MUSICAL ART IN THE ONLINE ENVIRONMENT.

THE MUSICAL SOUND

AND ITS AUDITORY PERCEPTION IN ONLINE SYSTEMS

By Professor Habil Felician Rosca, PhD, Cristina Deiana Struța, Doctoral student, Alexandru
Simion

Abstract

Once we have switched to music specialty courses in tertiary education in the online environment the
digital means such as Google Meet or Google Classroom have become one of the major problems we
have had to face.
While for the theoretical courses the “spoken/oral” presentation is reasonable, when it comes to the
rendering of the musical sound the online environment creates huge problems. The study analyses this
phenomenon, trying to offer solutions, but it also underlines the limits of the systems previously
mentioned by means of a comparison between the different sound transmission systems, from the live
streaming system to the recorded one.
We are trying to offer alternative solutions with the means we have at our disposal at present and with
what we ourselves have created. Thus, by means of analysing an organ course, where we have a notable
amplitude of sound, acoustic data, sound limitations, echo and other musical interpretation points of
reference such as rhythm, articulation, expressive variations, sound coloration of different registers, etc,
we are attempting a quantification of each dimension mentioned above.
By means of the sonorous examples produced and compared in different situations our study offers a
consistent practical insight that has been piloted during the organ course and throughout discussions with
our students. The reactions of the students who communicate with their teacher, as well as the limitations
during the dialogue and the positive or negative consequences in our attempt to deliver a valid,
professional course are also analysed.
The conclusions of the study underline the limitations of the system, they suggest ways to improve the
system and they indicate the practical consequences of musical education in the online environment.

1. From classical music courses to online courses

One of the major problems posed by the quarantine due to the pandemic generated by the Covid
19 virus was isolation and self-isolation. Particularly in the case of an instrument teacher who
needs to work very close to the student when presenting examples of how the instrument is to be
used, the chances of getting infected with the virus are much higher, the danger is considerable,
which might lead to self-isolation or in unfortunate situations, contracting the disease itself.
Despite all the distancing regulations, mask use, usage of disinfectants, the danger is real, which
lead to the interruption of face to face courses and the cessation of the educational process with
all its negative consequences for students.
The teacher was confronted with an exceptional situations in which the isolation rules have
become the main concern and the educational process became secondary in this context.
Particularly in music education, irrespective of the level we address from pre-school to doctoral
studies, the entire educational process was fragmented for real and objective reasons.
The first attempts have started with the use of the audio function of the phone and of a headset,
but the system has become so expensive that it was soon abandoned. Then other types of
audition were tested using telephone networks such as WhatsApp or other audio systems that
were cheaper. Starting with the telephone networks that were much cheaper we also tested the
Skype audio function, only to move on to the video Skype function and then to YouTube
recordings.
At last, at an institutional level the Zoom, Google Meet and Google Classroom online dialogue
systems were activated.
1.1. Limitations in perceiving the sonority
The first major deficiencies noticed pertain to:
a. Sound distortion
b. Major differences between the synchronisation of sound production movement and its
perception. In other words, a lack of synch between movement and sound heard.
c. The impossibility of tracing the overtones from forte to piano
d. The impossibility of correctly tracing the phrasing (due to the lack of synch during
transmission)
e. The impossibility of tracing articulation

The impossibility
The impossibility The impossibility
of tracing the
of tracing of correctly tracing
overtones from
articulation the phrasing
forte to piano

Major differences
between the
Sound distortion
synchronisation of
sound
During the organ courses all these elements were amplified also due to the sound characteristics
of the instrument, by means of its amplitude and the multitude of sonorities created by the typical
registers of the organ.
Unfortunately the transmission and the reciprocal perception have sometimes become impossible
also due to the transmission distortion by means of precarious digital systems and the poor
internet signal flux. In the end, after more than two weeks of experimenting in this way, the
system was abandoned and we had to find sustainable alternative solutions that could help us at
least to hear each other and communicate as effectively and professionally as possible.
1.2. Solutions to sound improvement
The first stage referred to changes in interpretation, defining an audible sonority, the
augmentation of exemplification and finding the means discovered together with the students so
that the student understands what is expected of him/her and to be able to follow the instructions.
This is where the odyssey among sound, student and teacher begin. We had to discover those
simple, practical elements to help us both, teachers and student-performers. We had to come to
understand that only by systemic unprecedented collaboration can we overcome the limitations
and the flaws in perceiving the music sound. These elements pertain to music interpretation
correlated with the existing digital means that are frequently used in sound transmission.
On the Google Meet or Google Classroom platforms the elements that we used from the point of
view of music pedagogy were:

