PSU Magazine Winter 2004

sounds of famous performers. Drum– mer and singer Phil Collins has issued his own percussion sampler that, once loaded into a compULer, can provide the rhythm section for any musical piece. U that makes you long for the good old days, Hansen's advice is to get over it. "This is the future of music," he says. "Computers are impacting musicians to the same high degree that they have impacted all the other professions." ~ ecording magic is nothing new, con– sidering that sound recordings have been available Lo the masses since the first wax cylinders came into produc– tion more than a century ago. Many watershed events marked the ensuing decades of recording evolution, but perhaps the most significant, according to Hansen, came about through the efforts of Les Paul, inventor of the solid body electric guitar. Paul, an accom– plished guitarist in his own right, was performing with Bing Crosby in 1953 when he perfected the first multitrack recording machine, allowing instru– mental and vocal parts to be recorded separately and layered. Multitracking revolutionized the recording industry. It alleviated the need for entire bands to play in unison in the studio. Instead, the drummer could lay down the rhythm track, then the bass player could record his own line to the beat of the recorded drums. Then came the other instruments and vocalists. ln fact , a single vocalist could overdub multiple tracks on the same song, in effect hannonizing with herself. "Paul McCartney was a wizard at that," says Hansen. Computers are simply the latest tool for putting together multitrack record– ings, making the process faster, easier, and more accessible for both profes– sionals and amateurs. "Instead of having to record on magnetic tape , we're able to record an audio file directly to the disk drive, then edit and mix it with other tracks," says Hansen, who remembers the day when he used to edit sound recordings with a razor blade and splicing tape. When it came time to put together the recording arts program, Hansen immedi– ately thought of Newton, who was part owner of Newton Bard, the first digital sound studio in Portland. Over the years the company did a vast amount of work for Will Vinton Studios as well as some feature films, television shows, local commercials, and stage productions. ln addition, Newton wrote theme music for the Portland Trail Blazers and composed the coronation themes for the Rose Festival for 12 years. Newton not only had the musical and pedagogical skills to teach al PSU, but the business experience to help guide the career aspirations of stu– dents, whether in music, television, or movies. That and the fact that he was intimately tuned in to the very latest in computer tools that are used through– out the industry made him an excel– lent choice for the RAMP program. Newton's challenge, he says, is to present his students with a basic enough foundation that they can adapt to the fast pace of change in the world of digital recording. "There are no textbooks for this stuff. In our business, it's as if they are changing the typewriter every three to six months. We want to teach you the alphabet so you can go out and find the right keys as the technology changes," ewton says. ~ igital skills have become so impor– tant in music professions that the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) requires its affiliate schools to teach them. NASM is the accrediting body for all universities and colleges that offer music degrees, including PSU. The last time NASM reviewed PSU's Music Department, it pointed out the need for more technol– ogy in the curriculum. lt makes sense from a business per– spective. Due to the pressures of time and money, film composers will often write their scores in a MlDl application before getting final approval from the producer. Only when the producer approves the score, a process that can involve countless edits, will a live orchestra be hired to record it for the film. And each orchestra player will have his or her own set of parts, sup– plied by the same computer on which the score was written. That is, when live performers are hired at all. They may not be, depend– ing on the music budget. What you hear in the theater and on television may be generated entirely on a computer, but the technology is so advanced that it's nearly impossible to tell the difference. And a world of sound effects are available to "sweeten" the tracks. ~ o you want to be a rock and roll star? Or a classical musician with your own CD? Or a composer, or a recording engineer? lf so, you'd be well advised to invest in some of the equipment used in PSU's MIDI lab. Newton says $5,000 is about what you need LO be your own production engineer and churn out your own CDs. The equipment, according to Newton, includes: • "A beefy computer. " ewton prefers Macintosh equipment, but the same work can be done on a PC. Just make sure it has lots of power, RAM, and hard disk space. • Software. This includes sequencing software for making MlDl tracks, music editing software, and soft– ware for printing music notation. • A good microphone. This is very important, Newton says. They're not cheap, but he says you can get one for less than $1 ,000. He suggests you try out several to make sure you get the right one for the job. • An audio card. • A mixing board. Most of your audio mixing will be done on the board. You'll do the fine-tuning on your computer. • A digital-to-analog interface. This links the mixing board with the computer. But if you're taking a music class from Hansen, don't expect to go com– pletely digital. "l still require students Lo turn in handwritten manuscripts because I don't want them to lose the craft," he says. D Wl NTER 2004 PSU MAGAZINE 17