Test #1 Flashcards
Additive Synthesis
creates timbres by adding sine waves
Aerophones
Any instrument that makes sound by causing air to vibrate
Alternating Current
electric charge periodically reverses direction
Amplitude
height of a wave
Analog
non quantized variations; any continuous signal for which the time varying feature (variable) of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. For example, in an analog audio signal, the instantaneous voltage of the signal varies continuously with the pressure of the sound waves.
Attack
Initiation of a sound
Milton Babbit
Associated with the Colombia-Princeton Electronic Music Center
Luciano Berio
Founded Studio di Fonologia in Milan, Italy
Cahill
Founder of the Telharmonium
Channels
different layers of sounds/inputs/outputs in all electronic work
Chordophones
instruments that make sounds via vibrating strings
Cologne Studio
the city in Germany where WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk, radio station) was created in 1951 and Elektronishe Musik with Stockhausen and Meyer-Eppler
Colombia University Studio
Ussachevsky in charge and Luening associated
Colombia-Princeton Electronic Music Center
created with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and got the RCA Mark II; it came after the Columbia University Studio; Ussachevsky and Luening of Columbia and Babbitt and Sessions from Princeton
Compression
affects volume/dynamics
Cut-off frequency
a boundary in which energy flowing through a system begins to reduce
Decay
end of a sound
Delay
sound played again after a period of time
Depth of Field
front to back portion of the “cube”
Direct Variation
turning the tape around; retrograde
3 Types of Echo
Single channel reflection, dual channel reflection, and head-slap
Elektronishe Musik
Developed at Cologne Studio/WDR
Electrophones
Instruments involving electricity
Envelope
Attack, sustain, and decay
EQ
Balances the highs, mids, and lows
Erase Head
erases content on a reel of magnetic tape
Fader
controls the volume on a mixer
Filter
an electrical circuit that emphasizes or eliminates some frequencies from a signal
Fourier
combined sine waves to make new sounds
Frequency
determines pitch
Group de Recherche de Musique Concrete (GRM)
Created by Shaeffer as a Paris school
Half-track Stereo
the left channel occupies half of the tape and the right channel occupies the other half; professional use
Helmholtz
determined pitch based on sine waves
Head Gap
the gap between the two metal rods in a head
Pierre Henry
worked with Shaeffer to develop Musique Concrete; he was the musician of the two
Hertz
cycles per second
Hi Shelving Filter
boosts the highs
Idiophones
instrument that makes sounds via vibrations; plucked instruments
Keane’s “Essential Phases”
forming an objective, making sounds, listening
Left/Right Mix (Master Fader)
controls the signal strength of the board output
Otto Leuning
New York composer at Columbia University Studio
Loops
piece of tape that is played in continuous stream repeating
Low Shelving Filter
boosts the lows
Bruno Maderna
worked with Stockhausen at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center
Toshiro Mayuzumi
introduced musique concrete to Japan
Membranophones
sound by vibrating a membrane (drums)
Werner Meyer-Eppler
At Cologne Studio/WDR/Elektronishe Musik with Stockhausen
Multitrack
being able to record several sources to create a cohesive whole
Musique Concrete
Manipulating found sounds
Nippon Houso Kyokai (NHK)
Japan’s studio
Luigi Nono
eventually becomes main composer of Milan studio, Studio di Fonologia
Pauline Oliveros
she founded the San Francisco Tape Music Center (SFTAPE); post-war electronic music; coined the term “Deep Listening” and she is in the Deep Listening Band which specializes in performing in high resonance areas such as cathedrals; SHE PLAYS THE ACCORDION
Panning
positioning the sound in the left-right field of the “cube”
Period
one cycle
Phase
sounds playing together, synced
Quarter-Track Stereo
four tracks that work in pairs; for the consumer
Record/Playback Head
middle head on the HTR
Release
last part of the envelope
S.F. Tape Music Center
Founded by Morton Subotnick, Pauline Oliveros, and Ramon Sender; ended in 1969
Pierre Shaeffer
pioneered musique concrete at GRM (Group de Recherche de Musique Concrete) in Paris with Pierre Henry; he was the engineer of the two; “Radiodiffusion Française” (RDF, national radio broadcast) played his music in France
Minao Schibata
at NHK
Ramon Sender
at SFTAPE
Speed Variation
changes speed at which tape passes by the head gap, affects pitch
Splicing
cutting the tape
Stereo Field
left-right field
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Mainly at Cologne studio, later at Columbia
Studio di Fonologia Musicale
Milan’s studio founded by Berio
Morton Subotnick
founded S.F. Tape Music Center
Sustain
middle portion of the envelope
Telharmonium
!
Trim
how much input goes into the microphone
Unity Gain
output that equals the input; “gain” itself means the ability of a circuit to amplify a signal from input to output
Vladimir Ussachevsky
founded Colombia Studio
White Noise
a signal that contains equal power within any frequency band with a fixed width; it is a statistical model rather than a specific signal
Creating a Head-Slap
Route output of Tape 1 to channel one of the mixer; Route channel 1 of the mixer to left input of Tape 2; Route output of left channel of Tape 2 to channel 5 of the mixer; Route direct out of channel 5 to right input of Tape 2; Route output of right channel of Tape 2 to channel 6; With Tape 2 set to input, play recorded material from Tape 1 and set levels on left channel of Tape 2 (set to input); once satisfied, switch Tape 2 left channel to REPRO; put Tape 2 into record ready position and start both machines with Tape 1 set to REPRO and Tape 2 recording to left channel but set to REPRO as well, Channel 2 should be set to input; Start tapes and set level for channel 2, stop, set channel 2 to REPRO; finally, both channels of Tape 2 armed and in REPRO, record example to Tape 2; Route channels 5 and 6 to L/R Mix and you should hear a close echo
