Technology can be an incredible asset to a musician. When it is implemented to the point where the music might be lost, the asset can become an obstacle.
This idea resonated from the Black Box Theatre in the CFA on Wednesday night at the spring computer music concert.
The concert consisted of six musical compositions. Each piece involved the computer processing of programs like Max/MSP and Pro Tools.
As the night's opener, the song "imp++" by music composition major J.T. Rinker featured clicking percussion, a variety of static-like noise and the overall feeling of a space shuttle launch.
As the song progressed, there was a general feeling in the crowd that the noise would give way to melody and music, but this did not happen.
Senior psychology major Mike Ball commented on the first song.
"I've heard a lot of songs that start out with a lot of distortion for effect," he said. "I was surprised it didn't grow into something more."
There was undeniable originality and artistic creativity in the composition. However, a question was raised during the opener that remained throughout the program: Can abstract expression be pushed to the point where enjoyment is lost?
Each of the successive songs required two performers. One would sit in front of a computer screen while the other played an instrument.
In each selection, the music from the instrument was sent to a computer and then processed in a variety of ways.
The computer then played samples it had recorded - in some cases the result was simply an echo. In others tempo and pitch were also manipulated by the computer's processing.
"It seemed really interesting to me at first, but after awhile every song sounded too similar and too dissonant," Ball said.
This seemed to be the feeling of many in the audience as a noticeable thinning occurred during the intermission.
The closing song of the evening was called "iMOderate." It was written by music composition major Brett Masteller and included music performance major Kevin Moehringer on trombone.
"iMOderate" took an ambient sound from the computer's creation and mixed in blues from the trombone. This song was an appropriate closer and received the most applause from the crowd.
In the program notes, Masteller described the work that went into the second section of the piece.
"These notes are held in various infinite reverb modules and then fed through filter banks," explained Masteller. "The performer can then retune the filters based on notes that are recognized when they cross a particular amplitude threshold."
Perhaps this explanation best encapsulates the evening. It was clear that the professors and performers' colleagues held an appreciation for the music performed, but everyone else was left fidgeting in their seats.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
