Week 8 Summary

2/27-3/2
Week: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ALL
(NOTE that the information on this page is not always kept up to date. Check assignments pages for official due dates.)

Current Term

Some work time on #5. About a half dozen are finished and I heard a few of them. Others are not finished and will need some time on Wednesday. Allocate perhaps a half hour with all or part of it at start of period for completion and then hear before period ends.

Introduced audio on Logic: downloading from sampleswap. importing into audio tracks in Logic. synchronizing tempi using align to locators or nearest bar. Next time: look at "factory" in logic and some basic audio editing tools.

No Music 8 this term

Finished the information on using audio samples in Logic. This time we looked at the "functions," time/pitch machine, and extracting a small clip from a larger audio source. Went over, in brief, some details from the remaining schedule - including some attention to attendance. on time arrival, and reasons to pick up extra lab time on Fridays.

Did NOT do the third electronic music history topic - perhaps do that next time.

No music 8 this term.

Fast day - due to surrounding holidays! Heard a few remaining assignment #4. Introduced all of the topic of audio in Logic - except the time/pitch machine. (Did do the functions menu.) Determined that quiz 4 will be due at next session and quiz three at the session after that - did not want to take more lab time for presenting topics this week, so will present the history topic at the next class. Quiz 4 is due a half hour into the period next time - so students who need a half hour to work with the Logic app to answer questions may do so. Announced that assignment #6 is due next class, but there was very little time to work on it - balancing need to have time to finish it with need to have time to work on final project, will determine exactly when to hear it during the next class meeting. Reviewed remaining schedule for the term.

(Admin eval took place during first two hours of class. 23 students were present. Most of the observed portion of the class was the lecture/demonstration on obtaining audio samples from sampleswap.org, basic copyright issues around sampling, how to organize sounds in folders, importing audio into Logic, synchronizing different tempo/rhythm samples, basic sample editor techniques. A portion of the observed session also included - some integrated into the "lecture" and some separate - student lab work with the techniques, followed by additional time to apply the techniques, during which I worked one on one with several students and shared some questions and answers with the group.)

Previous Terms

Work time on #5 and on #6 for those finished with #5. Heard playback of #5 from most students, though need to make the "second pass" on Wednesday. Reminded about the Wednesday test. Logic and Audio: Editing samples, including the Apple Loop editor, then basic explanation of the time and pitch machine and the functions menu including trim, normalize, fades, silence

Class still needed time to complete #6 so I did not try to hear it - will plan to do so on Thursday. Demonstrated a sample workflow that started with large audio source, used Logic to edit out and same smaller samples, imported edited samples into a Reason sampler. Still need to confirm and announce the deadline for #7 - perhaps also be specific about the need to find audio source material for #7. Probably also time to go over the schedule for the remainder of the term.

test 1. Heard remaining #5. bouncing. Work time on 6. Reminders about a few upcoming things: assignment #6 in one week, the rough outline of the plan for quizzes and one more test, beginning to think about the final project. This was followed by work time to work on #6. Quick overview of bouncing. Need to do third EM history topic - perhaps next session? (The assignment based on audio is due next Wednesday.)

Collected presentation proposals, read and returned them. Posted the presentation schedule and explained how critical it is to be ready to present on the assigned day - and that there may not be a second chance for students who are not ready when assigned. Did one circuit of the room to hear #6. Only a small percentage had completed it successfully - quite a few thought thought they were done but had forgotten something. Plan to remind them at the next session that I will make one final circuit at the end of the May 31 class. May need to allow for completion of #7 either on June 2 (original date) or one session later. Reviewed the calendar for the rest of the term.

Note this term.

Presidents Holiday - No Monday classes

Heard #6 from perhaps half of students in attendance. Announced that others are expected to have them ready for playback no later than 15 minutes into the next class. Reminded class that presentation proposals are due one week from today. Reminded class that Logic/Reason are automatically rewired when doing #7, so it will be necessary to assign an audio track (or tracks) in Logic to the reason NNXT and NN19 playing the samples as the sample instruments are created and edited. Reminded class to find and bring audio samples for assignment #7. Discussed some issues with "hot" volume levels in the Logic mixer: setting levels above 0.0 unnecessarily, turning things up where turning other things down would be a better solution, need to disable or automate the outputs of effects.

