Electroacoustic Fais Do Do

The Experimental Music & Digital Media (EMDM) program at Louisiana State University in coordination with the LSU School of Music and the Center for Computation & Technology is pleased to present the Electroacoustic Fais Do Do April 5 & 6, 2024 as part of the SEAMUS 2024 National Conference. The EAFDD will be held at the LSU Digital Media Center (DMC), with all concerts held in the DMC Theatre.

In Cajun culture, a fais do do (pronounced “fay dough dough”) is a casual gathering of musicians and dancers, usually on a Sunday afternoon, drifting into the wee hours of the evening. It would be a place for the whole community to share some joy, camaraderie, food, and drink. The Electroacoustic Fais Do Do will be a relaxed weekend retreat for composers, performers, and researchers to gather, listen to each other’s works, and exchange ideas at the forefront of electroacoustic music research and creativity.

Fais Do Do Program

Our full program of events is available at seamus2024lsu.sched.com

Printed Program:  Concert Program     |  Program Notes:  Cinema for the Ears   |   NIMEs  |  Instrument and Electronics

Concerts

The conference will present three (3) concerts focused on one of the three conference topics, each an area of research central to our current work at LSU:

  • Cinema for the Ears (High Density Loudspeaker Array presentation of multi-channel fixed media)
  • New Interfaces for Musical Expression
  • Music for Instruments and Electronics

Concerts will be held Friday evening April 5, Saturday afternoon and evening April 6. Before each concert, composers will participate in a pre-concert roundtable to discuss their piece, as well as a post-concert Q&A session.

Sound System

The Digital Media Center Theatre seats 200 people and hosts a Meyer Constellation loudspeaker array with 89 speakers driven by 71 independent channels as well as 4k video projection. The speakers mounted along the perimeter of the theatre as well as across the ceiling to create an immersive dome. Using the CueStation and SpaceMap software, we can playback and locate up to 56 channels of audio.

Photo of the Digital Media Center Theatre

Typically, we use SpaceMaps to create a variety of standard speaker arrangements including various flavors of 8.1, 7.1.4, 9.1.6, 8.1.8, and Dolby Atmos. We have also created custom maps for individual composers upon request. Selected composers will be contacted about the channel-speaker map that best suits their work, and we will prepare those maps in advance of the concert.

Diagram of the Speaker Locations in the DMC Theatre

Limitations:

  • The Cinema for the Ears concert will only present fixed media works for 8+ audio channels or Ambisonic formats.
  • While LSU will try to find local performers for the concert of music for instruments and electronics, composers are ultimately responsible for providing a performer at no cost to the conference.
  • Because of physical limitations in the theatre, the concert of music for instruments and electronics cannot present works that involve acoustic piano.

Poster Sessions

The conference will also present two paper/poster sessions on Saturday, April 5. While preference is given to topics related to the conference themes, presentations can be on any aspect of current research in the field of electroacoustic music. Each session will last 90 minutes with a 45-minute lightning talk session followed by an open poster session for more in-depth discussions. Our plan is to publish the papers in a digital proceeding through the LSU Scholarly Repository.

Attendance Requirement

The purpose of the EAFDD is to stimulate conversation and collaboration among composers, performers, and researchers. As such, all participants (composers and paper authors) MUST attend the conference.

Hotel & Travel

The Electroacoustic Fais Do Do will be held at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.

Hotels

A block of hotel rooms for attendees has been reserved at the Lod Cook Alumni Center Hotel, which is located on the LSU Campus. Shuttle service will be provided the Digital Media Center and environs. Other nearby hotel options are the Sonesta ES Suites Baton Rouge and the Courtyard by Marriott.

Air Travel

Baton Rouge is serviced by two airports. Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport is a regional airport serviced by American, Delta and United Airlines, with connections through Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Charlotte, and Atlanta. It is about 10 miles from the LSU campus. Uber and Yellow Cab provide taxi service from BTR to locations throughout the Baton Rouge area. Rental cars are also available.

The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is roughly 65 miles from the LSU campus. It is a major airport serviced by 14 airlines, including most major US companies (e.g., Alaska Air, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, United). MSY is about 70 miles from campus. Attendees flying to New Orleans should plan to rent a car in order to get to and from Baton Rouge.

Travel by Car

Baton Rouge is located on the Mississippi River about 90 minutes to the west of New Orleans, and 4-5 hours to the east of Houston along I-10. From the north, take I-55 south, turn west on I-12 and continue until it merges with I-10. From either direction, exit Stanford Drive (south), and turn right at South Lakeshore Drive. The Digital Media Center will be the second building just past the next traffic signal on the left.

Submissions to Electroacoustic Fais Do Do

Submissions of music or papers for the Electroacoustic Fais Do Do are managed through the SEAMUS 2024 Conference Submission Portal. All proposals will be adjudicated through the SEAMUS review process. Recommendations for EAFDD will be made by the review committee, but final approval will be made by the staff at LSU.

Submissions are due December 2, 2023.