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Apps • Sal Sofia

iA Trapped

Description of iA Trapped, an Interactive Analysis of Trapped.

The App, iA Trapped, stands for interactive Analysis of Richard Boulanger's Trapped In Convert and is entitled Analysis and Ideologies of Richard Boulanger's Trapped In Convert by Sal Sofia.It is the most complete analysis available for Trapped to date, imparting an understanding of computer music through basic logic driven, step by step, insightful explanations written in Sal Sofia's personalized informative style.

Trapped In Convert by Richard Boulanger is one of the first classic computer music compositions written that grabs the imagination and speaks volumes to the listener through its colorful, dynamic, simple and complex soundscapes. For over 30 years Trapped has been played, studied and exemplified as the quintessential music synthesis composition known for the longevity and timelessness of Boulanger's orchestra, score and instrument opcodes (having first used Barry Vercoe's music11 in 1979 and then later in 1986, his Csound signal processing programs).

The App contains an interactive and detailed discussion complete with sound and navigational tools that facilitate comprehension through ear training, listening analysis and in-depth development of compositional skills used in computer music writing. It is interactive in that it allows the user the opportunity to hear what Sofia states about that particular section of the composition.


Interactive features include (among others):

• on the Macro level, the entire individual soundscape can be heard;
• on the Micro level the soundscape is defined, that is the individual sound objects that make up the soundscape is heard;
• on the reduction level each note that creates the sound object is heard.
And, all are viewed in their exact place in the timeline of the composition.



Additional features include:

• the techniques used to create the instrument opcodes,
• the particular instrument parameters, complete with macro and micro graphs and charts detailing their sound and purpose, individually and their contribution to the whole,
• their "layering" to create textures, depth and color, as well as,
• the thematic structure that occurs throughout the composition.
All written and illustrated in Sal Sofia's distinct informal didactic style.



Click here for the Preliminary information on how to Navigate with the "iA Trapped" analysis.