Fauxharmonic Orchestra » State of the art http://www.fauxharmonic.com Serving Composers Since 2003 Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:34:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 en © info@fauxharmonic.com () info@fauxharmonic.com() 1440 Serving Composers Since 2003 info@fauxharmonic.com No no http://www.fauxharmonic.com/podcast_media/building_beethoven_podcast_144.jpg Fauxharmonic Orchestra http://www.fauxharmonic.com 144 144 Thoughts on digital music from Paul Lansky http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2006/03/10/thoughts-on-digital-music-from-paul-lansky/ http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2006/03/10/thoughts-on-digital-music-from-paul-lansky/#comments Sat, 11 Mar 2006 02:43:52 +0000 Paul Henry Smith http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2006/03/10/thoughts-on-digital-music-from-paul-lansky/ “the emergence of digital sound is really a watershed moment in the history of music. It enables us to harness technology in the service of musical adventure in ways that were unimaginable only twenty years ago. The computer is the ultimate instrument of the imagination.”

Digital thoughts — Paul Lansky

For the past fifty years computers have played a role in musical composition. The significant recent change is that the technology has now moved out of composition studios and into the performer’s hands.

]]> http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2006/03/10/thoughts-on-digital-music-from-paul-lansky/feed/ Digital Orchestra Performance in 2050? http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2006/02/25/digital-orchestra-performance-50-years-hence/ http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2006/02/25/digital-orchestra-performance-50-years-hence/#comments Sun, 26 Feb 2006 01:18:45 +0000 Paul Henry Smith http://www.fauxharmonic.com/2006/02/25/digital-orchestra-performance-50-years-hence/ Given technology’s inexorable march forward, how good will digital musical performances may sound by 2050? This chart says it in a nutshell:

Clearly the best digital orchestral performances already surpass bad or even mediocre live performances. It’s only going to be a short time before they can equal, and surpass, the best orchestral recordings. But will they ever be able to deliver a musical experience as good as the best live orchestra performances?

Perhaps, if you compare the rate at which digital orchestral performances are improving to the rate at which live orchestra performances are improving, you might answer, “yes, some day digital musical performances will be as good or better than the best live performances.” But what would it take for that to happen? Much better digital instruments, for one. And much better trained musicians to be able to play these instruments.

What about the spontaneous aspect of live performance? Obviously that is already lacking in every single recording … but could it possibly be re-introduced into a live digital orchestra performance? Of course it could. And of course it will take a lot of time and work to develop that to the point of being capable of delivering the most superlative musical experience. After all, the symphony orchestra didn’t just emerge over night.

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