00100	Abstract:        TOWARD A MUSIC DEPARTMENT COMPUTER CENTER
00110		
00120			 Leland Smith, Professor of Music
00130	
00140		In the last decade use has been made of digital computers  in
00145	
00150	many  aspects  of  music.   While the more scientific applications of
00155	
00160	computer technology to the  fields  of  acoustical  study  and  sound
00165	
00170	generation  and  perception  have  become  fairly well known there is
00175	
00180	likewise a great potential for the use of the computer in many  areas
00185	
00190	of  music  education  and scholarship.  With the advent of relatively
00195	
00200	inexpensive mini-computer systems which today  can  do  most  of  the
00205	
00210	tasks  formerly  given  to  large-scale multi-million dollar computer
00215	
00220	centers it has become  economically  feasible  for  university  music
00225	
00230	departments to have their own, dedicated computer facilities.
00235	
00240		Stanford is in a unique position to assume leadership in such
00245	
00250	endeavors thanks to the great amount of technical know-how present on
00255	
00260	campus as well  as  the  considerable  success  already  achieved  by
00265	
00270	members of the Department of Music in computer oriented research.  In
00275	
00280	order to make the fruits of this labor readily available to the  main
00285	
00290	body  of  music students and faculty at Stanford it will be necessary
00295	
00300	to develop a separate center, based upon  an  expanded  mini-computer
00305	
00310	system,  which  will  eventually  be  able  to  service  a  number of
00315	
00320	terminals to  be  used  for  computer  assisted  instruction  in  ear
00325	
00330	training  and music theory as well as work in musical composition and
00335	
00340	other musical fields.  It is safe to  predict  that  virtually  every
00345	
00350	student  in  progressive  university  music departments of the future
00355	
00360	will become involved with computers in the educational process.
00365	
00370		This  proposal is for support to make a detailed appraisal of
00375	
00380	the  equipment  and  funding  needs  for  the  esptablishment  of   a
00385	
00390	Department of Music computer center at Stanford.
     

00200	Proposal  for  a  Preliminary  Survey  for  the  Establishment  of  a
00300	         Department of Music Computer Center at Stanford
00400	
00450			Leland Smith, Professor of Music
00475	
00500	
00600		Over the past few years members of the  Department  of  Music
00700	
00800	have  been engaged in several projects involving the use of computers
00900	
01000	in sound synthesis, machine assisted instruction,  musical  graphics,
01100	
01200	musical  analysis  and  the  special  problems  of  music cataloguing
01300	
01400	procedures.  Some of this work has been supported by small grants but
01500	
01600	the  greater  part of the work by far has been done with no financial
01700	
01800	backing, the researchers being unbudgeted "guests"  of  the  Stanford
01900	
02000	Artificial  Intelligence Project.  The research done under this loose
02100	
02200	arrangement has exceeded in quantity, quality and  invention  similar 
02300	
02400	work done in most of these fields at any other location.
02500	
02600		While  the  pioneering  days in this field are far from over,
02700	
02800	there are at this time a number of fully tested programs  running  on
02900	
03000	the PDP-10 of the Artificial Intelligence Project which could be used
03100	
03200	by a large portion of the Department of Music's students and faculty.
03300	
03400	Since it is not the role of the Artificial  Intelligence  Project  to
03500	
03600	service  general  computing  needs  of  the university and the campus
03700	
03800	computation center is ill-equipped for most types of computing in the
03900	
04000	musical  field,  it  would  seem that the time is ripe to establish a
04100	
04200	complete, separate  computer   center,   based   upon   an   extended
04300	
04400	mini-computer system, for the Department of Music.
04500	
04600		It is the purpose of this proposal to obtain the funds needed
04700	
04800	to make a realistic assessment of the minimum  requirements  for  the
04900	
05000	development  of  such a center as well as to engage a small number of
05100	
05200	researchers whose task it  would  be  to  run tests  of  our  current
05300	
05400	software under conditions  simulating  a smaller computer system.  It
05500	
05600	would also be advantageous to support some work on the development of
05700	
05800	special  hardware that will be able to speed the computation of sound
05900	
06000	samples on any system.
