"This interactive session begins with a brief experience of making vocal music to an 8-bit video game. I then demonstrate how to create live 8-bit music using Ableton Live and a Launchpad. The session concludes with session attendees coming up and creating live 8-bit music to a live video game performance."
This paid sample pack provides 27 live clips and 158 presets for retro computers and 8-bit machines. This sample pack can be used with Ableton Live when creating 8-bit projects.
"The early technological constraints imposed on 8-bit composers can act as project criteria for composing and performing 8-bit music that interacts with live 8-bit video games. This two hour session will begin with an interaction with 8-bit media and then break out into groups to create short musical excerpts and sound effects for a live video game. After all of the groups share what they created, the session concludes with a discussion on musical problems, technological constraints impacting creativity, and future projects. "
Ableton is a DAW that excels in live applications. In a classroom setting, you can use it to accompany students live using a MIDI controller or assigning the various functions to your keyboard. It is a very complicated program; however, the help view has step-by-step tutorials on how to use the basic functions of the program
"This session will explore potential projects that involve composing and performing music in the 8-bit aesthetic. We will also explore how the 8-bit aesthetic can be used to explore technology, music theory, and music history through composing and performing with 8-bit video games. Experience with video games is not required as the focus is on the unique musical affordances students can experience when composing and performing music to old school video games. Please feel free to bring a laptop with a way to write music notation as we will create and perform music to a live video game in the session. "
"This session will explore potential projects that involve creating music to modern video games. We will also explore how video games can be used to explore technology, music theory, music history, composing, and performing with modern video games. Experience with video games is not required as the focus is on the unique musical affordances students can experience when creating music to video games. Please feel free to bring an instrument as we will experience a mini project that requires everyone to musically contribute to a live video game in the session."
Students can use DAWs to create music using MIDI, samples, live audio processing, etc.. Teachers can use DAWs to create practice tracks, accompany student performances, etc.
If you have an iPad, Lemur is a customizeable MIDI controller that can sync wirelessly with a DAW like Ableton Live. You can program it to controller any parameter you want and is therefore not as limited as a physical controller.
This is a video game where you play as the wind guiding a flower pedal across a landscape. The game has been used to create live music to that puts the player as the conductor and the game as the score.
From creator description: "Use the computer keyboard keys a,s,d,f,g,h,j,k to perform notes from the major scale. You can play multiple notes at a time!
Hold down the up and down arrow keys while playing a note to bend the pitch.
Use the left and right arrow keys to pan the sound left and right.
Use the 1 and 2 keys to lower and raise the channel volume.
This code requires running the experimental MIDI Scratch Java Server helper app (currently private).
The Scratch MIDI Extension adds new blocks for playing MIDI notes on the server:
note on
note off
controller
pitch bend
all notes off
set instrument
use java server?
The MIDI sounds in this program are not coming from Scratch... they are being synthesized on a Java server. This code can also be used to play and control other external synthesizers (e.g., Garage Band, Main Stage, Ableton Live, etc.)."
Notes and Credits: "MIDI Scratch Java Server - John Maloney (MIT Media Lab)
Prototype MIDI Scratch Blocks - Eric Rosenbaum (MIT Media Lab) & Alex Ruthmann (NYU)
Performamatics @ NYU
http://experiencingaudio.org/"