Two full days, one as an instructed tutorial workshop, the other as self-guided project work.
The first day of the workshop will follow a structured sequence of topics. In the morning we will familiarize ourselves with the different means of making sound in a web browser. In the afternoon we will apply our new skills and switch to exploring generative and interactive music techniques.
Each topic will be introduced via a short lecture or demonstration. Following this, we’ll do a short coding exercise to apply it in practice. For the coding exercises, a starting point will be given in the form of a cloneable repository/sandbox.
Part one: Sound on the web
- Introduction to sound on the web: standards and libraries.
- Working with pre-recorded sound: loops and samples and their playback.
- Web Audio synthesis and effects.
- Going low level: audio signal processing with Audio Worklets.
Part two: Generative music on the web
- Sequencing sound: pitch, rhythm, repetition.
- Loop phasing: back to the classics.
- Randomness as machine improvisation.
- Interaction and visualization: making music visible and responsive.
- Data-driven music: mapping arbitrary data into musical parameters.
Day 2: Project Hacking
The second day will consist of hacking on our own projects in small teams or individually. This work is largely self-guided, but guidance from the instructor and peers is available, of course.
At the beginning of the day, we’ll do some Idea Storming (~30min): We will organise our project ideas and teams on a whiteboard together. If you have a project idea, you’ll be asked to briefly present it and mention if you’re looking for collaborators. If you like someone else’s idea and would like to join them, you can do so. If we find ideas that are very similar or compatible, we may merge them.
At the end of the day, we’ll do Project Presentations (~60min): You’ll be asked to briefly show what you worked on. It’s fine to not make things finished or polished, the emphasis is in presenting what you learned, and what was difficult or easy or surprising. This will allow us to learn from each other and take ideas into future projects.