06100	
06200		The  primary  role  of  the  principal researcher would be to
06300	
06400	produce a document that would be  the  main  body  of  a  large-scale
06500	
06600	proposal  for  the  Department of Music computer center.  It is hoped
06700	
06800	that this larger proposal will be able to cover the  initial  two  to
06900	
07000	five  years  of  activity of such a center.  The funds needed at this
07100	
07200	moment are for full support for the summer quarter of 1974.  Work  on
07300	
07400	this  project will be done without support, except for travel monies,
07500	
07600	up to the end of the 1974 Spring quarter.
07700	
07800		It is essential that funds be available  for  three  or  four 
07900	
08000	trips to  research  centers where pertinent work is proceeding.  (E.g.
08100	
08200	Carnegie-Mellon  University  is  one  of  the  main  centers for work 
08300	
08400	utilising mini-computers.  Close contact with their progress would be 
08500	
08600	very  helpful.)   Additionally, at least  one  full-time  salary  for 
08700	
08800	two quarters' technical and engineering  help  should  be  available.
08900	
09000	This  could  be  set  up  as  a  fund for consulting fees for several
09100	
09200	individuals  or  as  a group of specific part-time positions.   Since
09300	
09400	it  is  somewhat  difficult to predict the particular areas where the
09500	
09600	technical  help  may be needed the the consulting fund is perhaps the
09700	
09800	best arrangement.
09900	
10000		Investigation into equipment  needs  has  centered  thus  far
10100	
10200	on  the  D.E.C.  PDP-11-45  computer.   This  particular  machine has
10300	
10400	developed a good reputation for reliability and its  adaptability  to
10500	
10600	musical tasks seems to be excellent.  Another, very compelling reason
10700	
10800	for centering attention on this machine is that there are many people
10900	
11000	on  campus  with  considerable  experience  in  dealing  with  D.E.C.
11100	
11200	equipment.  The choice of peripheral equipment, disk units,  graphics
11300	
11400	displays,  etc.  will  present  greater  problems since there is very
11500	
11600	rapid change in this highly competitive area.
11700	
11800		A  rough  estimate,  at  this  time, of the hardware costs is
11900	
12000	about $100,000 for the first year and $10,000  to  $50,000  for  each
12100	
12200	succeeding  year  of  the  first  five  years.  These costs after the
12300	
12400	establishment of the basic system would go  for  the  development  of
12500	
12600	special sound generating hardware, devices to extend the scope of the
12700	
12800	computerized instruction system and to  improve  the  music  graphics
12900	
13000	system.
13100	
13200	
13300	
13400		In  view  of  the  great  number  of  useful  tasks which the
13500	
13600	computer can perform in the field of music it is inevitable that  its
13700	
13800	use   will   become   widespread   in  this  area.   With  Stanford's
13900	
14000	acknowledged leadership in computer research and  the  past  progress
14100	
14200	made  here  in  musical  applications  it  seems only natural that we
14300	
14400	should lead the way in the development of computer centers  that  can
14500	
14600	fit  the  academic  needs  and budgetary limitations of college music
14700	
14800	departments.   The  funding of this survey would be a necessary first
14900	
15000	step  toward  the  creation  of  this  unique  center  whose value to
15100	
15200	scholarly, pedagogical and creative aspects of music will  surely  be
15300	
15400	greater than we can presently imagine.
     

00100	
00200		BUDGET
00300	
00400		Principal researcher: Leland Smith
00500		full time, Summer quarter(1/5 of 18,800). . . . . . . . . . .$3,760.
00600	
00700		Research assistant(s):
00800		equal to one full time position for 6 months . . . . . . . . $6,000.
00900									    _______
01000									     $9,760.
01100							  Benefits (17%)     $1,659.20
01200	
01300		Special purpose hardware (as needed) . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,000.
01400	
01500		Travel (3 trips to east coast and points between). . . . . . $1,500.
01600									     ______
01700								     Total  $14,919.20