Here you can listen to some of the creative projects that students in our class have composed! Some projects also include composer’s notes and source files so you can read about their vision or see how they accomplished their creative goals.
The composition utilizes an improvised melody, expend on it, and try out the effect of control modulation using spectral centroid. 3 self-recorded audio samples was utilized (hitting a bottle, shaking a small box with metal sticks in it, and playing with my hitbox).
For this composition, I tried to recreate a music piece I made in the past with the instrument I created for project 3 and attempted to make it sound more interesting by trying out different modulation functions.
The audio I used for the spectral centroid is a drum loop I made in the IOS app Medly.
Within proj3comp.sal, I created six instruments, where the first three and the last one uses the spectral centroid created from the input audio. The spectral centroid for the last instrument is a bit different from the one used for the first three instruments, since it uses a longer fft-duration, a longer skip period, and a different window function. For the fourth and the fifth instrument, I experimented with the pwl and the pwe function for the im paramenter. For the last instrument in particular, I added randomized pan control.
I then used the midi-to-score code used in class to create the scores, chose one instrument created for project 3 for each score corresponding one instrument in the original track, and then recreated the beat in the original piece through pen beats (origin/Beat.wav).
Finally, I put all the scores together in Audacity and applied reverb on the pen beats. The effects of the spectral centroids are not very apparent when different instruments are playing together, so I added functions that plays each instrument for some extended period of time, which showcases the influence of using the spectral centroid to control the index of modulation.
I’m glad with the result, since the new instruments and their nuanced modulation effects generates various interesting effects and gives a refreshing feel for the track.
The melody used is the well-known "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" or "ABC".
It is now sung to the tune of the French melody "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman",
which was first published in 1761 and later arranged by several composers,
including Mozart in his Twelve Variations on "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman".
This composition incorporates modern techniques to achieve something we never
could have imagined in our childhood. The intention is to evoke childhood memories
through contemporary approaches. The spectral centroid input, used to create my
vibrato-like modulation, is based on the link below by “aptbr.” Additionally, the
modern percussion further emphasizes the goal of integrating contemporary elements
to revolutionize music composition.
I really liked the tones created from the spectral centroid, so I decided to have it be supporting chords
as well as the lead melody in my piece. My primary inspiration was breakcore-adjacent so I chopped and
layered a couple of drum breaks as well as a pad on top. You can hear my fminstr chords around the 5 sec mark,
and the lead around 15 sec. To make it not as harsh, I added EQ and reverb to both, so their sound is smoothed
out a lot. Enjoy!
I wanted to mimic the ethereal sound of the opening to Jacob Collier's cover of "Close To You" (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s1baxrxGHU). Here, he opens the piece using the natural tones of glasses filled with liquid. He then builds a vast complex major chord and then side-chains the chord against a kick and snare drum. I downloaded a non-copyright sound sample of birds chirping in a forest. I wanted to let the soft, natural tones of the birds echo come through on the spectral centroid (this is also why I turned it way down). I then composed a midi file for a spacey chord progression in Ableton Live 12 and used the Python program from class to transform this into a Nyquist score. I also like Lionmilk, a jazz piano player based in LA who uses synth techniques to create amazing soundscapes. I found inspiration from his album "I hope you are well."
If it wasn't evident upon listening, I wanted to recreate the song Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee).
I think computer music is really well suited to making something like this, likely because the
original was made by a computer (at least in some degree). It might take a listen or two to see
that the tapscore and the tapcomp use the same tapping as its base. I repeated the inner 10ish
notes in the tapping because that's how the original went, so it's not exactly a 1-to-1, but it
is still evident.
I was trying to create a composition that builds tension and anxiety, something you would hear in a scary movie. To do so I played with transposing, diminished chords and amplitude control. Hope it makes you think of Dracula! :)
First, I made tapcomp.sal convert my tapping into a repeated A minor arpeggio to use as a simple bassline. Then, I composed a melody using the MIDI to Nyquist score python snippet. Finally, after combining the two, I added reverb to imitate a church/cathedral.
My intention for this piece was to demonstrate a breakthrough in
contemporary music, where not only musicians can compose, but
anyone can tap into their groove and create funky melodies. It
shows that everyone can feel the inspiration and take the
initiative to make music.
I am a fan of "industrial" music/hip-hip (such as bands like Death Grips), so I wanted to create a gritty, bass-y sound with a lot of distortion centered around the sharp taps of my tapcomp.wav to mimic that genre.
This music composition has a repetitive rhythm that repeats 3 times with layered notes, but with different notes, giving the vibe of a finale.
Sheng Shu
Tai Nakamura
Composer’s notes:
I used random function for the pitch in my instrument, so it sounded weird but interesting. Therefore, my goal was to utilize randomness and also make it musically nice as much as possible.
I used my simple-note() function and the *tapscore* list to generate various sounds based on the rhythm of the original tapping.wav. Then, I applied effects such as normalization, distortion, and tempo/pitch changes to blend these sounds with the tapping.wav, aiming to create a rich and rhythmic composition.
I plan to use drums spanning different frequency ranges to create a simple beat at 90 BPM. I will also apply an envelope to shape and refine a square-wave tone for added detail
Source files:
Yuting Wang
Composer’s notes:
My intention was to create a rhythmic beat that blends natural sounds with a single instrumental note. Inspired by the snowy winter in Pittsburgh, I incorporated sounds from nature such as the crunch of footsteps on snow and the splash of breaking ice, combining them into the composition to make a beat for this water:)
Anonymous
Composer’s notes:
I had a couple of drum breaks and wanted to mess around a little with those. I then came across a piece "Itinerantur" by Vrymaa, which got my attention and wanted to create a piece around that. Ultimately, I wanted to create a mellow piece that was reminiscent of a snow day in a village.
Source files:
Gursimran Panesar
Composer’s notes:
Intention: I wanted to create a sound that was based on a hip hop drill beat. These are typically high energy, fast paced beats that tend to get people amped up. On top of this, I added in a famous audio of Lebron James, which was recorded during a high intensity workout. The purpose was essentially to “inject” excitement and energy into an already exciting beat and observing if intesity/energy “stacks”.
Source files:
Julian Huang
Composer’s notes:
Intention: This is the final drop of my remake of Porter Robinson's song Shelter, a 100-BPM midtempo track. I loved the song so much that I decided to create my own rendition of it. I hope you enjoy it!
Description: I removed the drums and vocals but kept the sidechain compression to ensure the autograder detects rhythmic amplitude changes. Various audio manipulation techniques have been applied to each layer of the track: distortion on the chords, filtering on the bass, flanging on the synths, panning on the arpeggios, reverb/delay on the bells, and chorus on the vocal pads. For mastering, equalization, limiting, compression, and stereo enhancement have been applied to the main track.