Title Paveikslų degradacijos proceso naudojimas elektroninės muzikos kompozicijoje /
Translation of Title Usage of the image degradation process in electronic music composition.
Authors Čižauskis, Nikita
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Pages 40
Keywords [eng] degradation ; RGB ; pixel ; electronic music ; conversion
Abstract [eng] The master thesis explores intentional degradation of digital images and their transformation into musical works by converting pixel data into MIDI information. The process involves analyzing the images pixel-by-pixel, mapping RGB values to musical notes and creating separate MIDI tracks for each color channel (red, green, blue). The study investigates how image compression affects the structure of the music and the melodic information. The aim of the work is to develop a system to write a musical composition using the notes obtained after converting the degraded image pixels into MIDI information. The initial concept of the project - to write a musical composition based on the conversion of one numbering system to another - was inspired by the work of Domas Vaivada, a 2023 graduate student of KTU, titled "Application of the PI number in electronic music composition", which presents a system of conversion of the decimal numbering system to the duodecimal numbering system, and the use of the PI number for the application of PI numbering to the electronic music composition. In order to extend the capabilities of the proposed system, a new system using pixel RGB values converted to a MIDI 128-note range was developed in this work. The conversion process involved masking the most significant bit of each RGB channel, matching with a 7-bit MIDI system, and creating separate MIDI tracks for red, green, blue and a combination of all three colors. One of the problems the project addresses is that a generated set of sheet music is not yet a piece of music, so a system has been developed to solve this problem. Each RGB channel is associated with specific roles: the red one with the rendering of natural sounds, the green and blue ones with the creation of a sense of rhythm, and the combined one with the reproduction of the bass line. To highlight the subtext of the piece, the music uses a combination of natural and synthetic sounds, starting with harmonious natural elements such as birdsong and ocean waves. Over time, these are replaced by mechanical sounds such as the clacking of keyboards and the ticking of clocks, conceptually reinforcing the symbolic intrusion of technology. The progression of the work reflects the stages of development and decline of society. Starting with a soundscape of nature, the musical composition develops the idea through eight stages of civilization: the emergence of a new civilization, stability, early growth, prosperity, transcendence, hubris, totalitarianism and collapse. To consolidate the organic structure and natural cycles, the Fibonacci sequence was integrated into the MIDI note layout of the theme. Effects such as distortion and reverberation add to the sense of bass line intensity. The cycle of musical pieces generated from different stages of degradation reflects how the interaction between technology, art and nature can lead to introspection about humanity's degradation trajectory towards chaos, away from our organic connection to the environmental order.
Dissertation Institution Kauno technologijos universitetas.
Type Master thesis
Language Lithuanian
Publication date 2025