Schedule
Our precise order of topics and their accompanying materials will periodically change and/or be updated, at the discretion of the instructor, based on class pacing and other factors. Schedule and materials will be regularly updated on this website and announced in class. Changes to, or additions of, recordings, readings, or videos may be appended to this current schedule below. Additional materials will be distributed on this website or in class. Our schedule follows the Current Bates Academic Calendar. Check frequently for updates!
Calendar of Deadlines
Subscribe to our class Google calendar to see our upcoming deadlines. Daily schedule of events, tutorials, topics, terms, listening, guests, and other relevant information follows.
Week 1: 3 Sept. (short week)
What is Sound?
Wednesday 9/3
Intro Survey
Be sure you’ve completed the Intro Survey
Start-of-Semester Business
- Review Syllabus + Course Policies
- Review Software + Resources
Cage Discussion
Assignments
- Install Reaper before Friday! (See Resources page for instructions).
- Auditory Vantage Point (due by start of Week 2)
Friday 9/5
Start-of-Semester Business
- Revew Studio Policies
- Review Detailed Breakdown of Grading
Demonstrations
- Introduction to Reaper
Tutorials
Video Tutorials
Listening
Assignments
- Install Reaper before Monday! (See Resources page for instructions).
- Mic Technique + Voice Recording Assignment (due by start of Week 3)
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
coildiaphgragmpolar patternXLR cablecondensor micdynamic micaudio interfaceclipping distortionproximity effectplosivessibilance
Week 2: 8 Sept.
Sound File Treatments + Early Tape Music
Monday 9/8
Tutorials
- Let’s Learn About Waveforms (Interactive Guide)
- Introduction to Digital Audio: What is Sound? (Slides 1-14)
Downloads
- Audio Files for Testing
- Keep these in your class folder. We’ll use these throughout the semester as test signals for various plugin devices, spatialization, etc.
Demonstrations
- Navigating Reaper: editing, gain staging, fades, crossfades, FX basics
Listening
Deadlines
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
frequencypitchamplitudeperiodharmonicsfundamentalsine wavetriangle wavesawtooth wavesquare waveoscillationmass-spring systemsimple harmonic motion
Wednesday 9/10
Tutorials and Slides
Listening
More on Iannis Xenakis
- Grella, George. 2025. The Musical Architecture of Iannis Xenakis.” Bandcamp Daily, August 14, 2025. https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/iannis-xenakis-album-guide
Philips Pavilion (1958), showing the approximate locations of 350 loudspeakers hidden in the walls for diffusion.
Demonstrations
- What Are Treatments?
- Treatments in action
- Acousmatic Listening principles
Reaper Tutorial Videos
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
musique concrèteandacousmaticsound objectreduced listeningdiffusionfadecrossfadeFX bustreatmentdigital audio workstation (DAW)split,cutglue,consolidate
Friday 9/12
Class Visit
We will meet in the studio and later go downstairs to the Gamelan room for a brief demonstration.
Listening
Sari Raras, a gamelan ensemble based on the Javanese form of gamelan accompanied by dancers. University of California, Berkeley, under the direction of Midiyanto, gamelan master.
Reading
- Shields, Alice. “Timbre, Envelope and Variation in Electroacoustic Music.” NewMusicBox, June 23, 2016. Accessed August 8, 2025. http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/timbre-envelope-and-variation-in-electroacoustic-music
- Shields, Alice. “Structural and Playback Issues in Current Electroacoustic Music.” NewMusicBox, June 9, 2016. Accessed August 8, 2025. http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/structural-and-playback-issues-in-current-electroacoustic-music/
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
microstructuremacrostructurestructural claritymonotonyorsamenessenvelopeorADSR envelope(i.e., attack, decay, sustain, release)timbral blurring
Assignments
- Reminder: Finish Microphone assignments by Monday!
Week 3: 15 Sept.
Sampling + MIDI Controllers
Monday 9/15
Reading
Class Visit
-
Christopher Schiff, Music & Arts Librarian (and composer, tape op, researcher, and more)
-
John Cage, Rozart Mix (1965, this realization from 1988) (This video should queue from 47:39 in the video.)
