diff --git a/_posts_draft/2024-05-14-fabianst-understanding-software.md b/_posts_draft/2024-05-14-fabianst-understanding-software.md deleted file mode 100644 index 3966cea70..000000000 --- a/_posts_draft/2024-05-14-fabianst-understanding-software.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,40 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: post -title: "Understanding Music Software" -date: 2024-05-15 12:00:00 +0200 -categories: masters-thesis -author: Fabian Stordalen -image: /assets/image/2024_05_14_jackeh_Strung_Along_thumbnail.jpg -keywords: master thesis, software, affordances, machine learning, DAWs -excerpt: "How Metaphors Shape Interfaces." ---- - -# Introduction -My thesis examines how music software is designed specifically focusing on interfaces and affordances. It proposes three different theoretical perspectives on music software design drawn from various sources which can be used as analytical tools to better understand music software. Central to all these perspectives is the role of metaphors and how metaphors are used in shaping software. This study demonstrates how these theoretical perspectives are interconnected and influence each other. It also looks forward to how AI has the potential to influence these different perspectives in various ways by creating the possibility of new metaphors. - -# Design of Music Software -Software plays a vital role in contemporary society. Software is often described as an interface to the world. So, if software acts as an interface to the world, what implications does this have for music? - -What makes music production software an interesting object of study is the inherent tension which arises from the need for this software not only to be functional, meaning it is designed with certain functions meant to serve concrete goals. An example would be recording, every DAW is expected to be able to record and manipulate recorded audio to a certain degree depending on the needs of the user. The tension arises due to the expectation of DAWs being software also created to facilitate creativity. The same tension is also present in plug-ins which seek to fulfil a certain function which cannot be accomplished or cannot be accomplished to the same degree by the DAW while also being tools for the creative exploration of sound. How can music production promote creativity with its design without sacrificing core functionalities? - -# Three Perspectives on Music Software -In my thesis I developed three different perspectives on music software design to be used as analytical tools for analysis. These three perspectives were broad categories - -## Remediative Software -The first design perspective is music software as a tool of remediation which seeks to remediate older artefacts and techniques through its design to ultimately replace it. Remediative music software is especially popular in the realm of digital plug-ins where emulations of analogue hardware can be obtained for significantly lower prices than their analogue counterparts. I argue that the appeal of remediative software goes beyond the functionality of said software. This software is often inscribed with history and in some cases ideology as well. As I point out in my analysis of Waves Audio’s EQP-1A the interface itself is presented as a historical artefact to be revered for its unique sound exemplified through the grime, wear, and tear of the interface. - -
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- -## Software and Metaphors -The second per -## Software and Ideology - -# Conclusions - - - - -