Y3 | Timbre and Orchestration Resource Workgroup
Timbre and Orchestration Resource Workgroup
Y3 | Workgroup Summary
15 July 2021
09:30-11:00 EDT
Via Zoom
Workgroup Leaders:
K. Soden (McGill University)
Aims:
This workgroup offers collaborative resources on a vast range of orchestration issues. The TOR serves as the public face of all ACTOR Project research and provides an exploration tool for students, composers, and orchestrators. The goal is to help in learning and exploration into topics of Timbre and Orchestration, through the lens of the research taking place at the ACTOR Project.
Discussion Points:
1. Update on TOR general content and structure
· TOR as the "public face" of ACTOR includes research done and resources, both internal content, as well as links to external content. E.g., Funding, research creation series, articles by members, TO blogs, etc.
· New modules to be created for content shared by members – form on internal pages, so that it is available to be seen right away: https://www.actorproject.org/forms-index/tor-form.
· Consistent architecture throughout the site: Introduction, practicality, in-depth, orchestration sections throughout various pages.
· Lightbox to squarespace – ease of linking to other related pages.
· Links to footnotes
· French translation ongoing.
· Is there an automatic notification to confirm submission?
o Suggestion: Similar feature for newsletter as well
2. “Learn about Timbre” homepage ideas
· Learn about Timbre page for different levels:
o Beginner – basic introduction to concepts.
o For the curious learner – goes into more details, breaking up into different fields, acoustics, organology, psychoacoustics, etc, with a blurb for each. Links to the blog series.
o For the timbre geek – includes links to current pages, publications, heavier academic stuff, TOR page.
3. “Learn about Orchestration” homepage ideas
· Ideas for resources to learn about orchestration such as:
· Basic techniques, can hear and see various examples.
· Score following videos on some orchestral works.
· Quotes from treatises about what is orchestration – also has lightboxes to pull them up from different parts of the website.
· Upcoming: DSP-based orchestration definitions and examples, tutorials for OrchView, aural sonology, link to TOGE tutorial, links to other pages about taxonomy work at ACTOR.
· Suggestion: Short links, intro to treatises and examples. A summary to the long treatises.
· Suggestion: To be able to reach out to people who might not otherwise come across these topics. E.g., conductors to comment on certain orchestration styles. Keywords (names of conductor, composer, title of work) to reach out more.
· Suggestion: Currently learning ABOUT orchestration. Will there be a learning HOW TO orchestrate? E.g., listening to sounds in a different way?
· Question: Possibility in squarespace to having interactive things programmed onto the page? E.g., Eddy's analysis of the various sounds – to be able to display these.
· Suggestion: Experiment-type things online, e.g., Sam Mehr's stuff?
4. Edutainment ideas for the TOR
· Edutainment films for TOR – short doc film series introducing and explaining TOR topics. Targeted to the non-specialists.
· Can embed links and citations people can follow up on.
· Likely animated – budget and to keep cohesive style-wise.
· To develop our own style.
· Videos on the TOR site and YouTube – great for outreach.
· Question: Some topics listed already covered on Timbre Lingo but multiplicity is fine. Relies heavily on animation, plan for providing support or resources for animation?
· Suggestion: Taking an example from Lisa's videos – topics part of her book. One can feed into the other. YouTube series is a great way of publicizing what we're doing.
· An avenue of marketing for TOR.
· Suggestion: Could do a history of musical instruments, from bone flutes, to lyres, to pump organs, to digital.
· Upcoming calls for contributions – call for scripts 25 Jul 2021. Initial proposals due 25 Aug 2021, edited script deadline for selected proposals later in 2021.
5. Update on Instrumentation webpages
· Pages about different instruments.
· A template to build things on: Intro, practicalities, in-depth, orchestration
· Spotify channel.
· Links to treatises where the information came from.
· Suggestion: Try to transition TOR to something from the greater ACTOR network, as opposed to being more from ACTOR central previously.
· Suggestion: For teachers, presenters, TOR as a home for some of the content being used. E.g., educational modules. Expertise from the broader membership.
· Suggestion: Strategy for getting people to come up with content – not just calls for contribution, but also to identify what we need and directly contact them.
· Could be along the lines of what has been done. Frame as an opportunity for students. Timbre definitions in seminar, e.g., what R. Hasegawa has done.
· Suggestion: Professors as co-author of what is written.
· Suggestion: Commit to a Timbre Lingo entry in Timbre semantics session.
· Suggestion: Clear call for publications and with different ways people can contribute. Also possible to found a new series.
· Suggestion: Make it a part of the CORE project
· Question: Article submissions. Reviewing process – who reviews what? and how? Internal/external reviewers.
· Transparency of the review process?
· Contribution open to everyone or only within ACTOR?
· Aim was to set up to showcase ACTOR research, currently only for ACTOR members.
· Condition to become member for submission.
· Question: Perennial-ness of the TOR. Possible link to university library/outside support when we have more content? DOIs for the articles.
· Also publicity for TOR – ACTOR banner at the foot of the page or something.
· Suggestion: Put aside some budget for maintenance of TOR
· Website tech keeps evolving – problems with maintenance
· Longevity and role of TOR after grant expires? Long-term plan discussed?
· Currently possibility only if someone renews partnership grant.
· Possibility through one of the team grants instead?
· Exported as pdfs for longevity outside of the internet
· Pdf template
Action Items:
1. Notification to confirm submission to TOR and similar feature for newsletter – Airtable allows notifications for submissions.
2. Interactive elements programmed onto the website. Hosted on repository, like box link to those? Can run scripts on squarespace. Looking at data on repository with scripts on squarespace. To look into these possibilities and limitations.
3. Some funding within ACTOR for production? Need specialists for each section of the video, e.g., composer, editing, etc. Timeline: Pre-production from now until end of the year, production in 1st 2nd quarters of 2022. Products out by next summer.
4. Possible collaboration with students enrolled in animation film or communications programmes.
5. Costing of the production of edutainment films.
6. Possible theme for edutainment films – Looking at what is timbre from different disciplines. Prism with different rays coming out for each area?
7. Contribution of sunrise/other scripts.
8. Coordination of video series with CIRMMT team who has a similar educational series.
9. Commit to a Timbre Lingo entry in Timbre semantics session.
Follow-Up:
1. Edutainment ideas: Possible theme – Looking at what is timbre from different disciplines. Prism with different rays coming out for each area?
2. History of musical instruments, from bone flutes, to lyres, to pump organs, to digital for edutainment videos.
3. Contributions to content on instrumental webpages by members of CORE project.
4. Link up of instrumentation and recording techniques on TOR website.
5. General strategy for getting contributions. Can also be raised in Timbre Course Design session.
6. Budget for maintenance of TOR after end of partnership grant.
7. Exported pdfs for longevity of TOR content outside of the internet, pdf template.