Category Archives: Research

Four Hit Combo (2024)

Compositions, Research, , ,

In Four Hit Combo, each laptop ensemble member uses four audio files to create twenty-six flavors. Musical patterns arise from repetitions (loops), and different combinations mark forms in music. The laptop ensemble members prepare their own samples before the performance, and they control loop start points and duration according to the score and the conductor’s cue. Because there are no specific audio files attached to the piece, each performance could give a unique sonic experience.

Download SuperCollider files and Score of Four Hit ComboDownload

Instrument Needed

  1. Laptop: each performer needs a computer with SuperCollider installed
  2. Amp: connect the laptop to a sound reinforcement system. If the performance space is small, it is possible to use the laptop’s built-in speaker.

Pre-Performance Preparation

  1. Determine a conductor and at least three performers. If there are more than three performers, parts can be doubled
  2. Each performer prepares three audio files (wav, aif, or mp3). The first file should contain a voice. The second file should contain a pitched instrument sound. The third file should contain a percussion sound. All files should not be too short (less than a second) or too long (more than a minute). The [voice], [instrument], and [percussion] files should be different for all performers.
  3. While the voice, instrument, and percussion files are different for all performers, they should share one common sound file. This file will be used in the [finale].  
  4. The conductor prepares one audio about 10-30 seconds long. It could be any sound with noticeable changes. For example, a musical passage would work well, while an unchanged white noise would not. 
  5. Download FourHitCombo_Score.pdf, FourHitCombo_Performer.scd, and FourHitCombo_Conductor.scd from www.joowonpark.net/fourhitcombo
  6. Open the .scd files in SuperCollider. Follow the instructions on the.scd file to load the GUI screen.

Score Interpretation

  1. Proceed to the next measure only at the conductor’s cue. The conductor should give a cue to move on to the next measure every 10-20 seconds.
  2. In [voice], [instrument], [percussion], and [finale] rectangle, the performers drag-and-drop the audio file accordingly.
  3. In [random] square, performers press the random button in the GUI.
  4. In the square with a dot, quickly move the cursor in the 2D slider to the notated location.
  5. In the square with a dot and arrow, slowly move the cursor from the beginning point to the end point of the arrow. It is OK to finish moving the cursor before the conductor’s cue.
  6. In a measure with no symbol, leave the sound as is. Do not silence the sound.
  7. In measure 27, all performers freely improvise. Use any sounds except the commonly shared sound reserved for [finale]. 

Large Intestine 2013 vs 2024 – Brief Analysis

Compositions, Research, , ,

I am at the age where I can make a “How It Started vs. How It’s Going” analysis of my music. Comparing performance practice change over a decade or so is valuable for my growth, especially when the piece involves improvisation and no score. I can see where I came from, where I am now, and where I should go next. Large Intestine for no-input mixer and computer premiered in 2013, and I still present it in concerts. Watching the August 2013 version and the recent June 2024 version in sequence gives me a chance to contemplate my electronic performance practice. Did the technology and style change over 11 years? 

Technology

I took the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach for Large Intestine in terms of the hardware and the software. The SuperCollider patch I coded 11 years ago is almost identical to the 2024 version. There were maintenance updates, such as replacing a deprecated UGen with a current one, but the signal-processing algorithm is untouched.  The hardware signal flow is also unchanged, although I upgraded the mixer for increased possibility and flexibility. 

I perform the piece by changing the mixer settings and SuperCollider patch. The SuperCollider patch consists of eight effect processors, and I turn on and off those effects in different combinations. It is much like playing a guitar with a pedal board. Over the past 11 years, I have bought a “new guitar” but am using the “same pedal.” The sonic possibilities remain the same, but how I play the instrument, the style in other words, has changed.  

Download and run the SuerColider patch for Large Intestine as a reference. You can test it using a mic or any other instrument.

Large Intestine SuperCollider FileDownload

Style

I observed the following differences in the 2013 and 2024 versions of Large Intestine. 

20132024
Mostly slow and gradual parameter changes Mostly fast and abrupt parameter changes
I discover things on stageI present previously experienced sounds
The mixer supports computer soundsThe computer supports mixer sounds
Long duration (10+ minutes)Short duration (less than 8 minutes)

When I was a no-input beginner, I could not make quick transitions and variations. In the 2013 version, I treated the mixer as one of many sound sources that could pass through signal processors. Like its umbrella project, 100 Strange Sounds, Large Intestine featured my SuperCollider capacity. The 2024 version shows that I reduced the dependency on the computer part. I also learned to say more within less time.

