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Play with Sound Book Cover

Play with Sound

Manual for Electronic Musicians and Other Sound Explorers offers a thorough introduction to music technology by centering on curiosity and creativity in the exploration of the fundamentals of sound.

This book covers topics regarding audio software, acoustical principles, electroacoustic systems, audio processing, sound synthesis, and communication protocols.

Here you will find additional FREE digital resources. You can find the book in every store, online and offline.

Book Preview
Foreword

Foreword p. 4

This section outlines representative ways electronic musicians use technologies to record, process, and generate music. We discuss basic concepts such as sound synthesis and sound processing, both in real-time and non-real time.

• Music + Computer, Introduction
PDF
• Music Analysis
PDF

Acoustics & Psychoacoustics p. 18

In these chapters, we give an overview of the physics of sound with all its characteristics. We clarify the concepts of Frequency, Amplitude, and Phase of a wave and then discuss timbre.

• Sound 1 – Wave and Period
PDF Interactive Sound Wave Interactive Wavelength
• Sound 2 – Frequency
PDF Interactive Sound Wave Interactive Pitch
• Sound 3 – Amplitude
PDF Interactive Sound Wave Interactive Fletcher-Munson
• Sound 4 – Phase
PDF Interactive Sound Wave Interactive PHASE Interactive BEATS
• Sound 5 – Timbre
PDF Interactive SPECTRUM Interactive ADSR
Sounds Examples
ZIP ZIP
Interactive EAR TRAINING

Electroacoustic Systems p. 45

This section provides an overview of electroacoustic systems, including signal flow and all associated devices such as microphones, mixers, pickups, speakers, and cables.

• Electroacoustic Systems – Analog
PDF
• Microphones and Pickup
PDF Interactive Polar Pattern
• Electroacoustic Systems – Digital
PDF Interactive MP3
• Sampling and Quantization
PDF Interactive Sampling Interactive Quantization
Protocols

Communication Protocols p. 92

We address the main communication protocols that drive electronic instruments or effects: MIDI and OSC.

• MIDI and OSC
PDF

Sound Processing p. 103

In this section, we discuss sound processing algorithms and techniques: filters, delay, dynamic processors, distortion, reverb, and spatialization.

• Filters
PDF Interactive Filters
• Delay
PDF Interactive Delay
• Dynamic Processors
PDF Interactive Gate
• Distortion
PDF Interactive Distortion Interactive Waveshaping
• Reverb
PDF
• Spatialization
PDF
Interactive EAR TRAINING

Sound Synthesis p. 163

We illustrate techniques and algorithms of various sound synthesis methods: additive, subtractive, modulation, phase distortion, waveshaping, wavetable, physical modeling, granular, and sample synthesis.

• Sound Synthesis
PDF Interactive ADSR Interactive LFO Interactive SUBTRACTIVE SYNTHESIS Interactive RM-AM Interactive FM Interactive WAVESHAPING Interactive PHASE DISTORTION Interactive KARPLUS-STRONG Interactive Theremin
Interactive EAR TRAINING

Creative Etudes

The book contains 79 creative exercises designed to help you explore electronic music concepts through hands-on practice. Each exercise is connected to specific topics covered in the chapters and encourages experimentation and creativity.

Use the random exercise generator to discover new challenges, filter by topic, and get inspired with creative themes!

Try Exercises
SURPRISE ME!
synthesis recording MIDI filter

✦ BONUS CONTENT ✦

Additional teaching materials by the author, complementing the book

Composition

Composition / Production

Several electroacoustic composition techniques are described in this section. (Note: This material is in Italian only)

• Composizione Elettroacustica
PDF
• Sequenza Mixata e Mashup
PDF
• Composizione Algoritmica
PDF
• Paesaggio Sonoro
PDF
Video

Video and Multimedia

In this section we look at the main approaches of how sound and video are merged together in multimedia design. (Note: Italian only)

• Audiovision / Audiovisione
PDF

Software

Audacity

Record and edit audio. FREE and open source. Tutorial

REAPER

DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). FREE to evaluate. Tutorial Plugin

Pure Data

Visual programming language. FREE and open source. Tutorial

Max

Visual object programming by Cycling 74.

Spear

Analysis/resynthesis audio processor. FREE. Tutorial

Musescore

Music notation software. FREE.

PLUGIN

Reaper plugins

EFFECTS

  • Bit Crushing
  • Resampler Distortion
  • Ping Pong delay

INSTRUMENTS

  • Drums
  • Additive synth
  • Subtractive synth
  • FM synth
  • Granular synth
DOWNLOAD REAPER PLUGINS

*The authors have no relationship with the companies that own these programs.

Bibliography

Pierre Schaeffer – Treatise on Musical Objects (1966) – University of California Press, 2017
R. Murray Schäfer – The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment – Inner Traditions, 1993
Curtis Roads – The Computer Music Tutorial – MIT Press, 1995
Alex Ross – The Rest Is Noise – Picador, 2008
Andrea Cremaschi, Francesco Giomi – Rumore bianco – Zanichelli, 2008
Iannis Xenakis – Music and Architecture – Pendragon Press, 2008
Enrico Cosimi – Manuale di musica elettronica – Tecniche Nuove, 2011
Leonello Tarabella – Musica Informatica – Maggioli, 2014
Dennis DeSantis – Making Music – Ableton AG, 2015
Alessandro Cipriani, Maurizio Giri – Electronic Music and Sound Design Vol.1 & 2 – ConTempoNet, 2019-2020
Mark Fell – Structure and Synthesis – Urbanomic, 2021
Tommaso Rosati – Suono Elettronico – Volontè&Co. 2023

Interactive Graphics

FAQ

Where can I find the book?

Play with Sound is available at all major bookshops and online retailers. Here are the details for the print edition:

Title: Play with Sound — Manual for Electronic Musicians and Other Sound Explorers
Authors: Tommaso Rosati, Timothy Hsu
Publisher: Routledge – Focal Press
ISBN: 9781032796826
208 pages, 283 color illustrations
Is there a digital version of the book?

Yes! Here are the details for the e-book edition:

Title: Play with Sound — Manual for Electronic Musicians and Other Sound Explorers
Authors: Tommaso Rosati, Timothy Hsu
Publisher: Routledge – Focal Press
ISBN: 9781003493372
208 pages, 283 color illustrations
What are the interactive graphics?

Imagine hearing a filter sweep while you drag the cutoff, or watching the frequency spectrum shift in real time as you add harmonics. The interactive graphics are exactly that: audiovisual tools that make sound synthesis and music technology tangible.

Move a parameter, hear the result instantly. Processes like LFO, ADSR, delay, distortion, and modulation stop being abstract theory and become direct experience.

For students, it's the difference between understanding and really getting it. For teachers, a way to make a lesson stick.

Why (and when) use the interactive graphics?

Ever tried explaining what a filter does and found that words just weren't cutting it?

Many electronic music concepts are dynamic — they happen over time, they're meant to be heard, and no static diagram really captures them. The interactive graphics connect sight, sound, and interaction — cutting through cognitive overload and making every concept click faster.

Use them whenever a sound concept is easier to grasp if you can hear and shape it live: sound synthesis, modulation, audio effects, sound design, music technology.

TommasoRosati