Student research opportunities
Algorithmic music up and down the stack
Project Code: CECS_964
This project is available at the following levels:
CS single semester, Engn4200, Honours, Masters
Supervisors:
Assoc Professor Henry GardnerDr Ben Swift
Outline:
Extempore[1] is (among other things) a programming environment for
algorithmic music composition[4], and has built-in support a number of
common tasks in this problem domain. These include several built in
synthesisers and musical samplers (instruments) and audio/DSP effects
(e.g. reverb, delay). Extempore, through it's strong temporal
semantics[2] also allows the scheduling of notes and other musical
events in time, allowing for the possibility of generative music.
There are many different software environments for algorithmic
musicmaking, designed for both offline and real-time use. What sets
Extempore apart is the ability (through Extempore's support for both
Scheme and xtlang[3]) to modify the generative processes at both an
event (note) and at a signal (DSP) level, and all within the same
programming environment. This project involves looking at algorithmic
control and generation of musical material at both of these levels,
including the possibilites of their interacting (e.g. note events
manipulating the audio at a signal level, and vice versa). The
outcomes of this project will be techniques for algorithmic
composition which leverage this synergy, as well as a body of musical
work which demonstrates these techniques in action.
[1] http://extempore.moso.com.au
[2] http://benswift.me/2012-10-15-time-in-extempore.html
[3] http://benswift.me/2012-08-09-xtlang-type-reference.html
[4] http://benswift.me/2012-10-15-playing-an-instrument-part-i.html
