Music and Sound
DMS Music and Sound
Explore sound as code, material and experience
Music and Sound research in the Department of Media Study at UB investigates how sound shapes perception, space and technology. From algorithmic composition to digital signal processing and interactive systems, this area examines how sound operates as both artistic medium and computational practice.
Sound connects deeply with film, interactive media, performance and installation. At UB, students treat sound not just as support for other media but as a powerful material in its own right.
Since the early days of computing, artists have used computers to generate new sonic forms, process audio and build real-time performance systems. Music and Sound research continues that legacy by combining creative experimentation with technical inquiry.
Students explore how sound behaves physically and psychologically, how it can be captured and manipulated and how it moves through physical and networked space. Historical and theoretical study provides the language to understand how sound interacts with traditional and emerging media.
Great for students interested in:
- Experimental music and sound art
- Electroacoustic composition
- Digital signal processing
- Creative coding and physical computing
- Interactive performance systems
- Installation and spatial audio
Research in Music and Sound asks questions such as:
- How can algorithms generate new forms of musical expression?
- How does sound shape perception, emotion and memory?
- What happens when performance becomes interactive and computational?
- How can sound be distributed through space in immersive ways?
- How does digital mediation change listening and embodiment?
These questions connect artistic practice with technical innovation.
Music and Sound research blends composition, coding and critical reflection. Faculty and students build interactive systems, develop generative audio tools and experiment with real-time processing.
Methods may include:
- Algorithmic composition
- Digital signal processing
- Physical computing and sensor-based systems
- Field recording and spatial audio design
- Performance and installation-based experimentation
Students often present work in performances, installations and interdisciplinary collaborations across Arts and Sciences.
Music and Sound research commonly explores:
- Electroacoustic music and composition
- Interactive performance systems
- Sound art and installation
- Algorithmic strategies and generative audio
- Digital signal processing
- Creative coding and physical computing
- Spatial sound and immersive environments
Together, these approaches position sound as both expressive medium and technological system.
Connects naturally to
Interactive media, film and video, performance art, computer science, creative coding, digital arts and virtual environments.
Students gain hands-on experience composing, coding and designing sound systems. They collaborate on performances, installations and research projects that combine art and computation.
These experiences build technical fluency, creative confidence and analytical skills that translate into careers in media arts, sound design, interactive systems, performance and advanced graduate study.