Chaos Theory - Modeling, Simulation and Applications - Selected Papers from the 3rd Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference (CHAOS2010), 2011
Page 1. Aesthetic Considerations in Algorithmic and Generative Composition ∙ Dr Kerry L. Hagan Di... more Page 1. Aesthetic Considerations in Algorithmic and Generative Composition ∙ Dr Kerry L. Hagan Digital Media and Arts Research Centre (DMARC), University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland Email: kerry.hagan@ul.ie Abstract ...
Morphons and Bions is a real-time, computer-generated work that uses white noise as the fundament... more Morphons and Bions is a real-time, computer-generated work that uses white noise as the fundamental synthesis component combined with classical synthesis techniques. Random and stochastic processes control the synthesis parameters. This approach creates sounds evocative of living mechanisms. The sonic mechanisms can metamorphose between noisy, engine-like sounds to pitched, chatter-like sounds. This paper details the concepts behind the sound synthesis, as well as showing the random processes controlling the synthesis. A brief discussion follows of the philosophy of the work.
—The new work, Morphons and Bions (2011), is a real-time computer music work generated in Pd. All... more —The new work, Morphons and Bions (2011), is a real-time computer music work generated in Pd. All sounds in the work are synthesized as opposed to recorded. The sound sources rely fundamentally on white noise and digital noise mediated by classical synthesis techniques and random processes. Since the work is built on a substrate entirely made of noise, the piece is situated within certain philosophical and aesthetic issues surrounding noise, its use, and its definition. This paper seeks to address these issues.
An approach to the creation of musical material, coined here as " textural composition, " address... more An approach to the creation of musical material, coined here as " textural composition, " addresses aesthetic consequences of real-time stochastic sound mass composition. Musical texture as source material exists between sound-object (singular) and sound-objects (plural), inducing an aesthetic of the intermediary. Since sound diffusion is inextricably linked to composition, spatialization requires an approach conducive to the textural composition environment. This method of spatialization falls in an intermediary zone between point-source diffusion and the mimetic trajectory-or path-based spatialization informed by psychoacoustic principles. The aesthetic discussion is followed by the technical details of the author's work, real-time tape music III, a realization of textural composition.
This paper is predicated on the argument that searching for the meaningful in electroacoustic mus... more This paper is predicated on the argument that searching for the meaningful in electroacoustic music is to use different means for different pieces, while remaining situated within the historical context of electroacoustic music. The important factors here are, first, that the meaningful in music is different than meaning in music, and, second, that methods for examining the meaningful in electroacoustic music can be quite different than the means of investigating the meaningful in acoustic music. This paper surveys three works in order to demonstrate the diversity of the meaningful by applying different perspectives to each work. These works were chosen for the ways in which they are related yet distinct. All three works fall within the greater definition of electroacoustic music. That is, all pieces are intended for the concert hall paradigm, and the musical material relies fundamentally on electronic technologies. Yet, the musical material arises from different techniques and purposes within electroacoustic media. Two pieces use recorded and processed sounds, while one synthesizes its own timbres. Additionally, two are single-moded (music alone) while one is multimodal (ballet). Ultimately, all three have their own philosophies that require different starting points for analysis. This survey does not provide exhaustive investigations of each work. Rather, it demonstrates the advantage of diverse avenues of inquiry.
Iannis Xenakis composed Analogique B for tape (1958-1959) concurrently with the instrumental work... more Iannis Xenakis composed Analogique B for tape (1958-1959) concurrently with the instrumental work Analogique A. Both works utilize Markovian stochastic methods. However, the precision of the tape medium allowed Xenakis to more concretely explore his notion of complex sounds formed by grains of sonic entities, what is often called " granular synthesis " today. A genetic analysis (an analysis by means of recreating a work) of Xenakis' Analogique B created in real time and employing both explicit and implied procedures published in Formalized Music (1992) provides some advantages. The real-time algorithms provide unique instantiations with each realization; the power of contemporary computers allows for precise realizations of stochastic number generators without the estimations of hand-calculations; and, the immediacy of the realization enables listeners to hear different instantiations in sequence, allowing generalizations on Xenakis' procedures. However, the recreation lacks a quality that is difficult to quantify. This paper discusses the methods and results of recreating Analogique B using real-time audio technology and noting the aesthetic implications arising from the result. Granular Synthesis Xenakis conjures a dramatic image of what is possible with grains of sound forming a complex sound. His analogy immediately evokes a process made up of iconic elements: A complex sound may be imagined as a multi-colored firework in which each point of light appears and instantaneously disappears against a black sky. But in this firework there would be such a quantity of points of light organized in such a way that their rapid and teeming succession would create forms and spirals, slowly unfolding, or conversely, brief explosions setting the whole sky aflame. A line of light would be created by a sufficiently large multitude of points appearing and disappearing instantaneously. (Xenakis 1992: 44) This is, perhaps, one of the first published notions of what is generally called " granular synthesis " today. Though contemporary composers have developed granular synthesis to serve multiple aesthetic aims, Xenakis originally proposed to structure these grains using stochastic methods. As one of his earliest works, Analogique B was an example to prove the relevance of stochastic methods in composition and the efficacy of granular synthesis. Micro-composition – Explicit Parameters Xenakis developed compound probabilities in complex relationships in order to achieve his aesthetic aims. The processes underlying every aspect of composition begin with the most basic parameters of sound and accumulate to formal proportions. In " Markovian Stochastic Music – Theory " and " Markovian Stochastic Music – Applications " from Formalized Music, Xenakis described some parameters of Analogique explicitly. In other cases, Xenakis speculated what could be possible given computational capabilities. I will begin with the explicit parameters provided by Xenakis in his writings.
