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Sound Synthesis Class
with Christopher Mckinlay
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Date & Time
March 17, 2012, 2pm–5pm
March 24, 2012, 2pm–5pm
March 31, 2012, 2pm–5pm
March 7, 2012, 2pm–5pm
Location
Machine Project
Map
Pricing
$225 for members
$250 for non-members

The electronic synthesis of audio signals is a wonderful combination of mathematics (harmonic analysis and linear differential equations) and electrical engineering (analog and digital signal processing).

This class will present the theoretical fundamentals of sound synthesis with a view towards applications in music and sound design. We will use the open source software platform SuperCollider as a toolkit for the class.

Requirements
A laptop with a working installation of SuperCollider, headphones, and a love of sound. No prior mathematical or programming experience is required.

About the Instructor:
Christopher Mckinlay is a 5th year PhD candidate in Mathematics at
UCLA studying digital audio signal processing.

Class 1
Saturday, March 17, 2pm–5pm
software and synthesis

An introduction to digital audio signal processing and the
SuperCollider programming environment. Audio and control rates.
Analog transitions and AD/DA converters.
Class 2
Saturday, March 24, 2pm-5pm
time and frequency

Mathematical fundamentals of acoustic waves and how we perceive them.
A rough guide to the Fourier transform. Spectrum analyzers. The
classical waveforms and their spectra. Additive synthesis.
Class 3
Saturday, March 31, 2pm-5pm
frequency-based effects

Subtractive synthesis and its fundamental role in audio production.
Filters and their properties. Resonance (‘Q’) and filters as
oscillators.
Class 4
Saturday, March 7, 2pm-5pm
time-based effects

The frequency properties of delays and feedback networks. A taxonomy
of related audio effects such as reverberation, flanging, ring
modulation, and chorusing.

Refund policy:
Please note, all class fees include a non-refundable enrollment deposit of $25 that will be deducted from your refund if you sign up for, then drop, a class. So, for example, if you sign up for Machine Sewing 101 and pay the $155 class fee, but then remember that you have trapeze school final exams that conflict with the Sewing class and shouldn’t have signed up after all, we will refund you $130 of your tuition payment.

Gift certificate purchase:
If you have a Machine Project gift certificate you’d like to redeem for a class, please email us at machine@machineproject.com and let us know.