ABSTRACT
As explored in the previous chapters, the foundations of computer music were laid down even before the term “digital” was applied to computers. Experiments at RCA, Siemens, and the University of Illinois were especially important in the exploration of machineassisted composing and sound synthesis techniques. In each case, composition using binary codes aided the musician in creating a piece of music in machine-readable form. Although the audio output from such systems was generated using analog synthesis techniques, such early experiments with computers established a broader working approach to music development encompassing several sub-disciplines: the programming of musical parameters using a central processor, the storage and retrieval of said parameters, audio synthesis of the parameters, editing, and the playback or synthesis of completed works represented by such parameters (see Figure 12.1). In early computer music environments, playback or recording of the synthesized result may frequently have involved additional editing using the analog tape medium. By the late 1970s, however, the availability of microprocessors, more affordable computer memory and storage, and the development of music-related software led to the continuing improvement and affordability of digital music tools for all aspects of the process, from composing to synthesis and the management of live real-time performance.
