Workflow     Cybermusic Composition

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Introduction
The workflow for the creation of a piece of cybermusic depends naturally on the preferences of the creator, on the used environment, and other conditions. The description of the following steps provides an outline of a workflow that is typical for a non-realtime working environment.
Dispositions
  
Piece Disposition

 The general idea of the piece is developed by anticipating and other elements of the creator's experience.
  
Sound Disposition

 The production of the generic sounds used in the piece may include some of the following works:
  • Recording sounds in natural environments

  • Searching for generic sounds, browsing archives, and other sound collections

  • Sound post production

  • Setup of generic sound routines and related tests

  • Preparation of generic sounds for their use in cybertrack models
The sound disposition requires the use of production equipment.
Creation of Cybertrack Families
  

Disposition of a Cybertrack Model

 The preparation of a cybertrack model includes the decision for a basic musical structure type of the cybertrack, and a plan on how algorithmic procedures can be applied to the different musical parameters in order to realize the idea of the musical structure.

Usually this idea is sharpened during the building process of the plan.

  
Developing and Testing a Cybertrack Model

 Depending on the cybertrack generator being used, the cybertrack model will be built and tested. The tests are divided into two phases:
  • Functional tests, debugging the model

  • Musical tests, optimizing the musical parameter settings
In case, the musical results are still not sufficient, the model will have to be reviewed and being reconstructed.

Models can be archived in model libraries and being reused for different projects.
  
Creation of a Cybertrack Family

 After the successful completion of the first cybertrack, further variations of the cybertrack model will be implemented in order to create additional cybertracks and to add them to a cybertrack family.

Models that own generic algorithms (such as random value generation routines) will be used for producing multiple variations of cybertracks before performing further changes on them.
  
Completion of a Cybertrack Collection

 Further cybertrack models and cybertrack families are created until a cybertrack collection is established that covers sufficient material resources for the intended cybermusic composition.

Examples for cybertrack collections can be found in the Sound Banks section.
Composition
  
Deployment of Cybertrack Families

 Before starting the composition draft the cybertrack collection will be well-organized and included in the composition editor (usually in form of sound indices).

Along with a deeply review of the existing resources, a rough distribution plan of the resources is developed, and specific fields of musical interaction between parts of the cybertracks are detected. One of those interactive situations can be the starting point for the composition draft.
  
Composition Draft

 With the help of the composition editor, the creator applies principles of metric modulation and counterpoint to arrange carefully selected cybertrack clips, and to build musical scenarios in accordance with the initial piece disposition.
  
Composition Proof

 The intensive review of the composition draft is an important step required for discovering significant enhancements, or weak situations that need to be fixed, such as:
  • Parts that are too long or over-emphasized

  • Parts that are too short, or need further enforcement

  • Disturbances or holes in the rhythmical flow

  • Events that are too isolated or not enough emphasized

  • Reducing or increasing vertical musical density wherever needed
With the last correction of the composition draft, the piece is ready for production.
Production
  
Disposition of Production Environment

 The disposition of the production environment consists of two basic steps:
  • The production environment needs to be set up.

  • In a process of iterative tests, the optimal parameter settings of the master production need to be detected for each track, musical part, and the overall piece, and will be stored.
In addition, final correction routines may still be applied to the sound resources.
  
Production of Master

 Once the production environment is set up, the master can be produced. Post-production methods are mentioned in the Production Environment section.
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