00100									April 17,1974
00200	
00300	Dear Mr. Shackelford,
00400	
00500		It is possible that I could in some way participate in your International
00600	
00700	Seminar at the end of August.  You asked if MUSIC5 could be set up at Padua?
00800	
00900	This depends on a number of questions.  MUSIC5 requires a computer with at
01000	
01100	least a 24-bit word size and about 24000 words of memory.  The program is
01200	
01300	written entirely in FORTRAN IV.  MUSIC5 produces output on computer tape or
01400	
01500	disk drives in terms of 12-bit samples which must be converted to sound with a
01600	
01700	high speed digital-to-analog converter.  What kind of computer does the
01800	
01900	University of Padua have? (Please give me as much detail as possible.)
02000	
02100	Is there a digital-to-analog converter attached to the system?
02200	
02300		We use here a PDP10 computer (Digital Equipment Corp.).  We have a
02400	
02500	complete sound system (i.e. converter and necessary programs) that can be
02600	
02700	installed in minutes on a standard PDP10 system.  The method of attaching the
02800	
02900	converter, and especially making it work under a time-sharing system can be
03000	
03100	quite a problem with some other computers.
03200	
03300		I have been teaching the use of MUSIC5 and related programs over the
03400	
03500	past eight years.  (I've enclosed a notice of my class at Colgate for this
03600	
03700	coming summer.)  I have found it desireable that the students have either a
03800	
03900	a very good grasp of music theory or at least some acquaintance with computers.
04000	
04100	The question of how easy it is to grasp the principles of computer music depends
04200	
04300	greatly on the particular computer available to the students.  I have found
04400	
04500	that the students move quite rapidly on a true time-sharing system such as the
04600	
04700	PDP10 but things have always been rather difficult on the IBM360 system.
04800	
10000		In any case I might be able to give one or more talks at your seminar
10100	
10200	on computer sound systems, on editing and printing music by computer or on
10300	
10400	the more general topic of the assured eventual impact of computers on all
10500	
10600	aspects of the art of music.  What financial arrangements might there be?
10700	
10800	Since my stay in Europe (Aug. to Dec.) is not supported by any grant my budget 
10810	
10850	for travel away from my home base in Paris will probably be rather low.
11100	
11200		I hope we will be able to get together.
11300	
11400	
11500						Very sincerely,
11600	
11700	
11800	
11900						Leland Smith
12000						Professor of Music