Courses Offered in Fall 2025 (114AY 1S)

Throughout music history, advances in music technology have continually influenced the content and presentation of musical works. This course focuses on advanced programming in Max/MSP/Jitter for audio and visual applications, guiding students to understand various theories of digital synthesis and to develop the ability to program their own digital effects, synthesizers, and related tools.

The course aims to enable students to further apply these technologies in the creation of sound works and music, or in real-time interactive music. By integrating traditional instruments with digital technology, students will explore new artistic possibilities that combine tradition and technology.

This is neither a software instruction course nor a course in commercial music arrangement and production.

I. Emphasis on learning by doing: digital music creation

1. Learning the applications of various non-linear digital audio techniques in digital audio workstations (DAWs), with a focus on digital signal processing (DSP) for sound cutting, editing, collage, and mixing.
2. Studying the most important computer music programming environment, Max/MSP, including techniques such as sound synthesis—Freeze, FM, granular synthesis, filtering, and RM—and spatial sound techniques, including reverb, Doppler, panning, and Spat5.
3. Experimenting with multitrack software, such as Audition, to organize, collage, and create computer music or soundscape works using environmental field recordings as source material.
4. Completing assigned short exercises, a midterm miniature work, and a final project.

II. Literature, works, and related knowledge in computer and digital music

Students will listen to and analyze classic works of computer and digital music, and read materials related to digital music technologies, aesthetics, history, and literature.

III. Course aims

Through a course design that places equal emphasis on theory, aesthetics, and practical techniques, students will develop skills in computer music composition and reflect on the interdisciplinary integration of technology and musical art as a means of expressing thought and emotion.

IV. Path to Goal

From open ears to happy new ears!