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From: edhall@rand.org (Ed Hall)
Newsgroups: comp.music
Subject: Re: reality and computer sound [was WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS NEWSGROUP?]
Keywords: question for discussion
Message-ID: <1991Jun28.044326.9102@rand.org>
Date: 28 Jun 91 04:43:26 GMT
References: <4188@ssc-bee.ssc-vax.UUCP> <1991Jun25.204416.12144@rand.org> <4208@ssc-bee.ssc-vax.UUCP>
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In article <4208@ssc-bee.ssc-vax.UUCP> carroll@ssc-vax.UUCP (Jeff Carroll) writes:
>Microprocessors are not central to the function of a microwave oven.
>There are microwave ovens that *don't* have microprocessors in them.
>
>To the contrary, a digital synthesizer is *nothing but* a computer that
>has been customized for the purpose of making music. In other words, a
>product of the computer music industry.

There are synths which don't use computers.  Some people actually prefer
their sound.

But I think you're missing my point.  If you read the rest of my
article (omitted for brevity) I think you'll see that I want *more*
articles which treat synths AS COMPUTERS.  What I was objecting to is
articles which assume that anything about digital synths is approriate
because they happen to contain computers--which makes as much sense as
assuming that an article about microwave ovens will belong in the
comp.* hierarchy because most microwave ovens have MPU's in them.

Computer music is a multi-disciplinary field, combining acoustics,
electronics, mathematics, and other academic disciplines in persuit of
musical sound.  It existed long before "the computer music industry"
did.  Much of what goes on in a commercial digital music synthesizer
is based upon research and experimentation that originated in the
computer music community years or even decades before.

Now, I'm not trying to be exclusionary, here; I can 'n' through
articles with the best of them.  But I really would like to see
more articles on computer music, and less on musical computers.

		-Ed Hall
		edhall@rand.org