Started with reminders about a few upcoming things: assignment #5 due later today, assignment #6 in one week, the rough outline of the plan for quizzes and one more test, beginning to think about the final project. This was followed by work time to finish assignment #5 and time to start #6. Quick overview of the Media:Bin and of bouncing. Heard #5 during latter part of the period - from all but perhaps a tiny handful of remaining students - ask at the next session who still needs to play it back.

Need to do third EM history topic - perhaps next Monday? (The assignment based on audio is due next Wednesday.)

Reviewed workflow for remaining assignment, and posted a brief workflow summary on the web site. Reminded class of due date for presentation proposal at next class meeting. Heard remaining #6. Work time on #7. Mentioned the need to begin planning for the final project.

Work time on #5 - deadline will be next class on Wednesday. Introduced audio samples: acquiring and downloading from sampleswap, importing into Logic, two methods of beat matching samples.

Did not go over the edit features of the waveform editor in Logic: normalize, fade in, fade out, trim, reverse.

Quiz due at next class with written test 1 one week from today.

Heard only four finished #6 assignments. Announced at end of period that students with unfinished projects needed to use open lab today and/or Wednesday to finish, since the project is now due at the start of the period on Thursday.

In that the presentation proposal is due on Thursday, we went over individual proposals-in-progress today and I gave feedback and suggestions on them.

Did not do the run through of the workflow for converting samples to sampler instruments as needed for the remaining assignment 7 - need to do this still.

Reviewed quiz 2. Re-announced next Monday's test. Introduce more audio editing techniques (normalize, fade in/out, silence, reverse, trim). Hear #5. Work time on #6.

Need to do third EM history topic - perhaps next Wednesday? (The assignment based on audio is due next Wednesday.)

Collected presentation proposals. Reviewed and returned them, some with request for revision by next Tuesday. Posted schedule based on proposals received. Went over the workflow for doing assignment 7. Work time on #7. Heard additional #6 - though a few were not yet ready still. Too many absences today.

Heard the remain project 5 examples. (Perhaps one or two need to remind me that theirs are not done yet.) Introduced the pitch/time machine and quickly went over the edit features of the waveform editor in Logic: normalize, fade in, fade out, trim, reverse. Did the first written test.

Next time I should still go over the exact process for synchronizing two audio samples with different tempi.

Heard only four finished #6 assignments. Announced at end of period that students with unfinished projects needed to use open lab today and/or Wednesday to finish, since the project is now due at the start of the period on Thursday.

In that the presentation proposal is due on Thursday, we went over individual proposals-in-progress today and I gave feedback and suggestions on them.

Did not do the run through of the workflow for converting samples to sampler instruments as needed for the remaining assignment 7 - need to do this still.

Went through the steps to import and synchronize two audio samples with different tempos. Also showed how to save a copy of a section of a sample as a separate file and import it.

Need to do second EM history topic - perhaps next Monday? (The assignment based on audio is due next Wednesday.)

Collected presentation proposals. Reviewed and returned them, some with request for revision by next Tuesday. Posted schedule based on proposals received. Went over the workflow for doing assignment 7. Work time on #7. Heard additional #6 - though a few were not yet ready still. Too many absences today.

Introduced more audio editing techniques: normalize, fade in, fade out, trim, reverse. Looked at changing sample length using the Time/Pitch Machine, and by using the automatic feature to match to nearest bar or to markers.

Did test 2. Heard assignment 5 from all who were finished - a few were not yet finished.

Heard #6. Intro'd material for #7

Did not record notes on this class. Need to do EM history - next time?

Collected presentation proposals. Reviewed and returned them, some with request for revision by next Tuesday. Posted schedule based on proposals received. Working on #7.

Did the second EM history presentation with quiz 2 due at the start of next class. Some work time on project 6, with deadline set for END of next class. Posted but did not announce remaining quiz/test schedule. On Wed: start with quiz review, then work time on #6, hear #6 at end of period.

Ironically, while the Friday class is now going to have to work hard to finish all work this term, the MW class is probably a bit ahead of schedule...

Work time on #6 which was due today but which I will instead hear at start of session on Thursday. Did a lot of individual troubleshooting on this project today. (Attendance was poor today!) Described final project and explained time line. (There was a question about the quiz we have not yet had.) 

