L'Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges: Synthèse 97 and Synthèse 98 (review)

Sergi Jordà: Faust Music Online. CD-ROM, 1998; La Fura Dels Baus; electronic mail sergi.jorda@iua.upf.es; World Wide Web www.iua.upf.es/~sergi/FMOL/fmoltrio/history_fmol.htm

Faust Music Online (FMOL) is a new approach to collaborative composition. The concept was created by the director of La Fura Dels Baus's production, Faust 3.0, Carlos Padrissa, in collaboration with computer artist and musician, Sergi Jordà. The aim was to create a method for composers around the world to produce music over the Internet. They did not want to be limited to MIDI, or even discrete pitches. What they were after was sound that could be arranged and composed in real time with a mouse.

The software was made available for download in January 1998, and by April the database contained more than 1,200 20-sec submissions. During the process of selecting pieces for the production, they discovered many pieces which could be developed beyond the 20-sec limitation. In September 1998, some of the composers were given a disc of 300 of these short submissions to work with. The music on this recording represents their results.

Each of the seventeen tracks is an example of an "arranger's" vision for some of these 300 submissions. The liner notes credit the individual compositions by the final arranger and also by the contributor of the original submissions. It is difficult to comment on the individual tracks because of the nature of the compositions. There are similarities between several of the tracks, which could be expected considering each person is working with the same materials. It is unlikely this collection would be used for pleasure listening, but that is not its purpose. It would, however, make good film music for the new wave of technological thrillers.

An added bonus included on the CD-ROM is a copy of the software that was used in this project. It can be run on a Pentium machine with Windows 95/98; an Internet connection is required to connect to the server and work with other samples, but the software can be run as a stand-alone application. The program installs easily and allows users to practice, record, and modify twenty-second samples that can be uploaded to the server of the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE). Once a sample is on the server, anyone who has the software can access the sample and modify it.

FMOL comes with two different interfaces, each having different ways of reaching the same end. Bamboo is designed for the musician who wishes to have a great deal of control over the creation. It consists of a set of virtual strings and bridges to which the composer assigns instruments and effects. The bridges can be moved to further alter the resulting sound. Medusa is designed for the less advanced user who simply wants to experiment. With this interface, the composer simply creates a sample by moving the cursor across a wildly pulsating screen. Each interface has its own rules for completing the composition across the server. They also allow the composer to insert MIDI files and export the work to WAV format.

All in all, this is an intriguing project. I personally had more fun playing with the software than listening to the music. Regardless of personal tastes, FMOL is highly recommended for anyone interested in experimental music and collaborative online composition.

Reviewed by Eric Strother
Lexington, Kentucky, USA

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