This week I was excited to read about digital audio, mostly
because I am a complete novice when it comes to this topic. At the school where I teach, there is one
teacher in our department who knows, understands, and loves all things
technological (especially when it is music related), so I will admit that I
heavily rely on him without fully engaging in learning about how to use digital
equipment. It’s not that I am not
interested, it’s just a matter of having the time to devote to it. Fortunately, this class is allowing me the time
to explore these avenues and I’m already introducing the other teacher in my
department to a few things!
While
reading chapters two and three, there were a few things I found really
helpful. First, the explanation about
audio file types and compression helped me discern the difference between file
types and why some of them take up so much space on my computer! As an owner of both an Apple and PC laptop,
it was also helpful to read about which are most common for each operating
system and which are compatible (or not).
Though I am still trying to learn what each of their unique functions
are (WAV, MP3, MP4, AAC, WMA), at least I am becoming more familiar with the
language and which is appropriate for different scenarios.
I am
also really intrigued by Digital Audio Workstations. I do have some experience with Garageband and
found it extremely user friendly for people of all ages and experience. I am excited to explore other software and
compare my experience to this apple software.
Either way, I find DAW’s extremely useful in allowing students to
compose. As mentioned in chapter three, “tools
such as these allow students who don’t read music notation to be actively
engaged in thinking in sound….the result is often a work that is more
sophisticated and of higher quality than would be possible if everything had to
be notated” (Bauer, 2014, p. 65). This
is an exciting premise, for I have seen students WANT to be creative and not
have the musical knowledge or experience to get their ideas out of their own
heads. The ability to record, use loops,
use midi and manipulate and edit their own compositions without requiring the
knowledge of musical notation opens up the musical experience to a MUCH wider
student base. I could see Digital Audio
Workstations being a foundational element of music technology curriculum on its
own! In addition, this not only allows
students to be creative on their own, but also allows for students to be
collaborative and evaluative, both of which are extremely important to the new
Common Core expectations. As I continue
to learn more about this topic, I would love to find ways to facilitate
projects using Digital Audio Workstations in my own classroom. With a little support, this is something that
could tremendously enhance our program in the district where I teach. Time to ask for an upgrade!
Christen,
ReplyDeleteI found myself to be very much in the same situation as you when it came to the different types of files that digital audio can become. Until the readings and lecture this week, I had very little knowledge over what made an AAC different from an MP3, and so on. As you mentioned, it does come down to your own situation when determining which file type is best. However, it is very helpful to know that AAC files are Apple only, WMA files are Windows only, WAV files are raw/uncompressed audio files (i.e. huge files that would be far to large to transfer efficiently) and MP3 files are universal regardless of whether Apple or Windows is being used. Considering that you own both an Apple and a PC, MP3 would be your best bet as you should not run into any issues if you need to transfer audio files from one to the other, whereas you likely will if you have files on your Apple made into the AAC format and files on your PC made into the WMA format. Lastly, for quite some time I was very confused as to what the difference was between MP3 and MP4 files. The difference is that MP3 is an audio files and MP4 is a VIDEO file. Hope this all helps.