

The Way MIDI Remote is intended to quickly allow you to use a MIDI control device as a virtual set of knobs. MIDI CC offers greater compositional control, and is intended for use in performance of the instrument, either by live performance or MIDI Sequencer. Strategy: –Use MIDI Remote at the early stages of instrument programming, when you want to quickly hear the effect of the full range of values. –Once you find the range of values that you like, switch the mod source to MIDI CC, and set the knob and mod router input accordingly. Remember to remove the MIDI Remote mod source.