MPCs/Production performance

Today we looked at MPCs (Music Production Centers/Controllers) and how they are used.

STEMS: https://www.stems-music.com/

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/stems/

Task:
What are MPCs?
What are the differences between the main makers (Akai/Novation/Native Instruments) and controllers (MPC60/3000/2000/Maschine/Launchpad/Traktor/Stems?
What are the functions and how are they different from drum machines?

What new ways are producers and DJs able to perform?
Find some wide ranging artist examples.
What software is available and how interchangeable is it?

Post your research to MPCs on classroom as you will need to refer back to it for your assignment.

SAMPLING

Sampling is taking a small section of pre-existing music/sound and putting it into another recording or playing it (as a recording) live.

A sample can be:

a) a recorded found (non-musical) sound or field recording
b) a section of a pre-existing recording* i.e a drum break
c) re-creating a previously written section of music*
[d) to a certain extent, the sound of a particular era ie Mark Ronson/Amy Winehouse but then cleverly putting new life into it so as not to make it a pastiche]

Sampling came directly from early musique concrete where found sounds were played live. This idea was then adopted in hip hop where vinyl records were cued up and sections were 'dropped in'.

* if you sample a pre-existing recording/piece then you must get clearance from the copyright owner of the recording and negotiate a royalty % with them before using. See PRS for full details.



TASK:
Using www.whosampled.com find who sampled the drum intro from 'When the Levee Breaks' by Led Zeppelin. Why did they sample it rather than recreate it? 

15-minute extension task: How did led Zeppelin record the drums for that?

Further resources for researching for your assignment:
Modern Approached (Red Bull Academy)
Examples of frequently sampled drums
Kendrick Lamar's use of sampling

Found Sounds and Musique Concrete

To fully understand how technology for music has developed and where it might lead in the future, we should go right back to the beginning again and examine sound in it's simplest form. 'Music' does not necessarily need to originate from a 'musical instrument'. We've already talked about taking sounds and editing them to then trigger as samples and manipulate. Some of you may have already done this in projects.





Definitions:

FOUND SOUND - a sound made by a non-musical object

ACOUSMATIC - music created to be listened to and not performed

SAMPLE - a section of previously recorded sound

PLUNDERPHONICS - creating new music by altering existing recordings

SOUND COLLAGE - music created entirely by gluing samples together.

EXAMPLES

TASK: using your DAW of choice, create a short piece using non-musical sounds or a collage of samples. You have total freedom. Forget any notion of harmony, lyrics or genre and just focus on sounds. Please upload to classroom as an mp3.


EXTENSION - if you want to explore this more, let your inner geek loose on this.....

A more recent development in repurposing electronic toys and circuit bending them to use as musical instruments:



Plunderphonics is another interesting subject within the realms of sampling/re-purposing existing music...

"Plunderphonics, or Audio Piracy as a Compositional Prerogative" - Otswald
Chris Cutler - Plunderphonia

LOOPING

Loopers are pedals that record a specified length of sound from an input, then plays it back as a loop and allows you to layer more sounds on top. The first loop you record determines the length of the loop.

This week, we looked at live looping. the examples we discussed can be found here:
4 bar loop - everything looped....



2 bar looped - melodies played over the top but not looped


3 loop phrases, many mics....





24 Track Tape Loop starts at 44:06 - multiple loops of differing lengths, played by different people, some looped, some live....









Using looping software...


MORE EXAMPLES AND GUIDES

TASK: find two contrasting artists & views on live looping and comment critically on them, drawing your own conclusions on how much of an 'art' is live looping. 

If you are stuck. here are some:
http://www.guitarworld.com/loop-introduction-looping
http://www.justalliance.com/blog



Above are some more examples but do explore and find your own....

Wearable music technology

Mainstream music ideas usually stem from ideas from art or sound art. Music technology very much so. Sound Artist, Benoit Maubrey, explored the concept of wearable clothes, starting with his 'Audio Jackets'.  As technology advanced, so did his pieces...

 https://www.benoitmaubrey.com

e-Textiles are in their infancy but have a lot of potential for us as musicians.

Artist and producer, Imogen Heap, has always embraced the use of technology and is now at the forefront of wearable music technology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imogen_Heap

http://imogenheap.com/home.php?



https://mimugloves.com/#featured-artists-slider

Demo at Wired:



What do you think the future of wearable technology will be? How do you think the gloves will develop?

remote working

 https://www.bandlab.com/

https://www.audacityteam.org/

https://jamkazam.com/

Apps for Musicians

If you are stuck, then you can find some here:
https://appadvice.com/applists/show/apps-for-musicians
https://www.lifewire.com/best-ipad-apps-for-musicians-1994724

Film maker Will Clarke makes most of his music videos on his iPhone using free apps.

What do you want from an app? Is there the ultimate app that hasn't been created yet?

How can you ensure that you are not getting distracted by your phone rather than using it creatively when making music?

L3 Context advance research for supersonics

Klavikon does not use technology in this piece but is heavily influenced by John Cage. If you did a prepared piano piece, how could you use technology within inventively? 



http://www.nonclassical.co.uk/klavikon/



BENOIT MAUBREY experiments with audio clothes and light sensors

TASK: in a google doc on classroom, please discus how you currently use technology in your music and how you might like to in the future.