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C00002 00002	Confidential statement concerning: Steven Martin
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Confidential statement concerning: Steven Martin
From: John M. Chowning

Knowledge of the applicant:

I have known Steve since he first entered graduate school at Stanford
primarily through his work with me in computer applications in the
synthesis and composition of music.  As we have worked closely together
on various research projects, I can testify to the fact that he is
thouroughly reliable, stable, diligent, and imaginative.

Capability in research and composition:

Steve has an undergraduate degree in mathematics in addition to early
training as a musician.  The training in two disciplines has found a
natural outlet in his work with computers.  He has imaginatively applied
his scientific skills to musical problems in a number of areas having to
do with the synthesis and composition of music.  Steve has been involved
with the development of the special application of frequency to the
synthesis of complex audio spectra, a development which has a very great
impact on the use of computers in music.  He also did a major research
project with me on the general application of amplitude modulation to
the synthesis of complex tones.  In this project he showed great imagination
and resourcefulness.  He presented this as a paper to an Audio Engineering
Society convention in 1972.

As far as I know he has concentrated on computer composition in recent
years.  In this work he has shown an increasing sophistication which
is roughly parallel to the development of our general knowledge in the
areas of psychoacoustics and digital signal processing.  That is to say,
Steve has not only contributed to this development, but has used the
most recent insights to good effect in his compositional activity.
He posesses a very sensitive ear for tone-quality, which is most important
in electronic music synthesis.

Capability in teaching:

I have had little opportunity to observe Steve in a teaching situation, as
I have not been at Stanford during the past two years.  I would imagine that
he would be more than competent in theory and excellent in acoustics and
computer related studies.