The meaning in "the Mix": Using ethnography to inform the design of intelligent tools in the context of music production

Glenn McGarry, Alan Chamberlain, Andy Crabtree, Christopher Greehalgh

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference Proceeding (Non-Journal item)

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

In this paper we report on two ethnographic studies of professional music producers at work in their respective studio settings, to underpin the design of intelligent tools and platforms in this domain. The studies are part of a body of work that explores this complex and technically challenging domain and explicates the ways in which the actors involved address the tension between artistic and engineering practices. This report focusses on the flow of work in the creation of a song in a digital audio workstation (DAW), which often eschews the technical requirement to document the process to maintain a creative "vibe", and the troubles that occur in subsequent stages of the production process in which complex and often messy compositions of audio data are handed over. We conclude with implications for metadata used in the process, namely the labelling and organisation of audio, to drive tools that allow more control over the creative process by automating process tracking and documenting song data provenance.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 16th International Audio Mostly Conference, AM 2021
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages40-47
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9781450385695
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Sept 2021
Event16th International Audio Mostly Conference, AM 2021 - Virtual, Online, Italy
Duration: 01 Sept 202103 Sept 2021

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference16th International Audio Mostly Conference, AM 2021
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityVirtual, Online
Period01 Sept 202103 Sept 2021

Keywords

  • Design Ethnography
  • Metadata
  • Music production
  • Workflows

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