Gained confidence also changed the performance goal. I make a one-sentence goal when I am improvising solo. My goal for Large Intestine used to be “Let me figure out what no-input mixer can do on stage,” as it delighted me to discover the mixer’s unique sound and its augmentation by the computer. 11 years later, there are much less delightful discoveries in the piece. But I can now expect the sound I can create. The current  motto is, “Let me show you my favorite no-input mixer moments I learned previously on stage.” 

Evaluation

I am my work’s biggest supporter and critic, but that does not help my career development. The audience ultimately decides the longevity of the work. Large Intestine was fortunate to be liked by the audience on many occasions. It received some honors, such as being included in the SEAMUS CD series (2015), a peer-reviewed annual album released by the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States. There were multiple invitations to perform at different venues, and it became an integral part of my solo performance practice. The positive feedback from presentations motivated me to delve further into the no-input mixer world. I composed the following pieces based on the learnings from Large Intestine.

There are also clear limits to Large Intestine and my solo electroacoustic improvisation. I don’t expect other performers to play Large Intestine as it lacks score or instruction. The experience and joy I had with the piece are not transferable to other performers. This bothered me. I tackled this issue by teaching others how to play no-input mixers. I currently enjoy organizing no-input mixer workshops and no-input ensemble sessions. The mixer is a great introductory instrument for electronic music performance.

Dot Zip

Compositions, Research, Teaching
https://joowonpark.net/dotzip/

Dot Zip consists of 22 short electronic compositions. The tracks feature a synthesis technique or a compositional structure best realizable with code-based audio programs. They are examples of what one does after learning an audio coding programs like MaxMSP and SuperCollider.

Dot Zip is a pedagogical project. Each track is an unedited render of a SuperCollider file. Download and try the .scd files from the link below.

DotZip_SuperCollider_May24.zipDownload

A tutorial video on how to operate the SuperCollider files is also available:

More about each piece’s inspiration, techniques, and applications are on the way. Stay tuned!

Motivation Quadrants for Musicians

Influences, Research, , , ,

What motivates me to write or practice a piece? As I grow older with less time and energy, I must strategize what to do for the next research or creative activity. The decision-making process is multidimensional, but a simplified guideline helps me. I ask two questions before I commit to a project.

  • Do I want to do it?
  • Do I know how to do it?

Answers to these two questions yield four degrees of motivation plotted as four quadrants in a graph. My goal is to identify in which quadrant I start the project so that I can identify the level of motivation and amount of work. I also find that the answers to the above questions change at the end of the project, sometimes.  

I am most eager to work on a project that starts in Quadrant IV and ends in Quadrant I. Changing the “I don’t know” axis to the “I know” axis takes time and energy, but that process is what being a researcher, artist, and student is all about. Learning SuperCollider was an IV-I move. Going to graduate school to be a teacher was IV-I. Improvising on a no-input mixer was IV-I. Spending a few months of the COVID quarantine time to learn Mark Applebaum’s Aphasia was IV-I. 

Quadrant IV is also a fandom area. While some pieces move from VI to I, like Aphasia or Alvin Lucier’s Music on a Long Thin Wire, I don’t mind Jeff Mills’ Exhibitionist Mix 3 and Bach’s music staying in Quadrant IV. Discovering and admiring awe-inspiring pieces is what being a researcher, artist, and student is all about.  The permanent Quadrant IV pieces become motivations for new pieces as well. Cobalt Vase is my homage to Exhibitionist, and 847 Twins is my Bach fan art.  

Ideally, all projects should end up being in Quadrant I, where I am happy to do the work with the skills I know. Realistically, many works fall into quadrants II and III. Dismissing them is not always possible, especially when the projects involve benefits like money, graduation, future opportunities, etc. Some projects in Quadrant III move into Quadrant I through education and repeated experience. Many dance and sound installations were my III-I projects because I learned more about the benefits of collaboration as I got more experience and studied more. Witnessing students doing the III-I move is equally exciting as students doing the IV-I move in my music technology classes. 

In contrast to the III-I or IV-I move, II-I moves are much rarer. Projects in Quadrant II often stay in Quadrant II, and they involve extra motivational factors, like deadlines or funding, to accept and finish the project. Some projects move from Quadrant I to II due to burnout or changed interest. Such regression, however, was not always bad, as it pointed me to new artistic/aesthetic directions. I am currently not focusing on further developing free improvisation skills as I feel the plateau or burnout. This condition led me to make notated electronic music less dependent on an individual’s improvisation skills. My notated electronic pieces gain more performance opportunities nowdays, and I am happy to present both improvisational and no-improvisational pieces in a show. Music career is cumulative. 

