Composing Music with Computers (Music Technology) [Paperback]

'...anyone interested in using computers to compose music will find herein a useful technique, regardless of his style or method of composition. In the tradition of computer music - experiment: try, listen, and refine.' Daniel V. Oppenheim, October 2000 '...exceptionally well written and, above all, clear. Composers, students or otherwise, will find a valuable resource for ideas, software, algorithms, and their underlying mathematics.' Robert Rowe in Computer Music Journal '...an excellent balance of detail and overview and seems to cover maths in a more interesting way than I have seen before. It provides a couple of good case studies which are reasonably easy to follow and before I knew I was up and running with my own generated tunes.' Reader review from Amazon.com 'I always had problems getting to grips with the math behind computer music. This the first book I found which talks you through comprehensibly. There are loads of diagrams and helpful examples. Hasn't made it to the shelf since I bought it!' Reader review from Amazon.com 'As a DJ I need to know what's coming up before it hits the circuit, so I was well impressed with this book - although I've got a fairly strong programming base, the way Eduardo Reck Miranda introduced and explained the mechanics filled in the gaps without sending me to sleep.' Reader review from Amazon.co.uk

This book focuses on the role of the computer as a generative tool for music composition. Miranda introduces a number of computer music composition techniques ranging from probabilities, formal grammars and fractals, to genetic algorithms, cellular automata and neural computation. Anyone wishing to use the computer as a companion to create music will find this book a valuable resource. As a comprehensive guide with full explanations of technical terms, it is suitable for students, professionals and enthusiasts alike. The accompanying CD-ROM contains examples, complementary tutorials and a number of composition systems for PC and Macintosh platforms, from demonstration versions of commercial programs to exciting, fully working packages developed by research centres world-wide, including Nyquist, Bol Processor, Music Sketcher, SSEYO Koan, Open Music and the IBVA brainwaves control system, among others. This book will be interesting to anyone wishing to use the computer as a companion to create music. It is a comprehensive guide, but the technical terms are explained so it is suitable for students, professionals and enthusiasts alike. This book is written by an experienced practising musician, researcher and lecturer. It features practical examples and comprehensive explanations of essential methods and techniques.

The accompanying CD-ROM contains examples, complementary tutorials and a number of composition systems for PC and Macintosh platforms, from demonstration versions of commercial programs to exciting, fully working packages developed by research centres world-wide, including Nyquist, Bol Processor, Music Sketcher, SSEYO Koan, Open Music and the IBVA brainwaves control system, among others. Eduardo Reck Miranda is a researcher in Music Technology and Artifici Levelling applications al Intelligence at SONY Computer Science Lab in Paris, and an active composer in his own right. He has been awarded a music fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, New York, and has won several international prizes for his compositions. He is one of the creators of the Brazilian Computer Music Association (NUCOM) and member of the editorial board of Leonardo Music Journal and Organised Sound. He is author of Computer Sound Synthesis for the Electronic Musician, also by Focal Press.The CD-ROM contains examples, complementary tutorials and a number of composition systems for PC and Macintosh platforms, from demonstration versions of commercial programs to exciting, fully working packages developed by research centres world-wide, includin aided by the bookg Nyquist, Bol Processor, Music Sketcher, SSEYO Koan, Open Music and the IBVA brainwaves control system, among others. This book will be interesting to anyone wishing to use the computer as a companion to create music. It is a comprehensive guide, but the technical terms are explained so it is suitable for students, professionals and enthusiasts alike.

Eduardo Reck Miranda is a researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratory, and a renowned composer in his own right. He is one of the creators of the Computer Music Group (NUCOM) of the Brazilian Computer Science Society (SBC); he is also a member of the International Computer Music Association (ICMA), the Brazilian Electroacoustic Music Association (SBME) and the Audio Engineering Society (AES). He is on the editorial boards of Leonardo Music Journal, Organised Sound, and Contemporary Music Review.