Sound studies

Awardee: Alexander Rehding (FAS)

Summary: Awardee plans to create a computer lab for sound analysis that could support a number of existing courses across several departments.

In February 2013, the new Sound Studios Lab (SLab) opened in the Woodworth Listening Room of the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library. Four computer stations were installed that allow sound recording, analysis, and editing. Students quickly took to this new equipment and started working on a range of sound-related projects. In fall 2013, Humanities 11b: The Art of Listening used SLab for hands-on projects that incorporated recording and editing. The stations have been used widely by both individuals and a growing number of courses that include Music 295 and Music 230.

Awardees have since coordinated with HUSEAC and the Ethnolab to ensure the software’s compatibility with other labs so that projects are transferrable between locations. Several composers, ethnomusicologists, and media archaeologists have used the stations for their own projects, and undergraduate students have regularly used the station as a sound editing studio.