Course detail

Electronic Musical Instruments

FEKT-BPC-HELAcad. year: 2023/2024

The course focuses on analog, hybrid and digital methods of sound signal synthesis, analog and digital communication interfaces in musical electronics, principles and structure of electronic musical instruments, samplers, sequencers, effects and other musical electronics and their individual parts. Laboratory exercises are focused on working with hardware and software virtual analog synthesizers, samplers and other types of electronic musical instruments. The computer exercises are focused on the principles of sound signal synthesis in NI Reaktor and Matlab. Part of the laboratory exercises is the realization of your own synthesizer in the Reaktor program. 

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

5

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. Jiří Schimmel, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Telecommunications (UTKO)

Entry knowledge

The knowledge of basic laws and quantities in electrical circuits is required as well as the knowledge of the characteristics of electric circuit elements, circuit behaviour with inertia elements, periodical and non-periodical signal spectra, continuous- and discrete-time systems. The student who enrols on the course should be able to use instruments for the measurement of electrical voltage, waveform generators and oscilloscopes. Furthermore, knowledge of the algorithmization of simple tasks and work in the Matlab environment are required.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Evaluation of study results follows the Rules for Studies and Examinations of BUT and the Dean's Regulation complementing the Rules for Studies and Examinations of BUT. Up to 24 points is awarded for independent work in laboratory exercises and up to 16 points for designing own synthesizer in the Reaktor software. Up to 60 points are given for the final written examination and it is necessary to get at least 30 points for its successful completion.

Credit is awarded for completing all laboratory exercises, participating in graded computer exercises and obtaining a minimum number of points for design of own synthesizer in the Reaktor software. The minimal scope of the elaboration of particular laboratory exercises and minimum points for a design of own synthesizer are specified by a regulation issued by the guarantor of the course and updated for every academic year.  Other forms of checked instruction are specified by a regulation issued by the guarantor of the course and updated for every academic year.

 

Aims

The aim of the course is to make students familiar with the operation principle and use of analog and digital music electronics.
- explain basic analog, hybrid and digital methods of audio signals synthesis,
- describe structure and function of synthesizer, sampler, sequencer and combined electronic musical instruments,
- explain the principle of the keyboard of electronic musical instrument, wind and string controllers and special control elements,
- describe hardware and data transfer of analog and digital communication interface in musical electronics
- describe the structure of musical audio effects, guitar amplifiers and analog instruments and methods of their modelling,
- design the structure of the digital electronic musical instrument for the given method of synthesis
- implement a software electronic music instrument using function blocks

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Russ, M., Sound Synthesis and Sampling. Focsal Press, 1996. ISBN 0-240-51429-7 (EN)
Forró, D., MIDI - komunikace v hudbě. Grada, Praha 1993. (CS)
Sýkora, R., Krutílek, F., Včelař, J., Elektronické hudební nástroje a jejich obvody. SNTL, Praha, 1981. (CS)
SHEPARD, Brian K. Refining sound: a practical guide to synthesis and synthesizers. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013, xxv, 237 stran. ISBN 978-0199922963 (CS)

Recommended reading

Not applicable.

eLearning

eLearning: currently opened course

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BPC-AUD Bachelor's

    specialization AUDB-ZVUK , 3. year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional
    specialization AUDB-TECH , 3. year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Jiří Schimmel, Ph.D.

Syllabus

  1. Analog sound synthesis: additive synthesis, subtractive synthesis, historical musical instruments, principles of generators and filters for analog synthesis, modulation and shaping methods.
  2. Analog synthesizers: control signals and circuits, fixed structure synthesizers, modular synthesizers.
  3. Hybrid musical instruments: digital circuits used in hybrid syntheses, digital function generators, sequencers, drum and bass synthesizers.
  4. Digital sound synthesis: wavetable methods, modification of pitch and length, granular synthesis, physical and analog modeling.
  5. Digital realization of analog sound syntheses: digital function generators, generation of band-limited signals, filters for subtractive synthesis, modulation methods, waveshapers.
  6. Digital musical instruments: multi-timbral instruments, standard instrument structures, sampler, digital sequencer.
  7. Communication interfaces in musical instruments: MIDI interface - hradware interface, channel and system data, MIDI 2.0 protocol and OSC.
  8. Musical instrument controllers: digital instrument keyboard, control and sensing elements, MIDI controllers.
  9. Musical audio effects: 3D space of audio signal and its modification, effects using delay line, vocoder, spectral methods.
  10. Electric guitars and guitar effects: electric guitars, string pickups, guitar amps and combos and their modeling, guitar effects.
  11. Computers and music: history of the use of computers in music production, computer-aided music, PC audio generation and processing, application interfaces for MIDI and real-time audio.
  12. Bastl Instruments excursion. 

Exercise in computer lab

26 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Jiří Schimmel, Ph.D.

Syllabus

  1. Introduction to NI Reaktor, additive synthesis in NI Reaktor
  2. Subtractive and nonlinear synthesis in NI Reaktor
  3. Using synthesizer controls in NI Reaktor
  4. Digital syntheses in NI Reaktor 1
  5. Digital syntheses in NI Reaktor2
  6. Independent work at NI Reaktor
  7. Generating basic periodic waveforms in Matlab
  8. Use of filters for audio synthesis in Matlab
  9. Nonlinear methods of audio signal synthesis in Matlab
  10. Synthesizer controls in Matlab
  11. Simple synthesizers in Matlab
  12. Synthesizer implementation in Matlab Audio Toolbox 

Laboratory exercise

12 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Jiří Schimmel, Ph.D.

Syllabus

  • Modular synthesizer Eurorack
  • Virtual analog synthesizer
  • Hardware sampler
  • Software sampler
  • Multi-Timbre MIDI Expanders
  • Synchronization of MIDI devices 

eLearning

eLearning: currently opened course