littleBits – quick and dirty electronic projects

littleBits makes modular electronic circuit components that attach to each other with magnets. Not much info on audio-producing components yet (they are still getting everything ready, apparently) but they claim to have over fifty modules.

Music and Memory: An Introduction, by Bob Snyder

Disclosure: I am a former student of Bob Snyder’s and took part in the classes that the book was developed from.

Music and Memory approaches the study of sound-in-time from that of cognitive psychology, time theory, cultural relativism (not in a dogmatic sense) and nearly every other possible discipline but Western music theory. It’s very refreshing, and a crucial read for any artist working in sound. Including, especially, music.

Casey O’Callaghan – research on philosophical questions about perception

Casey O’Callaghan: “My research focuses on philosophical questions about perception. In particular, I have written about auditory perception and the nature of its objects. This work stems from a more general interest in how perceptual experience relates to its objects and how it shapes our understanding of the natures of those objects…” Valuable ideas for those who work with events that occur over time.  Links to articles and books.

Lower the Boom

Lower the Boom is an acoustic ecology organization focused on identifying issues with extremely loud stereo systems in vehicles, and finding ways to address them in the community. While part of me likes the cars that go boom, part of me also sees how disruptive they can be.

Online class – Musical Applications of CNMAT Technologies

UC Berkeley is generous enough with their time and resources to put course materials and lectures to its class, Musical Applications of CNMAT Technologies, online here.

That Throbbing Gristle sound – the Gristleizer

Throbbing Gristle’s Chris Carter spills the beans on the device that TG used for processing – now with schematic.

Feel the noise: the art and science of making sound alarming

Finding meaningful patterns in meaningless noise

Interesting article in Scientific American on how our cognitive apparatus tries to create sense from noise, even if there is no sense to be had.

Violin Subharmonics

Mari Kimura is a New York composer and virtuoso violinist whose music includes haunting low notes on the violin called  “subharmonics.”  …Problem is, these sounds aren’t supposed to be possible.
The tones she playes are in the register of a cello, and usually cannot be made from a violin.  Even she is stumped about how it works.  “I don’t really know what it is I do,” she said, because she learned it by “trial and error.”
I don’t know about impossible, but violin subharmonics are certainly gorgeous.

Tone Generation

Tone Generation is a radio/podcast series on the history of electronic music. Looks a bit more geared to the academic composers, but great stuff overall.