[PD] books

[Frank Barknecht]

Hi,
mattn-l at rogers.com hat gesagt: // mattn-l at rogers.com wrote:

> i've been doing a lot of experimentation with synthesis for a long
> time now, and i've even done some composing/performing of computer
> music.  the problem is that i keep running into walls while trying
> to programme my own composition systems, and i think it's because i
> don't have the background in music theory/synthesis theory that i
> need to really get into this stuff.. so my question is, can anybody
> recommend a good all encompassing book that will help me get the
> information i need?  

I'd like to hear what Miller would recommend, as he is teaching this
stuff as well. What do your students have to read?

At the moment, I am knee deep into "Computer Music" by Charles Dodge
and Thomas A. Jerse. Asking on various mailing lists, this and Curtis
Roads' "Computer Music Tutorial" always get recommended and because
the both are expensive, I started with Dodge/Jerse, the Roads will
follow. At first I was a bit disapointed, because there aren't many
C++ expamples in the book. All code in "CM" is in regard to computer
composition, a field, that I am not that interested in at the moment,
but you will probably like that. 

Then I found, that even the non-code descriptions of various computer
music and synthesis topics are very readable and instructive. "CM" is
a great textbook for self-learning IMO and very clearly written.
People say similar things about the Roads, but I don't know this book 
yet.

I also have the "Csound Book" that does explain way more then just the
things in Csound, but well, it is Csound anyways and after my nearly
complete shift to PD, I don't look into it very often anymore. OTOH
there are way more Csound users than PD users, I think, and knowing
Csound to adapt things for PD is very, very useful. Also the Music N
synthesis languages live on in Csound and you will probably meet them
everywhere. Even Dodge/Jerse often refer to them in "Computer Music"

ciao,
-- 
 Frank Barknecht                                  _ _______footils__