Victoria University of Wellington Electroacoustic Music Studios [Studio Report]

An outline of the origins of the Victoria University [of Wellington] Electroacoustic Music Studios is given, especially in relation to continued emphasis on the use of environmental sound sources. Descriptions of current facilities and recent works are also provided

A view of computer music from New Zealand: Auckland, Waikato and the Asia/Pacific connection

Dealing predominantly with ‘art music’ aspects of electroacoustic music practice, this paper looks at cultural, aesthetic, environmental and technical influences on current and emerging practices from the upper half of the North Island of New Zealand. It also discusses the influences of Asian and Pacific cultures on the idiom locally. Rather than dwell on the similarities with current international styles, the focus is largely on some of the differences

Music Technology, Gender, and Sexuality: Case Studies of Women and Queer Electroacoustic Music Composers

This document aims to contribute to the established scholarship that highlights the role gender and sexuality has with one’s fundamental relationship to composition and music technology. The profession of electronic music composition and music production are strongly associated with notions of power and control, as much of this technology was built during the World Wars and Cold War. These aggressive views have created gendered language and metaphors in the field. Metaphors are the primary way in which we accommodate and assimilate information and experience to our conceptual organization of the world. It is at the source of our capacity to learn and at the center of our creative thought. I hope to continue the discussion of language, metaphors, and various approaches to composing and working with music technology through a historical overview of women’s achievements and difficulties in the electroacoustic community. Elainie Lillios, Jess Rowland, and Carolyn Borcherding were selected to be interviewed for this document. Each interview allows them the opportunity to discuss their music, their approach to composition and their use of technology as part of their artistic process, and to discuss their roles of educators and their approach to pedagogy to further contribute to the scholarship and history of electroacoustic composers

Tito Waiata-Tito Pūoro: extending the Kīngitanga music tradition.

Since 1858, music has always been an integral part of the Kīngitanga movement in New Zealand. As this music tradition evolves with the introduction of new musical idioms, genres and digital technology, so too do the practices of composing new works. The objective of this research was to construct a model for combining waiata, taonga pūoro and New Zealand electroacoustic music, in order to create new works that enhance the Kīngitanga music tradition. Developing a model for composing and integrating these idioms within a Māori context presented problems, as traditional Māori music conflict with contemporary Western forms. To generate a framework and practical model for composing hybrid music, an examination of selected New Zealand works was first carried out through: a) the collection of 50 traditional and contemporary waiata relating to the Kīngitanga b) the collection of 10 New Zealand taonga pūoro works and c) a collection of 10 New Zealand electroacoustic music. An analysis of the music and compositional processes of each idiom implementing the ‘de-construct in order to re-construct’ approach to understand how they work musically and compositionally was accomplished. To demonstrate the outcome of my models, six original compositions were presented exploring different aspects of musical composition. These models focused on sound architecture and explored a) communicative relationships between composer, performer, and audience b) Holistic Co-hear-ence, implementing the horizontal and vertical layering model, and c) technical approaches using digital technology. To comply with Māori principles of composition and performance, each model and new work demonstrated Kaupapa Māori , Wairua and Te Mana - Te Ihi - Te Wehi - Te Tapu . The findings and original contributions of this research provide a model that combines two musical traditions and three music idioms, and in turn, may guide contemporary composers in creating new works that extend the Kīngitanga music tradition

Environmental Sound Composition, the Phonograph and Intentionality

Environmental sound composition, a term I employ to describe all forms of electroacoustic works in which the core materials are abstracted from real environments through technology, has been practiced in a variety of forms for more than 50 years. A tension exists between environmental sound composition and western art music, one that continues to make this marriage uncomfortable. In short, the use of mimetic materials in environmental sound composition does not fit the prescriptions of formalism, an ideology that electroacoustic composition inherited from western art music. Though attempts have been made to lessen this tension (Emmerson, 1986 and Smalley, 1996), an underlying anxiety persists in environmental sound composition, as the twin legacy of Pierre Schaeffer’s ideas concerning musique concrète and the concerns of acoustic ecology, a movement championed by soundscape composers (Westerkamp, 2002), continues to influence the genre. Recently there has emerged an increasing resistance to the didactic ideology of soundscape theory in particular, as exemplified by Lopez (1997), Ingold (2007) and Kelman (2010). However, soundscape theory continues to influence the production of environmental sound composition, as composers seek to align themselves with such concerns, or place themselves in opposition to them. In my view, the tension between formalism and mimesis has resulted in a widespread fixation on poietic intent in environmental sound composition. As a result, composers have tried to dictate how their works should be heard, while ignoring the complexity of listener response. While a number of fresh perspectives have arisen in recent years looking at environmental sound composition methodology and the role of esthetic analysis in such works, including Voegelin (2010) and Lane and Carlyle (2013), a rigorous investigation into the roles of intentionality, technology and hermeneutic analysis in the production and reception of environmental sound composition remains absent. My thesis explores the nature of the phonograph (an audio recording) and phonography (the act of recording) in broad terms, and then with specific attention to environmental sound composition. Various recording genres and phonograph types associated with these genres are identified, while the attitudes of composers towards technology and the ontological nature of their works are investigated. This approach is applied in making a critical assessment of environmental sound composition, exposing the specificity of the rift between poietic intention and esthetic reception. I argue for a hermeneutic evaluation of the phonograph on similar terms as those set out by Roland Barthes in Camera Lucida (1981). In examining the temporal dimensions of the phonograph, along with its formal and affective traits, my research aims to elevate the phonograph from the role of a passive bearer of composer intentionality, to that of a primary contributor to the listening experience. With this aim in mind, I present a portfolio of creative works as a second volume to this thesis, born of the ideas discussed herein, which explore the nature of the phonograph, its temporalities, the site specific aspects of phonography and compositional intervention with the phonograph. I will refer to my works throughout this thesis, detailing how I have incorporated my theoretical concerns into my compositional practice, especially in chapter four, five and six

