Chapter 2: 2.3.1.1 - 2.3.3 Jordan

Section 2.3.1.1 - Modeling Sound Waves in Max


I attempted to build the sine wave generator. It took a while , but I got pretty close. I wanted to keep moving through the text, so I didn't completely finish it. It is a fun program to play around with, but it is pretty confusing. The help sections in Max are very helpful and I figured out how to fix several of the bugs I had by using it. The directions in the supplement text could be a little clearer. I assume that you want the student to create the same system that is in figure 2.34 with only two sine waves instead of three, but I wasn't entirely sure. Overall, I thought it was a fun activity and I could definitely see myself spending a bunch of time messing around with Max.

Section 2.3.1.2 - Modeling Sound Waves in Pure Data

PD seems like a decent alternative to Max, but if it is free I would expect a lot of people to use it. I think that a little bit of an intro to it, somewhat similar to what the text has for Max in 2.3.1.1, would be a good addition to the text. On the other hand, if the two programs are close enough to each other, I'm sure it isn't a big deal.

Section 2.3.2.1 - Modeling Sound Waves in MATLAB

Equation 2.10 and 2.11 are not formatted correctly and need fixed. Semicolons are needed for plotting commands on pages 45 and 46. This section did a good job explaining how to work with sound functions in MATLAB, and anyone that is decent at math should be able to figure out the formula for the triangle wave.

Section 2.3.2.2 - Modeling Sound Waves in Octave

I have the same comments as for section 2.3.1.2.

Section 2.3.3 - Experimenting with Sound Waves in C++ Programs Under Linux

In the second supplement, Creating Square, Triangle, and Sawtooth Waves, there is a formatting issue in the formula for the fundamental frequency. I haven't been able to do the supplements yet because of an issue with the audio device on the Ubuntu platform that doesn't allow the program to run correctly, but I fear that students in a 191 class may have a lot of trouble completing this assignment. It is fairly confusing code, and trying to work off of the algorithm given in the text would be hard for beginner CS students. I think more directions in the second supplement would be a good idea.

Conclusion for Chapter 2

The first part of this chapter had a lot of good information, and I thought it was well designed, for the most part. The second portion, that got into programming assignments, could have easily been placed entirely in supplements I think. There is no way that music majors will enjoy doing these supplements, and I think it would be ridiculous to expect them to. I'm not sure if that is what is planned or not, but I can't see many music majors sticking with the class if the have to do these assignments as well. The Max supplement was fairly challenging, but I think most people should be able to get it after some trial and error. The MATLAB supplement was well-made and not challenging. The C++ supplement does seem like it will be over the heads of some of the students. There should definitely be some sort of pre-req for CS majors. A student that has taken a 111 class is NOT going to understand that assignment and will not be able to complete it.