musi_1201

.course_description

university of the incarnate word - spring 2025

Course_Description

University of the Incarnate Word
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Music Department
MUSI 1201 01: Introduction to Music Technology Course Outline Spring 2025

Dr. Charlie Ruth Welty
Course Website: https://musi1201.glitch.me
Email: cwelty@uiwtx.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:00-4:00, Thursday 3:00-5:00, or by appointment in Rm. 208 or virtual.
Class Meeting Schedule
This course will meet every Tuesday from 1:30-2:45 in Music Building Room 201. Each class will cover a multitude of technical topics necessary for successful completion of assignments and projects; attendance is necessary and mandatory for a satisfactory completion of the course. Each lecture will be recorded and made available via the course website and yourtube the day after the class for reference. Students who have missed class time are strongly encouraged to view the recorded lecture as to not fall behind in this quickly-moving course. Lectures may be viewed for review at any time.
Course Texts, Supplies, Materials
This course has no required text. Texts, information, and examples will be shared during class and made available on Canvas for reference. Students will be required to have: Access to a computer capable of running Musescore 4, Max9 (also known as Max/MSP), and the newest version of ProTools (Studio edition). Max9 and ProTools Studio will require a $10-$12 monthly fee for subscription if you plan to use your personal device. Once we are finished with a software, you may cancel your subscription if you choose. Only download and install the softwares when instructed during our course.
Recommended download dates are in the detailed schedule below. Purchasing the software outright is not necessary for this course. The computers are available for use in the Lab (Rm. 208). Each one has MuseScore, Max/MSP, and ProTools installed and ready to use.
A pair of headphones. Earbuds may suffice, but for the course’s latter half, higher-quality headphones will be necessary. It is preferred if the headphones have a 1/8” inch plug. Computers in Rm. 208 require a 1/4” adapter. Students are encouraged to supply their own adapter for monitoring and playback.
Two methods of backing-up course materials. Cloud storage (iCloud, Google Drive, or OneDrive) and physical storage media are both required to diminish the chances of lost work. It is recommended to invest in a USB-C memory stick with 40gb of storage at a minimum.
Attendance Policy
Regular and timely attendance is mandatory. Attendance will be taken and logged at the start of each class. Students without an excused absence will lose 2 points per unexcused absence. Students tardy without prior notification to the teacher will lose 1 point if arriving after 1:35pm. If you must miss class due to an irreconcilable conflict, please email me as soon as possible. This course will move quickly and cover a number of technical details; success demands your presence and attention.
In-Class Policies
Students are not allowed to disruptively talk, text, or otherwise use cell phones excepting the use of authentication procedures necessary to access other devices or materials, or by the instructor’s special instruction. It is expected that students will not chat or talk amongst themselves for the duration of the class time. Additionally, it is expected that students will participate in class discussions and problem solving. Students possessing laptops are welcomed and encouraged to use them to follow along or take notes. Interruptions will receive a verbal warning. Students who demonstrate consistently disruptive behavior risk losing grade points for continual interruption.
Grading
Each student’s final grade will be calculated by the following percentages: Assignments 60% Assignments must be submitted by the start of the next week’s class unless otherwise specified. See due dates and announcements on Canvas. Final Project 40% All assignments are to be submitted via Canvas. If, for some reason, Canvas is non-cooperative, submission via email is still acceptable, though not preferred. Copied or plagiarized work will not be accepted. Please refer to the University’s policy on plagiarism. Please email me ahead of time if you plan to utilize audio samples in your Musique Concrète or Final Project. The final project must be submitted by or before 11:59pm, Tuesday May 7th. Late work will not be accepted.
Submission Guidelines
Please name your submission file with your last name followed by “assignment #”, with the appropriate assignment number substituted for #, or project name if applicable. For example, your first assignment submission should be called: WeltyAssignment1.
Detailed List of Classes and Assignments
January 14: Syllabus and course outline. Lecture and Discussion on notational practice, a brief critical history. Download and install Musescore 4. Assignment 1 made available.
January 21: Assignment 1 due by the beginning of class. Intro to Musescore 4. Basic operating procedures and notational objects. Assignment 2 made available.
January 28: Assignment 2 due by the beginning of class. Additional detail within Musescore 4 - Palettes, keyboard shortcuts. Lead Sheets, proper formatting and best practices. Download and install Max 9. Assignment 3 (Lead Sheet Assignment) made available.
