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Perceptual low bit-rate audio coding schemes cannot be evaluated with the traditional method of measuring the difference between input signal and output signal. A valid measure is the severity of differences between input and output that are audible to human listeners, measurement of which requires well-conducted subjective testing. Test sensitivity is improved through the use of "critical" audio program. Selection of such audio material has in the past been done by subjective listening. An objective method of selecting critical material could offer many advantages, including faster and simpler selection of new materials, the ability to evaluate a much larger number of potential materials, and the potential of much better critical materials as a larger portion of available music is explored. The use of perceptual models for selection of critical materials has been investigated. Prediction of criticality was found to be inadequate with the models used.

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Research efforts concerned with the implementation of reliable computer-based score followers were first presented at the 1984 International Computer Music Conference independently by Roger Dannenberg and Barry Vercoe. Over the past ten years, much has been done to advance the accuracy and reliability of such systems and yet, little of this development has integrated new or existing ideas concerning the tracking of a performer's rhythm. The research undertaken in this study has attempted to suggest one possibility for such an integration through the design and implementation of a prototype score follower that uses temporal patterns from a live performer as its primary information to determine score location. The simultaneous tracking of pitch information provides an alternate performer position when temporal pattern prediction fails. Testing of the system was performed on both monophonic and polyphonic works spanning four musical eras.

The World-Wide Web (WWW) is currently witnessing a dramatic trend toward the incoporation of multimedia elements into on-line publishing. These elements can be very effective for communicating ideas that are difficult to explain with text alone. For the presentation of music, the WWW brings the capability of embedding audio files (recordings) into a document, thus providing audible musical excerpts in addition to textual references to selected points of interest in a musical score. However, there are technical challenges and copyright issues to be addressed when providing musical excerpts on the WWW. The research undertaken in this study brings one possible solution to these issues through the design and implementation of a hybrid system using a combination of the internet and commercially available audio compact discs.

This research presents new audio creation and processing tools for the virtual electronic music studio. The Tools were created by the author in the Max/MSP authoring environment. Some Tools model analog production techniques lost when studios moved inside computers, and provide additional functionality only possible in the digital world. Others make use of traditional processing ideas but add a level of control difficult to find in today's audio software plug-ins. The Tools are small, simple, real-time, and user-controllable devices for working with sound.

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No description available.