Tutorials
Tutorial Videos
Demonstrations
- Overview on sampling, authorship, and sampling culture
- Check-out recording kits to each team
Assignments
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
direct listeningand theaudio-visual complexacousmatic soundreduced listening
Wednesday 9/17
Tutorials
Tutorial Videos
Demonstrations
- How to record samples
- How to edit and index audio samples using naming conventions
Watch Documentary
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
audio samplesampling culturekey mappinggamelanMIDI tecnical standardMIDI eventsandmessagesMIDI pitchMIDI velocitynaming convention5-pin DIN cableIN,OUT, andTHRUdaisy chainstar configurationMIDI interfaceandperipherals
Friday 9/19
Tutorials
Tutorial Videos
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
monophonic synthesizerpolyphonic synthesizerNote-OnNote-OffPitch BendControl ChangeProgram ChangeSysExstatus bytedata byte.mid filegeneral MIDI
Week 4: 22 Sept.
FX Plugins, Automation, Mixing
Monday 9/22
Tutorials
Tutorial Videos
Demonstrations
- setting up an FX send and an aux track
- reverb profiles and automation
Assignments
- Begin collecting a folder of audio samples to use next week. See the upcoming Micromontage Etude Assignment for more information.
- XLR Cable Coiling (due at the start of Week 5)
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
FX sendauxiliary trackpre-fader sendautomation modes
Wednesday 9/24
Tutorial Videos
Demonstrations
- working with mono stems from a mix session (mix library)
- how to achieve balance and clarity in a mix
- use of basic FX with automation in your mix session
- basic differences between mixing and mastering in context
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
stemstonal balanceEQpan
Friday 9/26
Tutorial Videos
-
[How To Use A Compressor Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release & More](https://youtu.be/lgCYjek5_JY?si=Hr4Kr6YLjmBSHad0){:target=”_blank”}
Demonstrations
- using compressors to further achieve clarity
- differences between compressors and limiters
- uses of compressors and limiters in context
Assignments
- Download & install IRIN before Monday!
Terms, Concepts, Objects, Shortcuts
compressorlimiterbrick wall
Week 5: 29 Sept.
Micromontage + Field Recording
Monday 9/29
Deadlines
Tutorials
Assignments
Listening
Wednesday 10/1
Listening
Friday 10/3
Listening
Week 6: 6 Oct.
Synth Plugins, Emulators, Microtonality
Monday 10/6
Wednesday 10/8
Friday 10/10
Assignments
- Download & install SPEAR and PaulXStretch before Monday!
Week 7: 13 Oct.
Frequency Domain Analysis/Resynthesis
Monday 10/13
Listening
Tutorials
-
A Very Rough, Arguably Stupid Intro. to Sound + Spectrograms
-
Introduction to SPEAR
Download + Install
Deadlines
Assignments
- Midterm 3-Minute Sketch (due at the start of Week 9)
- Composite Timbre Etude (due at the start of Week 10)
Wednesday 10/15
Fall Recess: No class!
Reminder: Your next assignment is due on Monday, October 27!
Friday 10/17
Fall Recess: No class!
Reminder: Your next assignment is due on Monday, October 27!
Week 8: 20 Oct.
Multichannel Spatial Audio
Monday 10/20
Wednesday 10/22
Friday 10/24
Week 9: 27 Oct.
Modular Synthesis
Monday 10/27
Deadlines
Assignments
Wednesday 10/29
Friday 10/31
Week 10: 3 Nov.
TBD
Monday 11/3
Deadlines
Wednesday 11/5
Friday 11/7
Week 11: 10 Nov.
TBD
Monday 11/10
Wednesday 11/12
Friday 11/14
Assignments
Week 12: 17 Nov.
TBD
Monday 11/17
Wednesday 11/19
Friday 11/21
Deadlines
Tutorials
Week 13: 24 Nov.
TBD
Thanksgiving Recess
No classes this week!
Week 14: 1 Dec.
Final Concert + Exam
Monday 12/1
Assignments
Wednesday 12/3
Friday 12/5
Last day of class.