February 4: Score Assignment due by the beginning of class. History of MIDI and introduction to Max 9. First objects, basic functionality. Assignment 4 made available.
February 11: Assignment 4 due by the beginning of class. Max 9 objects and visual programming practices. Using objects to generate time, commands, sound. First rudimentary sequencer. Assignment 5 made available.
February 18: Assignment 5 due by the beginning of class. Max 9 objects [coll], lists, simple stochastic compositional procedures. Download and install ProTools to begin March 5th. Assignment 6 made available.
February 25: Assignment 6 due by the beginning of class. Max/MSP [Detonate]. Importing, exporting, writing MIDI sequences. MIDI file types, importing and manipulating IMSLP MIDI files. Exporting MIDI files.
March 4: Mini Max Device Project Due by the end of the week. Introduction to Digital Audio principles.
March 11: Spring Break, no class meeting.
March 18: Introduction to ProTools operation. DAW affordances and theory of stylistic optimization. Musique Concrète (brief listening demonstration). Recording audio using personal devices and importing. Manipulating audio - cutting, sliding, etc. Zero crossings. Plug-ins: EQ, Delay, Reverb. Begin assembling Musique Concrète piece not to exceed 1 minute and 30 seconds.
March 25: More on plug-ins, CPU use and bussing, panning. Virtual Instruments and Synthesizers introduction. Kinds of synthesis, waveforms, LFOs, automation.
April 1: Continued discussion on Virtual Instruments and Synthesizers. Piano roll MIDI programming in ProTools. Sampling. Bouncing, exporting audio files in various formats.
April 8: Musique Concrète Project Check-In due by the beginning of class. Sampling, granular synthesizers. Introduction to microphones - dynamic, condenser, ribbon. Choose a Final Project from the list on the website under Assignments. Submit a short response describing which project you’ll undertake. Your project should not exceed the time limit given.
April 15: Musique Concrète Project due by the beginning of class. Review and continued discussion of microphones and overview of best practices. Patterns - cardioid, bi-directional, omni.
April 22: Compression, mixing with frequency bands and spatial concept. Loudness wars.
April 29: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning demonstration and discussion.
May 6th: No meeting for the final. I will be available on campus or virtually for last minute office hour questions or assistance during our final time. Final project must be submitted by or before 11:59pm, Tuesday May 8th.
May 7th: Tentative Sharing Concert - students are encouraged to share their work and attend, but not required, to listen to peers’ work. Planned for 6pm. Subject to reschedule or adjustment - to be announced on Canvas.
Any changes to this outline will be announced in-class, via Canvas, and on the course website.
Disability Accommodations:
The University of the Incarnate Word is committed to providing a supportive, challenging, diverse and integrated environment for all students. In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act – Subpart E, Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Title III of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), the University ensures accessibility to its programs, services and activities for qualified students with documented disabilities. To qualify for services, the student must provide Student Disability Services with the appropriate documentation of his or her disability at the time services and/or accommodations are requested.
Pregnancy Accommodations:
Under the Department of Education’s (DOE) regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the University does not discriminate against any student on the basis of pregnancy or pregnancy related conditions. To request reasonable accommodations for disability, temporary disability (e.g., injury, surgery) or pregnancy, please contact:
Student Disability Services
4301 Broadway CPO 295 Administration Building – Suite 51 San Antonio, TX 78209 (210) 829-3997 (210) 283-6329 www.uiw.edu/sds
Title IX Information
Unlawful discrimination has no place at the University of the Incarnate Word. It violates the University’s core values, including its commitment to equal opportunity and inclusion, and will not be tolerated. The University of the Incarnate Word prohibits sexual misconduct, that can include: (1) sex and gender based discrimination; (2) sexual and sex and gender based harassment (including a hostile environment based on sex or gender); (3) sexual assault; (4) sexual exploitation; (5) stalking; and (6) relationship violence (including dating and domestic violence). For more information, or to report an incident, please visit www.uiw.edu/titleix.
Academic Honesty Statement:
The highest standards of academic honesty are expected in the course. Forms of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to cheating, plagiarism, counterfeit work, falsification of academic record, unauthorized reuse of work, theft, and collusion. See the student handbook for definitions and procedures for investigation of claims of academic dishonesty.