[LAU] Announde: DSP02 - Music composition software for children

[David Baron]

On Sunday 03 June 2007, andersvi at extern.uio.no wrote:
> Hi David.
>
> I think you misunderstand the intention of this program somewhat.  One
> of the aims of this program is to give young people a creative option,
> and make available tools which don't "help them" by adjusting
> everything they might express to narrow grids of 400 year old musical
> scales, 300 year old harmonic techniques and hammering it into 4
> beats.
>
> The program (together with its forerunner "DSP") has been in use in
> lots of schools and in workshops for several years, and i can assure
> you that kids getting exposed to DSP02 (or its forerunner) in a class
> don't usually "get frustrated and leave it behind", quite the
> opposite!

I see your point. If I want a=440, I would like to hit a key to set that--very 
difficult with a slider. If I want to microtune, an old synth let me set a 
start and end for its keyboard that now played everything in between. Not 
everyone likes Schoenberg but I will never say it is not good or legitimate.
>
> If you tried this program (preferably together with some cheap,
> portable recorders to grab their "own" sounds) in a normal school
> class, You might get very surprised how open-minded kids may be if
> they're not busy adhering to what their teachers or top-forty tells
> about what's right or wrong or how its supposed to sound before they
> get to try themselves!
>
OK. After I record or make these sounds, they could go onto a pallette and I 
can reuse them the next time or modify again and add the new version to a 
pallette as well.

My main argument is that after I have all the sounds, whether I recorded them, 
made them in the various panes or downloaded them, I would like to be able to 
use them sampler-style. Set a pitch without typing or sliding to some number. 
I am not saying only Western scales and nothing but. Arabic Maqamim are also  
great. Microtones. OK. Just some more convenient to intuitive way to get them 
using the sounds.
> >>>>> "DB" == David Baron <d_baron at 012.net.il> writes:
>
>     DB> My comments: This does have a fairly simple interface to
>     DB> playing with sounds.  The parameters portrayed/drawn on these
>     DB> screens are technical, however. One can have fun with the
>     DB> program but the pitch of the sound (if it has one, you can
>     DB> download farm animal samples from their site :-) ), is fixed
>     DB> on these screens. One cannot play a keyboard and compose music
>     DB> with this, just assemble series of sounds on multiple tracks
>     DB> (quite handily, but still...)
>
>     DB> An older child that is bent towards playing with synthesis
>     DB> might get into this program but when he/she cannot really
>     DB> compose, will doubtless be frustrated and leave it behind. It
>     DB> is really not a kids program as such. It remains fairly
>     DB> technical.
> _______________________________________________
> Linux-audio-user mailing list
> Linux-audio-user at lists.linuxaudio.org
> http://lists.linuxaudio.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/linux-audio-user