COD 412 Sound Projects & Media

Week 01 Available

Introduction & Modern Sound Media

• Course trajectory, philosophical foundations & sonic design
• Syllabus breakdown, semester assignments & grading rubrics
• Audio workstations, web audio libraries, and hardware interfaces
• Exemplary projects, historical milestones & contemporary sound art

Open Week 01

Week 02 Available

Acoustic Ecology & The Soundscape

• Foundations of Acoustic Ecology and environmental listening
• The World Soundscape Project (WSP) archival recordings
• Keynotes, sound signals, soundmarks, and sonic identity
• Noise pollution, ecological awareness, and acoustic design

Open Week 02

Week 03 Available

Sound History & Avant-Garde Pioneers

• Soundscape theory and historical acoustic eras
• Futurist noise: Luigi Russolo & The Art of Noises
• Musique Concrète (Pierre Schaeffer) vs. Elektronische Musik (Stockhausen)
• John Cage, indeterminacy, and deep listening showcase

Open Week 03

Week 04 Available

Live Coding & Algorithmic Music

• The digital era of performance: Algorave culture and real-time coding
• Live coding syntax with Strudel (TidalCycles in the browser)
• Polyphonic pattern generation, Euclidean rhythms & polymeter
• Kinetic sound sculptures and procedural composition

Open Week 04

Week 05 Available

Sound Art & Spatial Installations

• Sound Art as distinct fine art medium in galleries and public spaces
• International case studies: Christina Kubisch, Max Neuhaus, Alvin Lucier
• Live coding workshop integration
• Assignment reviews and feedback

Open Week 05

Week 06 Available

Data Sonification

• Data as sound: Auditory display vs. artistic sonification
• Mapping parameters: pitch, timbre, spatialization, and density
• Sonification toolchains (Web Audio, Pure Data, Max/MSP)
• Assignment critiques and sonification prototypes

Open Week 06

Extra Available

Sound in Films: Diegetic, Non-Diegetic & Internal Diegetic

• Diegesis and the story world: what characters hear vs. what the audience hears
• Diegetic, non-diegetic, internal diegetic, and trans-diegetic sound
• Film clip case studies, including The Simpsons
• Assignment 06

Open Slides

Week 07 Available

Listening Modes & Sonic Epistemology

• Historical theories of audition and perception
• Michel Chion's three listening modes: causal, semantic, reduced
• Pierre Schaeffer's acousmatic listening phenomenon
• Barry Truax's acoustic communication framework
• Bernie Krause's biophony, geophony, and anthrophony taxonomy

Open Week 07

Week 08 Available

Field Recording & Acoustic Archiving

• History of field recording and phonography
• Evolution of microphones, hydrophones, binaural rigs, and preamps
• Case studies in acoustic documentation and soundscape archiving
• Composing with environmental recordings and spatial sound

Open Week 08

Week 09 Available

Audiovisual Synesthesia & Computational Listening

• Historical background: Color organs, visual music, and Oskar Fischinger
• Audiovisual content, perceptual synesthesia & cross-modal mapping
• Showcase of landmark audiovisual performances and real-time works
• Computational listening: FFT spectrum analysis, beat tracking & FFT-driven visuals

Open Week 09

Week 10 Available

Sound Objects & Physical Computing Workshop

• Piezoelectric contact sensors, pick-ups & electromagnetic transducers
• Turning tangible physical materials into resonating acoustic objects
• Frequency analysis and real-time DSP manipulation
• Acousmatic physical composition and sculptural sound objects

Open Week 10

Week 11 In Studio

Final Project Discussion & Proposals

• Sound installation and audiovisual performance proposals
• Acoustic justification, hardware setup & spatial diagrams
• Peer critique and feedback roundtable

Studio Discussion

Week 12 Reviews

Final Project Reviews I

• Live sound check, audio buffer testing & latency troubleshooting
• Aesthetic review and sound balance

Desk Critiques

Week 13 Reviews

Final Project Reviews II

• Spatial sound calibration, multitrack mixing & exhibition rehearsal
• Final testing before live jury

Desk Critiques

Week 14 Final Jury

Final Project Presentations & Live Performances

• Live sound performance showcase, sound installations & screenings
• Theoretical retrospective & student defense
• Course feedback survey & closing remarks

Course Survey ↗