This term is no exception, and in fact we're pretty excited about the area we will be focusing upon this semester. We have managed to embed our RTcmix music programming language inside the popular Unity game engine used to develop games and virtual-reality/augmented-reality (VR/AR) applications. This gives us the capability to employ advanced real-time synthesis, signal-processing and algorithmic compositional capabilities in a robust game/VR-AR environment. THIS IS REALLY REALLY COOL!
It's also very very new, and we'll be making a lot of this up as we go along. This semester is something of an extension of last Spring's seminar, but that class is not a prerequisite for this term. It will be helpful if you know RTcmix and/or Unity, but if these are relatively new you should still be able to do the work for the class. There are many good on-line resources for picking up the skills that you may need. We will be linking to them from the class syllabus page. We also won't expect that you've done a lot (or any) programming in your past, although a little familiarity with coding will help. Unity itself is designed for non-coders to use, and we believe that it will be possible to develop interesting apps without extensive a-priori knowledge.
Because the underlying framework we are using for the class is still in flux, you will need to stay on your toes as the semester progresses. We also have no idea if we can even cover one-tenth of the materials we have planned to cover, but hey, this is Columbia! Go Lions!
We'll also be having a special guest or two come to talk to the class during the term. The dates may shift slightly on the syllabus as we work out the schedule. We may also have to radically bend and stretch the syllabus to accommodate what we plan to teach. Thus you should think of the syllabus primarily as a rough guide to the term and not necessarily set-in-stone. We will, however, link all of the code, patches and projects to each class in the syllabus for you to download and use.
To demonstrate how RTcmix functions in an embedded environment, we will be using it initially as the [rtcmix~] object in Max/MSP (you can also run it in pd. Using this approach is also a good way to develop audio outside the game environment, making it much easier to tweak and hone musical parameters of the audio you'd like to use.
Over the summer, we ported our RTcmix tools to Windows (except for the [rtcmix~] object for Max/MSP and pd, but hopefully we'll have it set soon!). This will allow us to take advantage of the fast graphics capabilities of contemporary Windows machines. Most importantly, nearly every VR/AR system runs only on Windows at present. We have a powerful Windows desktop computer for use in the class. However, most of the demos we do in the class will be on OSX.
If you have Macintosh, you will need the
Xcode/iOS Developer Tools
to do development work. You will also need
Visual Studio 2017
(get the free "Community" version) for Windows development. This may
actually come with the
Unity
development download package. Obviously you will need that one.
Collected here are links to software that we will be using in class:
For our guest speakers, watch for announcements on the syllabus. As stated above, we may need to rearrange the classes as the term unfolds to accommodate these guests. Plus if we're getting totally behind, then we'll modify the schedule accordingly.If you prefer to work on your own computer, that's perfectly fine. We actually encourage this.
You may sign up studios and machines for doing your work at the CMC using our new sign-up system. We do these using the Google Calendar app available through your Columbia cunix account (i.e. Lionmail). You will be receiving an invitation 'join' the relevant room calendars after the class starts. We'll be demonstrating how to use the system to reserve room times in class.
If you are having trouble getting access to the hardware or software you need, please let us know. The CMC is intentionally in a state of perpetual flux, reflecting the rapid evolution of the field of computer music. Our primary guide for the kinds of hardware and software investments we need to make comes from you, our happy students!
Do let us know if you are having problems getting equipment or
software to work for you. This promises to be a more intense term
because of the range of material we will be discussing.
In general, if you are having difficulty
understanding the programming paradigms
we are using or the applications and information we are covering,
be sure to talk to us. We'll be happy to sit down and work through
any issues with you.
Like we said,
each week we do will become a link to information relating to that
class. We'll try to keep up with linking in class patches, examples
and information, but we may fall behind. Yell at us when we do.
In general, it's always a good idea to make an appointment to see me, even during my purported office hours, because I often have to run around campus like a maniac doing strange, computer-music stuff. If you need to contact someone at the CMC or Music Department using your actual voice, the relevant phone numbers are:
I say this every year, and generally people believe it (I think): by this point in your career the last thing you should be worrying about is a grade. The main thing is to find something that you'd really like to do and then do it. Please don't try to impress us with your consummate knowledge and skill, we are more impressed by people who do things. Honest!
Hope you enjoy the class!