Matthew Hale, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed a major in Music Technology and a minor in Dramatic Arts
My work with Prof. Carlos Delgado focused on what goes into creating a functioning synthesizer and a sequencer. At the start of this project, Prof. Delgado had me read up on the extensive history of technological innovation in the field of music. Over the course of this study, I gained a better understanding of the steps taken to create what we use in today’s music, from the earliest instances of electricity in music to the technology found in the music of David Bowie and Pink Floyd. Through hands-on work, I learned the different components of a synthesizer. As the building process of the synthesizer went on, the more I learned, starting with the oscillators that create the waveforms, then the filters that carve away at the waveforms to shape your sounds, then the amplifiers that shape the volume throughout the sound, and finally the Low Frequency Oscillators that shape the sound further with frequencies that are lower than the range of human hearing. The sequencer works hand-in-hand with the synthesizer, creating patterns using a string of notes that sends data to the synthesizer.
I knew I wanted to do my capstone project about music
technology. However, I didn’t realize I wanted to focus on synthesizers and
sequencers until I started working with Max/MSP in Prof. Isidore Ramkissoon’s
class. The following semester, I started Prof. Carlos Delgado’s class, where
the area of focus is entirely up to me. He mentioned programming my own
synthesizer, and I was hooked immediately. Because I am currently enrolled in
my mentor’s class, the workflow was a little unorthodox. I was expecting to
need to dedicate time outside my classes to work on this project, but I was
able to complete a good majority of it during my class time. Programming the
synthesizer definitely had its difficult moments. Specifically, working with
many tiny, intricate parts led to several issues that required extensive trial
and error to resolve. Remembering what each component does was also a bit
tricky, given all the moving parts. One aspect that surprised me, however, was
the research on history. I was not expecting to find traces of electronic music
dating back to the mid-18th century. Moving on from this project, I would like
to further experiment with updating my synthesizer, adding new components, and
experimenting with ones already in it. I would also like to delve deeper into
early-20th-century innovations because they seemed the most experimental and
“out there.” From this experience, I have gained a newfound appreciation for
electronic music and a better understanding of the programs I have been working
with on my own time.
