Assignment #2

(sorry for the late post, I was having some "Bounce" problems - would only save first 4.5 seconds of each song. Tried a different computer and it worked fine.)

For assignment #2, we were asked to compose three 20-second clips using only a several-second long .aiff sample of four "clicks." This was very different from our first assignment, as it entailed the live manipulation of sound rather than the doctoring of a sample after recording (all of this live manipulation was accomplished in the program RadiaL).

Each piece displays different features of the program, and my understanding of how to use it. Perhaps the most difficult and time consuming part of the project (besides deciding upon which 20 second portion of 10 minute long recordings to use) was the control mapping. This process, which assigned various functions to the different MIDI channels on our keyboards, was very labor-intensive: not just in mapping the functions and keys/sliders/dials, but also in determining which parameters worked best for each function. For some (ie. a mute-type function, a 0,1 was the correct parameter; for others, like filters, you had to chose 20,20000. Determining how these parameters affected the sound was the most interesting, but also frustrating part of the process).

I would like to add a pet peeve of mine re:RadiaL. It would be nice if you could assign a function to both a key and a slider/dial. For example, I found that I liked assigning a tempo "toggle" to a key on the keyboard, and being able to switch between 120 and 200 at will. This type of control was more precise than a slider. However, I also liked the more dynamic, gradual change in tempo (as well as the greater flexibility) of assigning tempo change to a slider. Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn't incorporate both effects in one piece. (The "toggle" is present, I believe, in the second clip).

Enjoy!









- james