Corpus-Based Transcription as an Approach to the Compositional Control of Timbre

Timbre space is a cognitive model useful to address the problem of structuring timbre in electronic music. The recent concept of corpus-based concatenative sound synthesis is proposed as an approach to timbral control in both real- and deferred-time applications. Using CataRT and related tools in the FTM and Gabor libraries for Max/MSP we describe a technique for real-time analysis of a live signal to pilot corpus-based synthesis, along with examples of compositional realizations in works for instruments, electronics, and sound installation. To extend this technique to computer-assisted composition for acoustic instruments, we develop tools using the Sound Description Interchange Format (SDIF) to export sonic descriptors to OpenMusic where they may be further manipulated and transcribed into an instrumental score. This presents a flexible technique for the compositional organization of noise-based instrumental sounds

Musical Representation of Sound in Computer-Aided Composition: A Visual Programming Framework

International audienceThis article addresses the problem of the representation and creation of sound by synthesis in the context of music composition, as seen from the computer-aided composition (CAC) perspective. An important theoretical basis of this work is the concept of computer modelling, discussed in relation to the notions of sound representation and music composition. Modelling sound as a signal is extended to the musical domain by considering as an alternative modelling composition as an activity that aims to produce sounds. The visual programming paradigm is adopted for the representation and conception of the composition models, and therefore for the musical representation of sounds. A composition framework dedicated to electro-acoustic music and sound synthesis integrated in the OpenMusic CAC environment is presented. Temporal issues are also discussed and are the object of specific developments

\u3cem\u3eGeysir\u3c/em\u3e: musical translation of geological noise

The sounds of geological phenomena are generally noise. Wind, glaciers, oceans, streams, and other geological sounds present a vast content of frequencies that often obscures individual pitches or groups of pitches. However, noise varies from sound to sound with different pitch predominance and patterns. This variance contributes to the signature that makes several noise-sounds unique. In this study, the sound of one of the geysers in the Geysir system of the Haukadalur valley, 180 miles Northeast of Reykjavik, Iceland, is recorded and analyzed in multiple time segments, each with its own pitch predominance and, therefore, signature. The analysis is further adapted into a piece for seven spatialized pianists and electronics titled Geysir, which features the amplitude and predominant pitch class fluctuations throughout the geyser sample. This paper reports the process of the analysis and the compositional applications of the pitch class predominance analysis

OMChroma: Compositional Control of Sound Synthesis

International audienc

Proposal for SMDL compliance in MPEG7, ISO/IEC JTC/SC29/WG11/P620 Lancaster, MPEG, 1999. Lancaster, Motion Picture Expert Group.

This proposal-discussion takes on board discussions held at the AdHoc Evaluation Meeting in Lancaster including Pre-proposals P620 ("Structured time-based event") and P622 ("music event") and the evaluated proposals P155 ("Sonata Forms Description Scheme") and P154/169/163/170 ("Structured and unstructured links") and document M3649 ("Some remarks on Document Structure and Description Schemes"). Due to the need to create a generic method of specifying and describing music content, this document proposes a set of DS and D to provide a general way of describing music content. It is closely based on an existent standard SMDL1 in order to maximize compatibility in the future. This set of Description Schemes and its associated set of Descriptors describe a structured time-based entity (or musical note or musical entity or audio entity) in its relation to other internal or external structured time-based entities. At a very low-level, a Description Scheme named "thread” can take on form (with different Descriptors) to describe a music event down to note level (or further). These Descriptors can take on different forms, and it is possible that additional descriptors with different means of describing a music event exactly, can be added. Proposed in this document are two , one describing the music entity in its abstract form with its four "logical" characteristics: a) duration, b) p itch, c) loudness and d) other characteristics. The second one describes musical events with SMDL syntax. Another descriptor used in this scheme could be a link to a certain section of a structured or unstructured format

A architecture for MHEG objects

Hypermedia applications are one of the most recent and most demanding computer uses. It is accepted that one of the main impediments to their widespread use is the lack of standards, and the lack of Open Systems with the possibility of having documents interchangeable between different hardware and software platforms. Several standards are emerging, one of which is the one being developed by the ISO/IEC WG12 known as the Multimedia and Hypermedia Information Coding Expert Group (MHEG). As desktop systems become more powerful, one of the main users of hypermedia applications is the home market. Therefore it is important to have standards and applications suitable for those platforms. This work reviews existing proposals for hypermedia architectures and interchange standards. It then assesses the suitability of the MHEG standard for use in open, distributed, and extensible hypermedia systems. An architecture for the implementa­tion of MHEG objects taking into account the limitations imposed by current desktop computers is also proposed. To assess the suitability of the proposed architecture, a prototype has been imple­mented. An analysis of the performance obtained in the prototype is presented and conclusions on the requirements for future implementations drawn. Finally, some suggestions to improve the MHEG standard are made