Work time on #6. Though I had originally (and optimistically) thought that it would be done today, now we'll hear it at start of class on Monday. Also announced TEST for next Monday. Explained how to bounce to MP3. Explained how to deconstruct a large sample (e.g. - a piece of music) into separate samples, import and beat match them.

Also on Monday, need to introduce Final Project and prepare for one more history session either next Wednesday (best) or the following Monday.

Did the class survey of "what will your presentation topic be?" with feedback. Heard remaining project 6A. Explained the most basic techniques needed for assignment 7 (e.g. excerpt small sound in Logic) - might want to look briefly at some other editing, etc. possibilities next time (e.g. - pitch mapping, edits in the sampler, overview of changes in Logic such as fades, etc.).

Assignment 7 is due on 11/19. Revisions to proposals due on 11/17. Need to post presentation schedule on 11/17 at end of period and then review final project guidelines again.

NO CLASS DUE TO HOLIDAY

Introduced audio sampling issues. Importing audio files into Logic audio tracks. Synchronizing them to the project by alterning project tempo and/or using Time/Pitch machine. Went over basic "functions" in T/P Machine. Signed up for SampleSwap and downloaded samples.

Did NOT hear assignment 5 since 1/3 of class not yet finished. Announced: 1. #5 due at START of class on Wednesay, Wednesday a work day on #6, #6 due next Monday.

Did the class survey of "what will your presentation topic be?" with feedback. Work time on #6a which is due today. It turned out that only a couple students had finished 6a, so I delayed the deadline to THE START OF CLASS ON THURSDAY with no option for delay. (Some students can play #6 at the same time.) After that on Thursday we will look at how to create, edit, and use samples to build instruments in the NN19 from our own samples.

Introduced methods to import audio into Logic audio tracks and edit them in the waveform editor: time and pitch machine, normalize, reverse, fade in/out, etc. Signed everyone up for sampleswap and went over how to download audio files. Introduced assignment 6. (Built on earlier audio editing: went over how to select a small audio "bit" from a larger audio file, save it as a separate file, and edit. Need to hear the remaining project 5 examples.)

Hear #6a - some still did not finish. Demo building NN19 instrument from imported/edited samples. Need to deal with looping the samples, etc. next time. Work time on #7.

Heard most of the remaining assignment 5 examples. Used much of period for work on assignment 6, after explaining the basics of importing, beat matching, etc. samples in Logic. Returned test #1 and quick reviewed the answers. Announced the reversal of quizzes #3 and #4 and announced that #4 is due next week. Assignment #6 will be due next time, but it is likely that very few will be ready when class starts.

Need to do the remain EM history topic next week and assign quiz, announce final project, and announce remaining test and schedule.

Veterans Day Holiday - no classes.

Introduced Rewire: how to start and connect the progams, creating channel strips for input from Reason's mixer or individual instruments, etc. Announced assignment 6. Delayed - again! - playback of assignment 1 until START of period on Thursday.

Introduced methods to import audio into Logic audio tracks and edit them in the waveform editor: time and pitch machine, normalize, reverse, fade in/out, etc. Signed everyone up for sampleswap and went over how to download audio files. Introduced assignment 6. (Built on earlier audio editing: went over how to select a small audio "bit" from a larger audio file, save it as a separate file, and edit. Need to hear the remaining project 5 examples.)

Work on Rewire project. Each student described his/her presentation proposal.(Demonstrated how to pipe audio from individual Reason instruments into separate audio tracks in Logic. Some final work time on assignment 6, most of which I heard before the end of class. (But some still to go.) Need to comment on remaining assignment and revised deadline. Provided feedback on project proposals, including requirement that some resubmit revised proposals by next Tuesday.)

Heard remaining assignment 5 examples. Used most of period for work on assignment 6. It appears that almost everyone has finished it - announced that I'll hear it at start of period next time. Did final EM history presentation and assigned quiz 3 for next Friday. Discussed the fact that we have only two more class meetings - and outlined the plan for the remaining sessions.

(Finished assignment 5 but did not hear it - will hear this project as the start of the period next week. Did cover the import and basic editing of audio samples including beat matching. Had some work time on #6 - which is now due at the end of the period next week. Did basic em history on RCA, Moog, and Buchla - need to play examples next week.)