reduced number
of registers

rhythmic formulas
reverberation
by repeating

performing
rarer tempos
receivers
 a. Using a reduced number of registers that are well-perceived
b. Giving up on the use of strong registers that create eco and reverberation
c. The use of some performing receivers (smart phones in general) that do not distort the
sound
d. In the working phase the use of rarer tempos
e. Highlighting the difficult rhythmic formulas by repeating them until the moment the
teacher considers it has been executed correctly
From a pedagogical point of view teachers had to be more patient and tenacious, extremely
attentive and also to understand that it was not always the student’s fault.
I think that in this context the digital elements were not in any way, a special, out of the ordinary
concern, instead we used simple well-known elements of the Zoom transmission.
But, as open-minded people we tried to “discover” what was out there that we had not used
digitally in sound transmission before.

2. A possible solution. Helpful elements in digital sound transmission

The first element was the one that helped us the most: the transmission of sonority from digital
instruments in the system in which the digital organ was “directly” linked to the transmission
system. The consequences were fantastic. The distortion produced by the microphone and the
eco of the sound space largely disappeared.
2.1. The elements we used were:

Direct cable connection was used for sound transmission in the sound system, where the organ
was directly connected to the sound board without using an intermediary microphone. Using
some performing connectivity systems worked well. The second element was using a high-
quality sound board in correlation with a very good 4G internet connection.

3. Case study for a digital instrument:

Equipment:
- 1 Macintosh Mac Pro station 3.0 GHz 8-core, 32 GB Ram, 256 GB HDD
- External sound board Focusrite Saffire Pro 10 I/O (FireWire connection)
- Video board with 2 DVI-D ports for the 2 monitors accompanying the organ
- 6 dedicated speakers + 1 Subwoofer
- 1 reverb generator
- Wiring system (Jack – XLR sound cables, monitor cables, MIDI cables
 Image 1. 1 Macintosh Mac Pro station 3.0 GHz 8-core, 32 GB Ram, 256 GB HDD

The equipment dedicated for organ we use is made up of one console with 3 manuals and
one pedal that are being cascaded (the pedal is connected to the first manual which then is
connected to the second manual, which in its turn is connected to the third), the last link being
connected through the professional external sound board (Focusrite Saffire) to the Mac Pro
computer. Due to the sound board that has a particular number of ports the sound produced by
the organ can be redistributed in many variants towards different destinations such as: towards a
sound mixer, towards professional speakers, towards a head set or towards a recording system.

Image 2. Audio, video connection cable

In the context of challenges generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, this system can be used
extremely well for live transmission on different platforms such a YouTube, RTMP server as
well as other solutions for distance learning such as Zoom, Google Meet, etc. By means of a
special cable the connection between the sound board and the tablet/phone/laptop can be easily
made, which transmits the sound further via the internet. From a technical point of view the
sound fidelity is superior to other solutions in which the phone records the signal by means of its
own microphone and this signal is influenced by distance from the speakers/instrument, signal
compression, way of reception, or the quality of the mobile network.
There is however a very important variable in this equation namely the quality of the
phone/tablet/laptop internet connection. This is where we might be faced with a limitation which
will certainly influence the sound quality as in order to benefit from the best sound quality we
need a very good internet connection, preferably Wi-Fi or a very good 4G/LTE signal.
3.1. In order to obtain approximately the same results when using a classical organ we
need the following :
- 2-4 (or more) microphones depending on the number of tubes
- 1 sound mixer
- 1 laptop / phone / tablet
In all this equation a very important role is played by the wiring system, thus it is preferable
that it is purchased already configured, for example the microphone cables for the arrangement
necessary for a classical organ or the soundboard cables and further the ones for the laptop/phone
in the case of the digital organ.
Conclusion: Special situations require special solutions. Even if for years on end we did not
find the electronic organ, later on the digital organ and finally the Hauptwerk satisfactory, the
moment has come for these instruments, with their performances that are quite remarkable at
present, to give us viable solutions in solving a problem that might seem insurmountable.
Certainly, purchasing such equipment implies high costs, but we believe that the final
solution, which is a qualitative one, can become convincing in implementing a system that is
based on its use. However, as a professional in this field I think that the natural sound will be
impossible to equal by digital sound systems and the worst problem is that concerning sound
fidelity that the speakers cannot offer a satisfying solution to.