Nicola Bernardini

The Sound and Music Computing Field: Present and Future

Abstract This paper is a general introduction for the theme of this special issue. It attempts to give a definition of the Sound and Music Computing research field stemming from its methodologies, aims and approaches. A brief account of the disciplines involved along with their academic organization follows, along with a short description of the areas of application involved. Since Sound and Music Computing has recently enjoyed a deep world-wide reflection upon its own goals, visions and perspectives which has resulted in several roadmapping exercises, the last part of this article provides a summary of these exercises by introducing them in the context in which they were created.

Making Sounds with Numbers: A Tutorial on Music Software Dedicated to Digital Audio

A (partial) taxonomy of software applications devoted to sounds is presented. For each category of software applications, an model is proposed an actual implementations are evaluated with respect to this model.

Preface: Special Issue on the Future of Sound and Music Computing

Over the past 50 years, music and technology have forged such a strong connection that all aspects of the economic chain, from production to distribution and consumption, have become digital. Music has become a major e-commerce commodity, paving the way for new business models and innovative applications in mobile technology and many other fields. In this context, what was once known as ‘‘computer music’’ has now become the Sound and Music Computing field. Music is the language of our emotions, of social bonding, of personal development and intellectual enrichment. But access to technology will be the major means by which this language can be fully explored. Indeed, the next revolution is about the connection between sound and sense; that is, the connection between encoded physical energy in technology and the human subjective experience. New technology is needed to close this huge gap. This new technology will impact on how people normally have access to music at all levels of the digital economic chain. It will revolutionize how people deal with music, transforming recording and broadband technology for sound and music into a vast, world-wide, all-penetrating musical instrument that all humans can easily access. This revolution will be taken up by the dynamic forces that drive music, which in turn will lead to new developments and opportunities in the cultural and creative industries. So far, a number of fast-moving sciences ranging from signal processing to experimental psychology, from acoustics to cognitive musicology, have tapped the music arena here or there. What was missing in the research literature to date was a reflection over the future of the discipline. In science, the appropriate tool for such a reflection often translates directly into a scientific roadmapping effort: an assessment of where science is going, what the active scientific research community thinks will be feasible, and what is beyond our reach. Scientific roadmaps are a powerful tool commonly used nowadays to assess and validate the importance and priorities of a set of research avenues to pave the way for upcoming research to develop upon solid conceptual framework and grounds (cf. for example Microsoft Research Cambridge, 2006). Usually, these roadmaps consist of a definition of the reference area of research (who we are), an updated assessment of the state of the art (where we are now), a more-or-less explicit vision of a medium-to-long term future (where do we want to go), a synthetic outline of scientific challenges (the roadblocks between us and the future vision) and related strategies (how we could go about removing the roadblocks) along with some assessment of the context in which these challenges will be tackled (what is the world around us likely to do while we remove the roadblocks). The emerging research topics outlined above have lead to several more-or-less encompassing roadmapping projects, some of which we attempt to account for in this special issue. The first paper in this issue (Bernardini & De Poli, 2007) attempts to define the field of Sound and Music Computing, according to the S2S Roadmap, by describing the origins of the name, its aims, approaches and methodologies. A synthetic account of the disciplines involved in SMC, along with an enumeration of the main areas of application is offered in the paper which is then completed by a discussion of the potential impact and future perspectives of SMC. The three papers that follow summarize three different aspects of the S2S Roadmap. The SMC field is embedded in a societal framework in which research, education, industry and socio-cultural activities are major components. This societal framework has a strong influence on the sound and music computing field. Leman et al. (2007) introduce the different contexts in which SMC research takes place. The research context is about the state and trends of related scientific and technological developments and their influence on SMC. The higher education context is about the education of future researchers in the field. The industrial context is about the impact on the industries and about the relevant trends in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. Finally, the socio-cultural context is about the link to culture and the relevant social implications. For each context, the major trends are analysed and summarized as short statements, thus providing a background in which the state-of-the-art and the challenges of sound and music research can be situated. Widmer et al. (2007) give a broad overview of the current state of SMC research, with a special emphasis on the open issues waiting to be addressed, or those that are currently being worked on. Faced with the great variety of research topics within SMC, the arguments are grouped into three major areas – Sound, Interaction and Music – which are further divided into sub-areas. A basic distinction is made between research that focuses on Journal of New Music Research 2007, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 139 – 141

Sound Motion and Space Parameters on a Stereo CD

This paper presents a case study for domestic sound motion on stereo systems: the recording and post-processing of Orfeo cantando … tolse by Adriano Guarnieri, a piece for ensemble, solos and live-electronics. The above piece has been recorded with multi-track recording techniques and has been mastered on a production audio stereo CD after a lengthy off-line post-production session that added sound motion simulation. This paper gives an account of the problems encountered and the techniques used in this postproduction stage.