Chaos Theory - Modeling, Simulation and Applications - Selected Papers from the 3rd Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference (CHAOS2010), 2011
Page 1. Aesthetic Considerations in Algorithmic and Generative Composition ∙ Dr Kerry L. Hagan Di... more Page 1. Aesthetic Considerations in Algorithmic and Generative Composition ∙ Dr Kerry L. Hagan Digital Media and Arts Research Centre (DMARC), University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland Email: kerry.hagan@ul.ie Abstract ...
Morphons and Bions is a real-time, computer-generated work that uses white noise as the fundament... more Morphons and Bions is a real-time, computer-generated work that uses white noise as the fundamental synthesis component combined with classical synthesis techniques. Random and stochastic processes control the synthesis parameters. This approach creates sounds evocative of living mechanisms. The sonic mechanisms can metamorphose between noisy, engine-like sounds to pitched, chatter-like sounds. This paper details the concepts behind the sound synthesis, as well as showing the random processes controlling the synthesis. A brief discussion follows of the philosophy of the work.
—The new work, Morphons and Bions (2011), is a real-time computer music work generated in Pd. All... more —The new work, Morphons and Bions (2011), is a real-time computer music work generated in Pd. All sounds in the work are synthesized as opposed to recorded. The sound sources rely fundamentally on white noise and digital noise mediated by classical synthesis techniques and random processes. Since the work is built on a substrate entirely made of noise, the piece is situated within certain philosophical and aesthetic issues surrounding noise, its use, and its definition. This paper seeks to address these issues.
An approach to the creation of musical material, coined here as " textural composition, " address... more An approach to the creation of musical material, coined here as " textural composition, " addresses aesthetic consequences of real-time stochastic sound mass composition. Musical texture as source material exists between sound-object (singular) and sound-objects (plural), inducing an aesthetic of the intermediary. Since sound diffusion is inextricably linked to composition, spatialization requires an approach conducive to the textural composition environment. This method of spatialization falls in an intermediary zone between point-source diffusion and the mimetic trajectory-or path-based spatialization informed by psychoacoustic principles. The aesthetic discussion is followed by the technical details of the author's work, real-time tape music III, a realization of textural composition.
This paper is predicated on the argument that searching for the meaningful in electroacoustic mus... more This paper is predicated on the argument that searching for the meaningful in electroacoustic music is to use different means for different pieces, while remaining situated within the historical context of electroacoustic music. The important factors here are, first, that the meaningful in music is different than meaning in music, and, second, that methods for examining the meaningful in electroacoustic music can be quite different than the means of investigating the meaningful in acoustic music. This paper surveys three works in order to demonstrate the diversity of the meaningful by applying different perspectives to each work. These works were chosen for the ways in which they are related yet distinct. All three works fall within the greater definition of electroacoustic music. That is, all pieces are intended for the concert hall paradigm, and the musical material relies fundamentally on electronic technologies. Yet, the musical material arises from different techniques and purposes within electroacoustic media. Two pieces use recorded and processed sounds, while one synthesizes its own timbres. Additionally, two are single-moded (music alone) while one is multimodal (ballet). Ultimately, all three have their own philosophies that require different starting points for analysis. This survey does not provide exhaustive investigations of each work. Rather, it demonstrates the advantage of diverse avenues of inquiry.
Iannis Xenakis composed Analogique B for tape (1958-1959) concurrently with the instrumental work... more Iannis Xenakis composed Analogique B for tape (1958-1959) concurrently with the instrumental work Analogique A. Both works utilize Markovian stochastic methods. However, the precision of the tape medium allowed Xenakis to more concretely explore his notion of complex sounds formed by grains of sonic entities, what is often called " granular synthesis " today. A genetic analysis (an analysis by means of recreating a work) of Xenakis' Analogique B created in real time and employing both explicit and implied procedures published in Formalized Music (1992) provides some advantages. The real-time algorithms provide unique instantiations with each realization; the power of contemporary computers allows for precise realizations of stochastic number generators without the estimations of hand-calculations; and, the immediacy of the realization enables listeners to hear different instantiations in sequence, allowing generalizations on Xenakis' procedures. However, the recreation lacks a quality that is difficult to quantify. This paper discusses the methods and results of recreating Analogique B using real-time audio technology and noting the aesthetic implications arising from the result. Granular Synthesis Xenakis conjures a dramatic image of what is possible with grains of sound forming a complex sound. His analogy immediately evokes a process made up of iconic elements: A complex sound may be imagined as a multi-colored firework in which each point of light appears and instantaneously disappears against a black sky. But in this firework there would be such a quantity of points of light organized in such a way that their rapid and teeming succession would create forms and spirals, slowly unfolding, or conversely, brief explosions setting the whole sky aflame. A line of light would be created by a sufficiently large multitude of points appearing and disappearing instantaneously. (Xenakis 1992: 44) This is, perhaps, one of the first published notions of what is generally called " granular synthesis " today. Though contemporary composers have developed granular synthesis to serve multiple aesthetic aims, Xenakis originally proposed to structure these grains using stochastic methods. As one of his earliest works, Analogique B was an example to prove the relevance of stochastic methods in composition and the efficacy of granular synthesis. Micro-composition – Explicit Parameters Xenakis developed compound probabilities in complex relationships in order to achieve his aesthetic aims. The processes underlying every aspect of composition begin with the most basic parameters of sound and accumulate to formal proportions. In " Markovian Stochastic Music – Theory " and " Markovian Stochastic Music – Applications " from Formalized Music, Xenakis described some parameters of Analogique explicitly. In other cases, Xenakis speculated what could be possible given computational capabilities. I will begin with the explicit parameters provided by Xenakis in his writings.
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