Sum and Difference is a collaborative composition guideline for music technologists. Each member of the ensemble joins in an online meeting platform to process audio files according to the score. The result is new sample-based compositions that share similar characteristics. The pieces are also different due to the variety of the original samples and the ensemble member’s improvised parameter changes.
For participants, Sum and Difference is more about the process of making it than the result. In the pandemic-influenced time, the joy of creating music together, the joy of creating something from nothing in an ensemble, is severely limited. But the current situation forces music technologists to experiment with collaborative methods best suited for online interaction. Sum and Difference works best when each member is on the Internet, physically alienated from the rest of the world.

by Joo Won Park

Performers

Number of performers: 4-10

Needed technology

A web folder accessible by all performers
An audio editor or DAW for each performer

Needed skills

Experience and knowledge in digital audio editing and processing
Data organization and management skills

Preparation

Make a sharable web folder
Upload recordings of non-musical sound with the file names shown in the score (A0.wav, B0.wav, etc.)
- The number of uploaded audio files should equal the number of performers
- Each audio file should be 2-5 seconds long
- Each audio file should be distinct from the others
Each performer should plan a processing or editing technique to change an audio file
- Use any DAWs or apps
- Establish a short and repeatable process. The performer should be able to execute it within 5-10 minutes

Execution

Step 0. Gather using a remote meeting platform such as Zoom or Google Meet. Assign one performer to one Processor.

Step 1. Download, process, and upload the audio file from the web folder according to the score.

Each cell in the score has ▼FileName-P-▲FileName. Here’s an example of how to interpret it

If the cell has ▼A0-P-▲B1

Download file named A0.wav from the web folder
Process the sound according to the plan
Export the sound with file name B1.wav, and upload it to the web folder

Step 2-10. After 10 minutes, repeat the download-process-upload procedure described in Step 1.

Vary the processing parameters (i.e., move knobs, use different settings)
Strive to add a few more seconds of sounds
Edit and polish the sound if possible (i.e., delete the silence at the beginning, normalize, etc.)
Be consistent with the file format. Use a format readable by all platforms, such as .wav and .aif

Last Step. Share and listen to the resulting sounds. The number of final tracks should equal the number of performers.

Score by Ensemble Size

Link to Google Sheet Template

Quartet	Step 0	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4
Processor 1	A0	▼A0-P-▲B1	▼A1-P-▲B2	▼A2-P-▲B3	▼A3-P-▲B4
Processor 2	B0	▼B0-P-▲C1	▼B1-P-▲C2	▼B2-P-▲C3	▼B3-P-▲C4
Processor 3	C0	▼C0-P-▲D1	▼C1-P-▲D2	▼C2-P-▲D3	▼C3-P-▲D4
Processor 4	D0	▼D0-P-▲A1	▼D1-P-▲A2	▼D2-P-▲A3	▼D3-P-▲A4

Quintet	Step 0	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4	Step 5
Processor 1	A0	▼A0-P-▲B1	▼A1-P-▲B2	▼A2-P-▲B3	▼A3-P-▲B4	▼A4-P-▲B5
Processor 2	B0	▼B0-P-▲C1	▼B1-P-▲C2	▼B2-P-▲C3	▼B3-P-▲C4	▼B4-P-▲C5
Processor 3	C0	▼C0-P-▲D1	▼C1-P-▲D2	▼C2-P-▲D3	▼C3-P-▲D4	▼C4-P-▲D5
Processor 4	D0	▼D0-P-▲E1	▼D1-P-▲E2	▼D2-P-▲E3	▼D3-P-▲E4	▼D4-P-▲E5
Processor 5	E0	▼E0-P-▲A1	▼E1-P-▲A2	▼E2-P-▲A3	▼E3-P-▲A4	▼E4-P-▲A5

Score for larger ensembles are available in the Google Doc Version

Demo/Example

Link to all files made in a 10-piece ensemble version

Made by Electronic Music Ensemble of Wayne State (EMEWS) on Jan 20, 2021

Matthew Banka, Maxwel Bourgeois, Garrison Briggs, Daniel Kozlowski, Logan Macka, Benjamin Schornack, Alec Segel, Mark Whalen, Daniel Yates, Michael Younger

Compare and listen to the process

A0 and A10
E0 and E10

J0, A1, B2, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, I9, J10 (one sample going through ten processes)

CML Suite (2020)

11/19/2020Uncategorizedchrome music lab, electronic ensemblejoowonpark

CML Suite is a collection of ensemble pieces featuring Chrome Music Lab.

Number of performers needed: 3+ performers and 1 conductor
Materials needed: a computer, phone, or tablet for each performer
No previous experience in an electronic ensemble is required

Links and Downloads

Magnets and Ghosts (2020)

11/17/2020Uncategorizedjoowonpark

In this sound installation, the audience searches voices and songs in a room using electromagnetic detectors.

premiered at Light Box (11/16-11/17/2020) and Spread Arts (11/23-11/24/2020)
Magnets and Ghosts is a part of the 2019 Knight Arts Challenge.

Program

Technology enables us to sense undetectable energy fluctuations; we do not see or feel electromagnetic fields in the air, but machines convert them into signals we can hear. I use electromagnetic transducers, sometimes known as ghost detectors, to create a sound installation that turns a room into a storyteller.
When audiences approach a specific part of a structure with a “ghost detecting device,” they can amplify a voice inaudible with naked ears. The installation has multiple electromagnetic fields embedded in different spots, and the audiences can create a piece of music by discovering these energy fields.

Photo and Video by Chien-An Yuan

Citizen Dj Jam (2020)

11/09/2020Uncategorizedcitizen dj, drum machine, electronic ensemblejoowonpark

A quartet improvisation by Electronic Music Ensemble of Wayne State (EMEWS) using Citizen DJ https://citizen-dj.labs.loc.gov/

Performers: Dan Kozlowsky, Mark Whalen, Dylyn Cady, Sean Monaghan

Director: Joo Won Park

Forms to Ponder

08/21/2020Collaborators, Compositions, Researchjoowonpark

Forms to Ponder is a collaborative EP with Theodosia Roussos. The nine tracks in the album relate to each other in many ways. It is a culmination of my musical practice for the last six months.

Program

A form in music connects what we hear now to what we heard before. When we notice the form, we can also expect what may come next. Tracks in this album have forms best expressed with recorded sounds and digital music technology. Amidst the unfamiliar electronic sounds, I hear delightful relationships unfold. Creating and listening to this album was a fun memory game for me, and I hope to share that feeling with you.

The included bonus item is a production map that connects one track to another. More information and an explanation of how and why I made this album is available at www.joowonpark.net/cmpe.

Computer Music Practice: Forms to Ponder

Tracks in Forms to Ponder features audio apps and processes I developed for Computer Music Practice Examples (CMPE). CMPE’s goal is to show how and why I use technology to make music. The only way I know how to create the sounds and forms featured in this EP is by using digital technology. There are musical expressions only possible when sounds turn into data. The video below elaborates this idea with the usual block diagrams and Google slides.