Teachers
Gleb Rogozinsky: sound programming is a creative process
About procedural audio, CSound and their origins, and also about sound education and creativity
Gleb Rogozinski
Sound Design Institute superviser
Gleb — is a supervisor at the Institute of Sound Design on procedural audio, CSound, audio programming. Collaborates with representatives of the Hanover School of Music and the Berklee College of Music in the area of the music programming language Csound. The main disciplines are computer music technologies, the CSound programming language.
— Hi Gleb, tell us, what was your path to music and sound? Where did you study?
—Music has always been with me. A music school, various musical groups of completely different directions, private classes, my main job and additional sources of income - almost everything I do is related to music to one degree or another.
— What projects and researches are you currently engaged in?
— My main project now is a doctoral dissertation, which seems to be starting to take on a meaningful form and gradually this form is fixed in paper form. To get rid of scientific terminology, I will say simply - the dissertation will be about how to represent the activity of various complex systems in the form of non-speech sound.
In parallel with this, I keep some of my other projects active. For example, together with my colleagues, we have been working on emulation of the famous Nord Modular G2 synthesizer in the Csound language for several years now.
In parallel with this, I keep some of my other projects active. For example, together with my colleagues, we have been working on emulation of the famous Nord Modular G2 synthesizer in the Csound language for several years now.
Synthesizer Nord Modular G2
— Tell us about procedural audio, Csound — their development, impact on the sound industry. Why you should study it?
—Special programming languages used to create computer music, among which Csound occupies a special place, have existed for a long time.
The birth of the ancestor of today's popular programs, such as Reaktor, SuperCollider, MAX / MSP, etc., dates back to 1957. It was the MUSIC program, written by the great Max Matthews, the pioneer of computer music. And here it is important to note that in the beginning there were computer modular systems, such as MUSIC I, and only then, in their image and likeness, the giants of the synthesizer industry began to produce their analog modular devices.
The birth of the ancestor of today's popular programs, such as Reaktor, SuperCollider, MAX / MSP, etc., dates back to 1957. It was the MUSIC program, written by the great Max Matthews, the pioneer of computer music. And here it is important to note that in the beginning there were computer modular systems, such as MUSIC I, and only then, in their image and likeness, the giants of the synthesizer industry began to produce their analog modular devices.
"Connoisseurs of experimental music, avant-garde composers, game designers and just fans of electronic sound - everyone can find an application for this knowledge"
— In some way, computer music languages are a parallel universe that exists in a different dimension than the programs familiar to most electronic musicians. However, there is also movement forward. From the Csound code, for example, you can now make your own VST instruments and processing. I try to focus on these aspects in lectures at the Sound Design Institute and in my courses, which, as a rule, are attended by people who have previously used completely different software.
The ability to develop your own plugin is, I think, the key to interest students in my subject. And then - further, the one who opens this door receives great potential. It doesn't matter who - connoisseurs of experimental music, avant-garde composers, game designers, developers of cyber-physical systems and just fans of electronic sound - everyone can find application for this knowledge that awaits him.
The ability to develop your own plugin is, I think, the key to interest students in my subject. And then - further, the one who opens this door receives great potential. It doesn't matter who - connoisseurs of experimental music, avant-garde composers, game designers, developers of cyber-physical systems and just fans of electronic sound - everyone can find application for this knowledge that awaits him.
— How is procedural audio and audio programming a creative process?
—Sound programming is, of course, a creative process. After all, you literally become the demiurge of your own sound universe. There is always a certain aesthetic in this action.
You only have an empty open notebook. You write one command, second, third - and as a result of rendering, sound appears. At first it is very primitive. Noise or maybe a 440 Hz tone.
With each new action, you make this sound more difficult - it may include granular synthesis and distribution of sound sources in stereo space, as well as many other elements. Or a melody can play, the generation of which is controlled by an algorithm that you yourself made.
You only have an empty open notebook. You write one command, second, third - and as a result of rendering, sound appears. At first it is very primitive. Noise or maybe a 440 Hz tone.
With each new action, you make this sound more difficult - it may include granular synthesis and distribution of sound sources in stereo space, as well as many other elements. Or a melody can play, the generation of which is controlled by an algorithm that you yourself made.
— Tell us about your work in the sound industry and education.
— I have never been one hundred percent in the sound industry, although I have been helping to prepare personnel for it for more than 10 years, after graduating from the Film and Television Institute. What I do is rather at the intersection of information and telecommunication technologies and sound.
On the topic of job search, I can say that it is not always possible to get into the company or the direction they initially dream of.
Sound is not only movies, games and work with musical projects. These are architectural acoustics and hydroacoustics, and psychoacoustics, and not only in terms of the characteristics of human perception of sound, but also research in the field of perception and formation of sound by birds, amphibians, etc. This is sonification and even questions of cryptography.
Work as a teacher
It is difficult to name a specialist in the field of sound who would not have heard of the Sound Design Institute. By the way, my friendly relations with Vasily Filatov arose even before the establishment of the Institute.
Since I am one of those people who are "between two megacities", it was simply impossible not to accept Vasily's offer. Especially when it comes to the author's course and, importantly, the audience of people who want to attend this course.
Since I am one of those people who are "between two megacities", it was simply impossible not to accept Vasily's offer. Especially when it comes to the author's course and, importantly, the audience of people who want to attend this course.
— Tell us about your work at the Institute of Sound Design, how do you feel as a teacher?
— I have been teaching for a long time, since about 2006. Therefore, as a teacher, I feel quite comfortable. A flexible schedule, an interesting subject, enthusiastic students, a modern material and technical base - everything you need to make the course successful. As long as the teacher is good. But let the students who come to study at the Institute of Sound Design judge this.
— What were the common projects with students? Hometasks? How did you manage? How difficult is technical information to perceive?
— I try to be flexible in my approach to tasks. Academic composers usually have a harder time programming plug-ins than programmers. The last-mentioned ones, accordingly, are usually more difficult to give questions about the form and content of musical works, no matter what style and direction. That's why all my tasks involve an individual approach and, as a rule, there are options. It is always pleasant when you see that a student was able to reveal himself in solving the assigned task thanks to special options.
— What are they like, an ideal student of the Institute of Sound Design, what should they be able to do?
—In my personal opinion, the most important quality of a student is a sincere and unquenchable desire to learn.
I would like to add a few more features. This is knowledge of the physical foundations of sound and musical acoustics, so that the words "sine", "harmonic" and "decibel" do not cause misunderstanding.
It would be nice if the student could distinguish C from F-sharp, Schubert from Schoenberg, tuba from trumpet. It is even better if the student understands what the Kotelnikov theorem and the Fourier transform are. And it’s absolutely fine if a student, in addition to all of the above, will still be able to program in some language.
But this is optional. If you really want to learn — you can.
Come to the Sound Design Institute.
I would like to add a few more features. This is knowledge of the physical foundations of sound and musical acoustics, so that the words "sine", "harmonic" and "decibel" do not cause misunderstanding.
It would be nice if the student could distinguish C from F-sharp, Schubert from Schoenberg, tuba from trumpet. It is even better if the student understands what the Kotelnikov theorem and the Fourier transform are. And it’s absolutely fine if a student, in addition to all of the above, will still be able to program in some language.
But this is optional. If you really want to learn — you can.
Come to the Sound Design Institute.
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