UWA stands on land owned by the Whadjuk Nation and where knowledge has been exchanged for millennia. We take great pleasure in teaching on such sacred ground.
Overall, all incoming music undergraduates surveyed in this research study perceived practical university music units to be beneficial and important – this was true both among UWA and MCM students.
Composition
Composition is a musical work composed of notes, melodies, phrases, chords, lyrics and harmonies created using any method imaginable – from instrumental to songs with lyrics – composed to be licensed for various uses under American copyright law. Composing can take many forms and each creation is licensed according to its individual copyright law protection; sound recordings belong to different categories and must be licensed separately for usage purposes by record labels.
Today it has never been simpler to compose musical compositions using pre-recorded sounds or loops, samples, MIDI keyboards and effects – making it hard to distinguish between a composition and sound recording; however there are specific criteria which must be fulfilled in order for any composition to be protected by copyright laws.
The Conservatorium of Music at UWA is an internationally-recognized institution rated 4 Above World Standard for research and teaching in both Classical and Contemporary music, boasting strong research expertise as well as outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Students at this world-class institution are offered many creative and cultural opportunities at the university – including composing electronic music!
Electronic Music Production
If you want to create your own electronic music, it’s essential that you understand the production process. Doing so will enable you to avoid common pitfalls and achieve optimal results. Several steps must be completed for creating the ideal track: beginning with an idea or inspiration before finalising and mixing your track. Gather the appropriate tools: this includes having access to a computer capable of editing, processing and sound card with sufficient memory; as well as headphones/speakers which give clarity so you can hear every detail in your work.
Once you have all of the equipment necessary for recording, it’s time to get recording! Recording can be accomplished either with a microphone or by directly connecting an instrument to your computer. Producers frequently utilize sequencer programs like Ableton for this process and it can be an excellent way to learn complex beats and melodies while exploring different types of music styles. Invest in quality headphones as this piece of equipment will become invaluable when listening back and refining your work.
Arranging involves creating the actual musical structure of a track. This involves designing a narrative and flow that takes listeners on an emotional and textural journey. Although traditional song structures may not always be necessary, successful tracks are those which tell stories with some sort of narrative arc leading up to some type of climax or conclusion.
One of the key aspects of arranging is discovering your own distinctive sound that sets it apart from others’ music. Therefore, it is crucial that you explore various genres and discover what inspires you, while experimenting with various sounds will broaden your creative horizons and teach you new techniques – eventually leading you towards creating your own distinctive style and sound that is unmistakably your own!
Sound Design
Sound design, often known as “4th R,” involves creating an audio palette for use in music, film or other media productions. This can be accomplished using sounds from a library or creating them yourself via synthesizing (creating sound waves using oscillators and waveforms), recording or sampling techniques; manipulating and processing them further to alter their character as necessary.
Skilled sound editing is an indispensable skill in many forms of art that utilize sound and video, such as film, TV shows, live theatre performances, commercials and podcasts. Sound effects have even become integral components of classical music – composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen have made extensive use of them in their compositions.
Sound design can also be seen in the work of modern artists such as Brian Eno and Jim O’Rourke, whose albums incorporate field recordings and sonic manipulation techniques. Sound design principles may also be applied to more traditional forms of art.
UWA’s studio and lab-based units enable students to think creatively, invent, and innovate through small and large-scale creative projects that focus on electronic/digital music composition and sound design skills, which can be applied across a range of professional and community contexts. Situated on land owned by Whadjuk Nation – which boasts one of the longest continuously lived cultures on earth – these classes at UWA give students an opportunity to develop these talents for use across any number of fields and applications.
Music Technology
Music technology refers to any device or tool utilized by musicians for the creation or performance of musical pieces. This may also include tools for recording or broadcasting the tunes as well as technology used for editing, composing or analyzing them. Some examples of music technology include instruments, synthesizers, digital audio workstations (DAW), software programs that compose, sequence and mix songs as well as software programs used for mastering.
An electric guitar is one such music-making technology, using electronic signals to convert strings into sound that are then played back through instrument amplifiers, speakers or headphones. A virtual synthesizer generates electronic signals which can then be played using an instrument controller or music sequencer – mimicking existing instruments while creating unique electronic timbres not previously existing before.
The multitrack recording system created new genres of music such as rock and dance. Additionally, editing and combining sounds provided a space for editing/combination that led to the development of acousmatic and musique concrete schools of composition. One such technology that continues to shape modern musical culture today is sampling, which involves taking an existing sound from somewhere in existence and using it in composition or performance; sampling allows any type of appropriation or manipulation imaginable as long as it can fit within computer memory storage.
Sequencing is the practice of organizing prerecorded samples along a timeline for playback, similar to handwritten musical notation. Like hand-written notation, sequencing software enables users to organize and play back multiple beats, notes, or phrases in any order and compile into larger compositions. Scorwriting is another specialized form of sequencing used with computer programs such as Finale or Sebilius to produce professional musical scores for performance.
MP3s and the widespread availability of free music online has fundamentally altered how musicians make a living from their craft. Traditional bands have moved away from selling records towards touring or other revenue-generating activities in order to stay viable; even successful contemporary bands must diversify their income sources to remain viable as this industry changes further. It is therefore imperative for music-makers to remain well trained in how best to utilize new technologies within music making.