E-Textbooks on Computer Music and Electro-Acoustic Music

Currently, there are two sources for 'Electronic Textbooks' which will be used in this class:

Computers and Music (Dartmouth College) -- they recently locked their online Computer Music textbook behind a Username/Password. So, this great resource is no longer available.

Basic Acoustics for Musicians (St. Olaf College) -- great resource!

Synth Secrets (from Sound on Sound - A Recording Magazine Online)

St. Olaf College
Basic Acoustics for Musicians
Table of Contents

1. Sound
2. Characteristics of Sound

1. Frequency (Pitch)
2. Amplitude (Loudness)
3. Spectrum (Timbre)

3. Characteristics of Acoustic Musical Instruments

1. Pitch
2. Loudness
3. Timbre

4. Types of Synthesis

1. Additive Synthesis
2. Subtractive Synthesis
3. Special Synthesis Algorithms
4. Sampling
5. Resynthesis and Cross-Synthesis

5. Acoustic Principles of the Sound Studio

1. Amplitude
2. Pitch and Timbre
3. Digital Sounds and the Sampling Rate
4. MIDI

6. Topics for Review
7. Selected Bibliography

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Synth Secrets
(from Sound on Sound - A Recording Magazine Online)

Part 1: What is Sound?

Part 2: The Physics of Percussion

Part 3: SIGNALS, MODIFIERS & CONTROLLERS

Part 4: Of Filters and Phase Relationships

Part 5: Further with Filters

Part 6: Of Responses and Resonance

Part 7: Envelopes, Gates and Triggers

Part 8: More about Envelopes

Part 9: An Introduction to VCA's

Part 10: Modulation

Part 11: Amplitude Modulation

Part 12: An Introduction to Frequency Modulation

Part 13: Frequency Modulation

Part 14: An Introduction to Additive Synthesis

Part 15: An Introduction to ESPS and VOCODERS

Part 16: From SAMPLE AND HOLD to SAMPLE-RATE CONVERTERS (1)

Part 17: From SAMPLE AND HOLD to SAMPLE-RATE CONVERTERS (2)

Part 18: Priorities & Triggers

Part 19: Duophony

Part 20: Introducing Polyphony

Part 21: From Polyphony to Digital Synths

Part 22: From Springs, Plates & Buckets to Physical Modeling

Part 23: Formant Synthesis

Part 24: Synthesizing Wind Instruments

[All issues after April, 2001 are only available by subscription.]

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