Evaluating the need to start a project by asking two simple questions with four possible answers clarified my thoughts.  Perhaps I could extend this to plot listener reactions. I want the audience, colleagues, or commissioners to feel Quadrant I when they listen to my piece  (I want to play it, and I think I figured out the technology!). The audience feeling Quadrant IV could be good (I don’t know how he’s making that sound, but I want to try!), especially if they are scholars or performers. Learning opportunities and capable institutions abound for the audience in Quadrant IV. I hope my pieces do not fall into Quadrants II and III. 

Electronic Musician Career Example

Research,

A career, as in a job, as in getting paid, as in getting paid enough to live off of it, looks different for every musician. I talked about my career as an electronic musician at last year’s SPLICE Festival and ended the presentation with the chart below. It visualizes the type of work I do as a composer-performer-teacher.

With the chart above and a blurb below, I hope to share one way of living as a musician specializing in a niche genre. The first step is to define who I think I am.

I am a 44-year-old musician living in southeast Michigan. My specialty is in electroacoustic music composition and performance. I am also a music educator. Teaching music and creating music have equal value for me. 

With that context, I share how I made a living doing music in chronological order.

My first and ongoing employment is university teaching. I have been a salaried full-time college professor for 16 years, and it covers most of my income—25 years if I include teaching assistantships and part-time private lessons. The teaching position gives me the financial flexibility to do creative experiments that do not yield income. I am happy to continue developing a teacher-artist career, as some of my favorite composers were also teacher-artists. 

When I got my first full-time teaching position at the Community College of Philadelphia in 2008, I did not know anyone in Philadelphia. The isolated situation almost forced me to develop a solo electronic music repertoire. I was lucky to meet people who liked my solo performances and invited me to more gigs. Institutions like the fidget space,  Bowerbird, electro-music, and the music program at Temple University lifted me up at the beginning of my solo performer career. To this date, most of the performance opportunities I am getting are invitations to present solo pieces.

Increased visibility as a solo performer led to opportunities to collaborate. I gained more confidence in creating technology for instrument+electronics pieces. My next teaching jobs at Oberlin Conservatory (2014-16) and Wayne State University (2016- ) also provided ample chances to meet performers who were willing to work on my music. The last piece I wrote for a traditional instrument before 2014 was in 2008. I tried to recover the six-year gap by writing and producing five instrument+electronics pieces for my third album, Modulationist (2016). This is a notable change compared to the first and second albums, which did not feature anyone but myself. 

The combination of a high-end college music lab and increased confidence in working with other musicians in 2014-2016 led me to develop electronic ensemble pieces. An electronic ensemble director has been my favorite hat to wear since the premiere of the Singaporean Crosswalk. Ensemble gig opportunities are fewer than those of solo shows, as it takes more time and energy to manage an ensemble. Nevertheless, there is something special about making music together as a group of electronic musicians. I think people know that as well. Most of my guest artist talks and residencies involve electronic ensemble workshops. Projects on electronic music ensembles received awards and grants with the largest amount of monetary prizes. I won no grants with solo works. 

My recent musical career focus is on multidisciplinary projects. The largest works in terms of people involved, piece length, and size of audience happened in the past four years; they were dance projects. The workflow is different and fast when producing music for dance. Experiences in my 20s and 30s prepared me to work on evening-length music for dance fast and efficiently. Collaboration with dance companies such as Artlab J takes my music to people and places I could not reach as a solo performer. 

It is important to note four things in career building in music. 

  • A music career is cumulative. Roles are added on instead of changing from one to another. A teaching gig did not prevent me from becoming a performer or ensemble director. Different roles positively feed each other and bring more opportunities. Different roles grow together and strengthen each other. 
  • A music career does not have a defined path. According to my Ph.D. degree title, I am supposed to be a classical music composer writing orchestral pieces. According to my high school dream career, I am supposed to be a game music composer at Square Enix. I am not. But I am happy with the different paths education, opportunities, and communities have taken me. 
  • A music career may take time. It took me ten years of college-level study to comfortably call myself a musician. I have done solo performances, collaborations, and interdisciplinary works as a student, but could not see how they would develop as my identity. It took another decade of practice, failure, and refinement to see the true results of the skills I acquired at college.  
  • A music career needs a community.  I was fortunate to be welcomed by a vibrant artistic community wherever I lived. I am grateful to be involved in institutions specialized in the field I am devoted to. Groups like SEAMUS, SPLICE, Third Practice, and Electronic Music Midwest, have been a long-term supporter and opportunity providers. It took me years to realize that.