monro_g@maths.su.oz.au (05/25/90)
I asked a little while ago for references to good research in the area of comp.music, and also for fruitful topics for graduate students. All the replies to the net were collected neatly in Music-Research Digest Vol. 5 #46, so I won't repeat them here. Stephen Page also sent me a copy of his reply. Additionally, Dean.Rubine@CS.CMU.EDU sent me a long and helpful reply, much of which is reproduced below. There was no response from one or two people who have told us at length about bad research and fruitless research areas. Thanks to everyone who responded. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Dean Rubine: >I've worked in the following subfields, all of which, IMHO, have some good >research going on (I'm basically a technical person): > > A. Analysis/Synthesis of instrument tones > B. Digital Signal Processing > C. New Instrument Interfaces > D. Real Time MIDI performance interfaces > D. Languages for Computer Music/Real Time Control > >As for references, I'll give a few, but there are lots more. > > CMJ=Computer Music Journal > ICMC=Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference > JAES=Journal of the Audio Engineering Society > >Analysis/Synthesis of instrument tones: > Moorer, CMJ 1(1) > Chowning, JAES 21(#?) July/Aug 73 > J. Smith & X. Serra, ICMC 87 > Karplus & Strong CMJ?? > X. Rodet (CHANT program, and FOF) CMJ ?(?) > M. Serra JAES 38(3) > >Digital Signal Processing > Moorer CMJ 1(1) > Moorer "About this Reverberation Business", Foundations of Computer > Music, Roads & Strawn, Eds > J. Smith ICMC 85 "...Waveguides..." > >New Instrument Interfaces > All of CMJ 14(1), for example > >Real Time MIDI performance interfaces > Dannenberg, "...computer accompaniment..." ICMC87, ICMC85(??) > (maybe "Bloch and Dannenberg", don't have it handy) > X. Chabot ?? > >Languages for Computer Music/Real Time Control > Mathews (The Music "N" languages) (No reference handy) > Dannenberg et al, "Arctic...", CMJ 10(4) > Dannenberg "Canon", CMJ???, "Fugue" ICMC89 > [Some fruitful topics for graduate students] >In the technical fields, computer music grad students come in two flavors, >either electrical engineers, or computer scientists. EEs like to build low >level hardware and/or do software signal-processing or synthesis. CS types >like to do interactive MIDI stuff, algorithmic composition, and languages and >operating systems. As for specific topics, pick a nice big open problem, and >go after the pieces. As an example, real-time human/computer improvisation >involves > > 1. Tracking of human instrumental input > use a MIDI device or monophonic pitch detector > RESEARCH AREA: polyphonic pitch tracking to MIDI > 2. Extraction of beat information from input > RESEARCH AREA: A computer "foot tapper" which given, e.g. > MIDI input, determines where the downbeats are > 3. Real-time harmonic analyis > RESEARCH AREA: Given MIDI input (and maybe some style > assumptions), produce chord charts as output > 4. Real-time composition > RESEARCH AREA: Given a "lead sheet" produce an accompaniment > in real-time > > Other big problems which can be similarly broken up are computerized aids >to transcription (e.g. input: recording; output: sheet music), score editing >(sub-issues of music representation, user interfaces, ...) and, with all the >fast hardware that's appearing, doing some of the new synthesis algorithms >(e.g. physical models) in real-time with real-time human gestural control is >also becoming feasible. I could easily go on, but you can get just as many >ideas by reading the tables of contents to recent (or not-so-recent) CMJs and >ICMC proceedings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gordon Monro University of Sydney. Internet: monro_g@maths.su.oz.au
eliot@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Eliot Handelman) (05/26/90)
In article <1990May25.090038.20344@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU> monro_g@maths.su.oz.au () writes:
;I asked a little while ago for references to good research in the area of
;comp.music, and also for fruitful topics for graduate students.
; There was no response
;from one or two people who have told us at length about bad research and
;fruitless research areas.
I assume you mean me.
A Fruitful Research Area: There is today growing concern with the need
for a new information-processing metaphor, and major corporations
are expressing interest in science-fiction author W. Gibson's concept
of "cyberspace," in which information is given form as a "consensual
hallucination" mapped out directly in the operator's mind via direct
brain stimulation. The metaphor to date has been strictly visual.
Part I of your PhD project is to describe and implement (a simulation
will do) the auditory analogue of this metaphor. Justify the metaphor
with references to L. Beethoven, R. Wagner, J. Baudrillard, E. Bloch,
H.R. Jauss, U. Eco, J. Kristeva and I. Xenakis. For part II of your
PhD project you must write a concerto for midi piano and large orchestra
with concertante piano and rock percussion. You must then find an
orchestra, copy all of the parts and conduct it yourself.smoliar@vaxa.isi.edu (Stephen Smoliar) (05/26/90)
In article <1990May25.090038.20344@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU> monro_g@maths.su.oz.au () writes: > There was no response >from one or two people who have told us at length about bad research and >fruitless research areas. > MEA CULPA, Gordon! However, there is a reason for my silence, which is that I believe that graduate students should only venture into this area with proper guidance and supervision. I once observed a very sad experience in which a graduate student had one advisor in computer science and another in music. He was able to keep each very happy as long as they did not talk to each other! I was the unfortunate agent who closed the loop of communication, and it became quickly apparent that this student really did not have the musical competence for the project he had proposed. My feeling is that until we have some faculty who are qualified to supervise such research (that is, qualified as individuals to take responsibility for ALL aspects of the research, whether they involve computers, music, psychology, or even brain science) it is a BIG MISTAKE to encourage graduate students to go looking for topics in the field. One of the reasons I report at great length about "bad research and fruitless research areas" is in the hope that others will not make similar mistakes. ========================================================================= USPS: Stephen Smoliar USC Information Sciences Institute 4676 Admiralty Way Suite 1001 Marina del Rey, California 90292-6695 Internet: smoliar@vaxa.isi.edu "By long custom, social discourse in Cambridge is intended to impart and only rarely to obtain information. People talk; it is not expected that anyone will listen. A respectful show of attention is all that is required until the listener takes over in his or her turn. No one has ever been known to repeat what he or she has heard at a party or other social gathering." John Kenneth Galbraith A TENURED PROFESSOR