Co-delivered MA seminar presentation (2012) on digital audio. Included podcasting, sampling and new musical forms, such as mashups.

1. Sound and Interactivity
Dom Pates
Chang Jiang
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2. You will be listening to…
Physical and digital sound
Podcasting as broadcasting
Sampling as quotation
New musical forms
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3. What is sound?
A sequence of
waves of
pressure that
diffuse through
compressible
media such as
air
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4. Computer audio
Sampling: a form of computer synthesis where sound
is rendered as data that also contain instructions for
reconstructing that sound (Katz, 2004).
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5. Podcasting
Podcasting is not an
alternative to broadcasting,
but a realisation of
broadcasting that ought to
exist alongside and
compete with other models.
(Sterne et al, 2008)
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6. What is podcasting?
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…a digital media file(s) distributed over the internet distributed by syndication feeds for playback on
portable media players and personal computers (Wikipedia, in Sterne et al, 2006)

7. Podcasting: main points
Enabling elements include digital recording
and editing software and hardware,
broadband connections and RSS
Podcasting is a realisation of broadcasting
rather than an alternative to it
As a result of podcasting, many more voices
can be heard today
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8. Example and questions
What can explain the popularity of podcasting?
What are some negative aspects of
podcasting?
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Duomi.com

9. Sampling quote
Sampling is a rich and
complex practice, one
which challenges our
notions of originality, of
borrowing, of craft, and
even of composition itself.
(Katz, 2004)
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10. What is sampling?
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…a form of musical borrowing in which a portion of one recording is incorporated into another (Katz, 2004)

11. Sampling: main points
At a fundamental level, sampling is an art of
transformation
As computers manipulate representations of
sound (rather than sound itself), we cannot say
that a sampled passage is the music
Although sampling has been criticised as
uncreative and even unethical, it can also be
novel, respectful and subtle
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12. Example and questions
Has digital sampling introduced a new aesthetic,
or is it merely an extension of older practices?
What is it about digital sampling that leads to it
being accused of being inartistic, immoral, or
illegal?
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Steinski and Mass Media – ‘The Motorcade Sped On’

13. New musical forms
Music has always
pushed the
envelope of what
defines interaction.
(Tanaka, 2006)
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14. New musical forms: main points
As traditional instruments have a ‘voice’, so
do digital technologies
When music is made over networks, the
network becomes the space occupied by the
music
Future potential musical forms may be
generated at the time of listening
Deployment of music over networks should
lead to new musical formats
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15. Examples of new musical forms
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Atau Tanaka at The Luminaire, 2008 ‘Don’t Let It Be In Anger’
https://youtu.be/FB_yE_Y3_8k

16. Questions
Why has the creative musical potential of
networks been overwhelmed by legal
battles about intellectual property?
Can composers of democratic and open
works truly claim to be the composer?
What do these new forms mean in terms
of quality for the listener?
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17. References
Text
Katz, M (2004). Music in 1s and 0s: the Art and Politics of Digital Sampling. In Capturing Sound: How Technology has Changed Music. University of California Press.
Sterne, J; Morris, J; Baker, M B; Moscote Friere, A (2008). The Politics of Podcasting. Fibreculture 13. http://thirteen.fibreculture.org/
Tanaka, A (2006). Interaction, Agency, Experience, and the Future of Music. In: Brown, B; O’Hara, K (ed), Consuming Music Together: Social and Collaborative Aspects of Music
Consumption Technologies. Dordrecht: Springer.
Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound
Images
Ear: http://healthtipsinsurance.com/stories/10527/How-Do-We-Hear-Sound-Waves.html
Podcast icon: http://soshable.com/three-ways-podcasting-can-help-your-seo-and-social-campaign/
Sampler: http://altomusic.com/shop/images/product/mpc500-1d152e6e3c58f560bb7d0cde7c027a1d.jpg
Soundwaves and player buttons: screenshots from http://www.soundcloud.com
Audio
Duomi.com. http://ear.duomi.com/?p=209172
Steinski and Mass Media – ‘The Motorcade Sped On’ http://soundcloud.com/mynewfavouriteband/steinski-and-the-mass-media-the-motorcade-sped-on
The Beatles – ‘Let It Be’
Oasis – ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’
DJ Y alias JY – ‘Don’t Let It Be In Anger’ http://soundcloud.com/djyaliasjy/dont-let-it-be-in-anger
Video
Atau Tanaka at the Luminaire (2008) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB_yE_Y3_8k
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18. Questions
What can explain the popularity of podcasting?
What are some negative aspects of podcasting?
Has digital sampling introduced a new aesthetic, or is it merely an
extension of older practices?
What is it about digital sampling that leads to it being accused of
being inartistic, immoral, or illegal?
Why has the creative musical potential of networks been
overwhelmed by legal battles about intellectual property?
Can composers of democratic and open works truly claim to be the
composer?
What do these new forms mean in terms of quality for the listener?
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