Acanthes 2010

This intensive training offers the opportunity of selected composers to discover the software environment developed at IRCAM for musical creation. This environment encompasses the fields of computer-assisted composition, sound synthesis, and sound processing in real-time. The program is divided between beginner’s hands-on sessions and sessions that give more advanced participants a glimpse of new avenues in music research.

The beginner’s sessions offer an overview of the AudioSculpt, OpenMusic, and Max/MSP through with a blend of theory and hands-on exercises for computer-assisted composition. For more advanced students, the classes focus on more complex libraries developed at IRCAM for Max/MSP and on Modalys. These sessions also offer a look at current fields of music research such as spatialization, score following, and sound descriptors (prerequisites below).
For the two groups, the workshop ends with the realization of a project by each student that puts into practice what they have learned.

Final Project Beginner Students
Realization of a musical project with Max/MSP (mini concert patch, algorithmic music).

Final Project Advanced Students
Realization of a patch with score following, simulation and activation of physical models.

All Levels

AudioSculpt (1.5 days)
First steps with the AudioSculpt graphical interface:
– visualization and editing the sonogram
– exploration of basic processing techniques (filters, dilatation, cross synthesis)
– optimization of analysis parameters
– using a processing sequencer

Prerequisites – All Levels: Mastery of the Macintosh environment (OS X), a sequencer software program such as ProTools, LogicAudio, and a sound editor like Peak.

Prerequisites – Advanced Sessions:Advanced knowledge of programming in Max/MSP is required (proof of completion of the “First Steps with Max/MSP” program or the levels 1, 2, and 3 of Max/MSP at IRCAM, or tutorials 1–30 in Max and all the MSP tutorials).

Applicants must send their applications with the questionnaire
Successful applicants should bring their own headphones with them to the workshops.
For the advanced sessions, participants should bring their laptop computer (Mac), with the following software properly installed:
- MaxMSP 5 ((the latest version is available here )
- TextWrangler

Assessments: Participants will carry out exercises and create patches that make use of the skills taught during the workshops to continually verify each participant’s progress. The assessment includes an end-of-workshop report that pinpoints each participant’s progress in their personal training program.

Upon completion of the 12 days of training, participants will be able to understand the issues present in their creative projects and choose the computer tools best suited for their projects. Participants will also learn how to improve their own knowledge of the software environments sold during the workshop through self-training.

NB: Participants can join the IRCAM Forum members when they sign up for the Acanthes 2010 Computer-Music Workshops for the exceptional price of 250 € (a 50% discount).

Participants that are already Forum members receive a one-year membership extension.

All selected participants must contact IRCAM before the start of the workshops to sign up for the Forum.
We strongly recommend that participants look at the software programs before the start of the workshops and follow the available tutorials.

The Forum Ircam

The vocation of the Forum is to bring together knowledge and skills in a spirit of sharing.
The Software
The four software packages are designed with specific users in mind - composers, multimedia artists, visual artists, sound engineers, sound designers, researchers, teachers – who have different cultures and different needs.

The Ircam Forum offer for the Centre Acanthes 2010 includes:
Forum Studio: for studio and postproduction professionals.
Software included in this collection:

AudioSculpt: an application designed for working intuitively that presents high-quality sound analysis and synthesis.
Spatialisateur: a Max/MSP library for the spatialization of sound in the studio and for live performances.
Najo Max Interface: environment created for live performances and for in-studio sound design.
SuperVP-TRaX: a tool designed for voice and music sonic transformations.

Forum Research: for artists interested in research and experimentation.
Software included in this collection:
Modalys: for synthesis using physical models that can be employed in real-time
OMax: that combines real-time interaction (Max) with high-level musical representations (OpenMusic)
OpenMusic: for composition and synthesis control
SuperVP and Pm2: for sound analysis, transformation, and synthesis.

Forum Free: for free software enthusiasts.
Software included in this collection: FTM, Ejies, Xspect and other software programs

The discovery bouquet available to participants at Acanthes includes the Forum Studio and the Forum Research for the exceptional price of 250 € for one year (annual membership is regularly 500 €) for the first year of their membership.

For further information:
and Ircam Forum

download Acanthes 2010' brochure (553 Ko)