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In the early 1980s, a programming team in Germany created a music sequencer software called Creator/Notator for the Atari ST platform. This software was later upgraded and rebranded as Notator Logic, becoming one of the most popular music production tools of its time due to its innovative features and user-friendly interface.

In 1993, Emagic, a company founded by former C-Lab employees, acquired the rights to Notator Logic and continued to develop and improve the software. Emagic made significant advancements to the program, adding new features such as software synthesizers, audio recording capabilities, and enhanced MIDI functionality.

In 2002, Apple Inc. acquired Emagic and the rights to Logic Pro, further boosting its popularity and integration with Apple's ecosystem. Apple continued to enhance Logic Pro by introducing new virtual instruments, effects plugins, and a redesigned user interface.

Since then, Logic Pro has undergone numerous updates and revisions, incorporating cutting-edge technology and features to meet the evolving needs of music producers and audio engineers. It remains a go-to choice for professionals in the music industry, offering a comprehensive set of tools for recording, editing, mixing, and mastering music.

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Article Response: https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/is-the-sphere-the-future-of-live-music/

The first documented use of surround sound was in 1940, for the Disney animation “Fantasia.” Walt Disney took inspiration from the piece “Flight of the Bumblebee”, and featured sound “flying in all parts of the theatre.” However, true surround sound didn't come to the home setting until 1982 with the introduction of Dolby Surround Technology. This is when surround sound really took off and became more mainstream within homes and theaters.

The construction of the sphere in 2023 however, really revolutionized the way people listened to music. The sphere is an entertainment/music venue located in Las Vegas, which features 18,600 seats and immersive video and audio capabilities. In addition, there is a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen, speakers with beam forming and wave field synthesis technologies, and 4D physical effects. The venue's exterior also features 580,000 sq ft (54,000 m2) of LED displays. This certainly changes the way people experiences music as it engages all of their senses and makes a show immersive and interactive.

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Produced by singer-songwriter Claire Cottril, otherwise known as “Clairo”, the song "Alewife" strays from her typical indie/bedroom-pop style. This song is a methodically paced ballad (103 BPM) with ringing piano and strummed acoustic guitar. While writing her LP “Immunity” at Truth Studios in Los Angeles, Clairo was inspired to make this song about her experiences with depression and how her best friend, Alexa, saved her from attempting suicide when she hit a low point in 8th grade. While coming up with some chord progressions on the guitar, Clairo realized she had to dedicate this song to Alexa and share how grateful she was to be alive today. Alewife, for which the song is named, is the train station Clairo frequented as a teenager when she was first starting to gain connections to the music industry.

At first, Clairo wrote the song using electric guitar, but when co-producing with ​​Rostam Batmanglij, she changed it to acoustic to give the piece a more “Elliot Smith” feel. The recurring guitar/piano chords consist of Eb, Gm7, Bb, Cm, and Ab in that order, and a fuzzed distortion effect is added over the guitar to give the song some harshness after the third verse. Clairo explains that this contrast between harshness and softness is what emphasizes the emotions tied to the song. Another primary instrument used in the recording of this song was the piano. Layered over the guitar’s steady strumming pattern, the piano was necessary to “activate the chords”. For the recurring drum beats - consisting of high hats and toms - all the individual samples were recorded with a tape machine. In the background, you can hear an Eb note consistently playing throughout; and this adds some ambience and warmth. The bass is another instrument used to tie everything together and add depth. Additionally, Clairo used revervb and double tracking on the vocals from her original demo to achieve a richer sound. All of this combined made for a simple, yet emotional track.

In doing my research, I was only able to find a piano score for this song on sheetmusicplus.com, so I mainly focused on listening to the original track a few times to get a feel for the production. In the score, both treble and bass clef were used. The time signature was 4/4 (simple quadruple or common time), and the diatonic collection used was Eb major (consisting of Bb, Eb, and Ab in the key signature).

Clairo’s vocals are highlighted and carry more of the melody compared to the instrumentals. One interesting part that stood out to me was from 1:47-1:51 when the drums cut out for a few seconds and during 2:10 when you can only hear the bass and drums. At 2:49, you can hear the outro with a repeating melody as well with more of a crunchy distorted sound coming from the bass. Overall, the instrumentation is pretty simple and repetitive, but I feel like it's fitting for this kind of song, especially with the personal meaning behind it. In terms of song structure, there are only 3 verses - no chorus, bridge, or outro, which makes it unique; but I feel like it’s enough to get Clairo’s message across to its listeners.

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Something that interests me about music technology is being able to experiment with different elements and effects to achieve a mode of sound that wasn’t possible before computers. Implementing this type of technology allows you to add a new layer of dynamics to music, resulting in more rich and complex sounds. In addition, the field of music technology is an ever-expanding field, so this is another reason why music tech has piqued my interest. Unlike traditional music degrees, having expertise with music technology gives you more versatility in terms of which career-path you can go into, whether it be for movie or game productions, or working with artists to create their own pieces. Something that I like about music tech is that you don’t have to rely on other musicians or artists to create. Although I appreciate collaborating and working with others, being able to create something from scratch is extremely valuable in the music world. Everything that is necessary to create music is right in front of you, without needing any additional instruments (although you can always choose to record your own as well). Overall, music technology is a field that allows people to create compex and nuanced pieces at the touch of a button.