A Personal and Fragile Affair: The Sonic Environment and Its Place In My Compositions

To begin with, I will briefly outline my compositional process. This will help to provide an understanding of my motivations. I will then pose some questions relating to the practice of field recording and the use of these materials in electroacoustic composition. Through a discussion of early electronic music, musique concrete, soundscape composition and the ideologies of composers associated with these movements, I will reveal the tensions surrounding the use of referential material in acousmatic music. Finally, I will show how I have attempted to address these tensions in my own work

The Cinematic Aspects of Electroacoustic Music

This portfolio explores ‘the cinematic aspects of electroacoustic music’ by way of three compositional contexts: acousmatic composition drawing on filmic resources, electroacoustic soundtracks for short films, and the narrative and imagic aspects of archival recordings. Additionally, a research report provides commentary on the aesthetic and methodological aspects of the portfoli

The grain of the digital audio workstation

This thesis explores the material conditions and practices of the digital audio workstation (DAW), treating them as a subject of musical composition. The DAW is a software application currently ubiquitous in facilitating the creation of recorded and electronic music. Despite its prominence, few have articulated its unique possibilities for compositional practice, or historically contextualised the emergence of such practices. To clarify the locus of inquiry, a theoretical framework termed the grain of the DAW is developed. Derived primarily from Roland Barthes’ notion of the grain (1977), it is understood as the sonic effects in a recorded musical work that infer the unique material conditions and practices associated with a sonic medium. It is argued that compositional techniques can foreground or conceal this grain, the latter of which is more common in many musical traditions. Employing practice-led research strategies and methods derived from experimental electronic music, compositional techniques that foreground the grain of the DAW are investigated, culminating in an album entitled Thru, the creative component of this thesis. Composition in this mode involves negotiating between sound design, arrangement, mixing, critical listening, data organisation, and managing conceptual burden (Duignan, 2008). It also involves situating the DAW as a socially constructed technology (Sterne, 2012; Pinch & Bijker, 2012), promoting individualised musical practice and mobilising several metaphors that articulate this condition

A History of Audio Effects

Audio effects are an essential tool that the field of music production relies upon. The ability to intentionally manipulate and modify a piece of sound has opened up considerable opportunities for music making. The evolution of technology has often driven new audio tools and effects, from early architectural acoustics through electromechanical and electronic devices to the digitisation of music production studios. Throughout time, music has constantly borrowed ideas and technological advancements from all other fields and contributed back to the innovative technology. This is defined as transsectorial innovation and fundamentally underpins the technological developments of audio effects. The development and evolution of audio effect technology is discussed, highlighting major technical breakthroughs and the impact of available audio effects

A practical investigation of expectation in acousmatic music

The experience of expectation within acousmatic music is regarded as problematic because the electronic mediation of sound permits and even encourages composers to combine and integrate sounds of widely varying origins that may carry equally divergent aesthetic implications. Because of this, the compositional management of expectation in acousmatic music presents many challenges beyond those found in Western tonal music where familiar musical grammar assists the listener in comprehending the tensions and implications that contribute to expectation. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the nature of expectation within acousmatic music by means of a practice-based methodology. The composition portfolio itself has led to two new frameworks being proposed. The first, acousmatic skip-diving, provides a method for the ad hoc evaluation of materials and their interactions in situations where large numbers of existing sound materials are available. The second framework – sonic evidence – is based on some of the fundamental principles of forensic science and crime scene investigation. While not derived from my compositional practice, this reflection on the practical outcomes of the research is intended as a useful tool for the listener or musicologist to consider future development of events in a piece of music in terms of expectations aroused. While this study was never intended to provide a definitive answer to the issues surrounding expectation in acousmatic music, it has further illuminated the challenges facing listeners when attempting to anticipate events within a work, and how composers may create moments of surprise within their music. Furthermore, the ideas explored within the dissertation provide important building blocks through which further examination of expectation within the genre may take place.Arts and Humanities Research Counci