If you mean what do you need in the way of computer, modem, or Internet browser, the answer is, "Nothing". Simply send Tom Wells a tape (ten minutes maximum) along with the necessary documentation. (At the minimum include composer, title, and copyright owner.) A DAT or a cassette will do. Your music will be placed on a web-site called Composerver and available for listening. Be sure to read Tom's announcement for instructions.

What is Composerver?

It is a web-site especially designed to provide sound that can be listened to in real time over the Internet. This method of transmission and reception is called streaming mode. Every SCI member has a ten minute slot available on which to post anything he or she likes: their music, an interview, a demo, whatever, as long as it is sound. Brief documentation and biographical information can be included, and there will be links back to the SCI web-site and your home page (if you have one) for more extensive documentation.

What is Streaming Mode?

When you listen to a sound file over the Internet--as opposed to downloading it and listening to it later--you are listening in what is called Streaming Mode. For instance, when you are at a web-site with this capability, you might click on a link that says Sonata No. 1. A control panel will appear in the middle of the screen with Stop, Start, Rewind, and Volume Control; and you will hear the piece immediately (almost) while remaining connected to the Internet. You can control the playback much as you would from a tape deck. You can even leave the web-site and visit others, and the music will continue.

Is Composerver the SCI Web Site?

No. Don't confuse Composerver with the regular SCI web-site (now under construction). The two will be interlinked, but Composerver is only for making music available in Streaming Mode.

What Do I Need In Order to Go to Composerver and Listen to My Own and Other Sound Clips?

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS: To go onto the Internet you need a web-browser. Once you get to Composerver, to hear music in Streaming Mode you also need to have another piece of software called a plug-in, that works in conjunction with your web-browser and that is designed to play music in Streaming Mode. Some recent web-browsers have an audio player already built in (I believe the most recent version of Netscape does) but most will need to add such a program. How to find, download, and implement RealPlayer, one of the standard plug-ins, is described in the article that follows. These plug-ins often come in two versions, one for video and one just for sound. You need only the one for sound. They also come in versions specific to your modem's speed, so you will need to know whether you have a 14.4 or 28.8 modem.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Probably the most important piece of hardware is your modem. The minimum speed (kbps) is 14.4. However, at this speed you will experience longer delays and interruptions. A 28.8 modem is better, but with a bit of patience you can get good results even at the lower speed. (See the RealPlayer description elsewhere.) The CPU minimum, in a windows environment, is 486/33 for a 14.4 modem and 486/66 for a 28.8 modem. For a Mac you need a 68040 CPU for either the 14.4 or the 28.8 modem. Of course, you'll need a sound-card and speakers. Other requirements are 2MB of hard disk space and 8MB of RAM, except that the version for the 14.4 modem in Windows requires only 4MB.

What Are the Catches?

If you currently do not have an audio plug-in on your web-browser, downloading it and getting it running can be a pain. (See the RealPlayer description that follows.) After youÕre up and running, the biggest irritations are the delays and interruptions you will probably experience listening to the sound clips. With a 14.4 modem these delays are substantial (although there is a way to circumvent them). With a 28.8 they are much less intrusive.

What Causes the Music to Stop and Start?

Streaming Mode operates on the principle that enough data must first be accumulated in the buffer so that music (or video) can be generated in real time. Depending on the speed at which the buffer receives information there may be a long wait before the music begins or a short wait. After the music starts, if the music "catches up" with the information in the buffer there will be pauses during which the buffer refills. (This is called "stuttering playback".) If the buffer can replenish itself fast enough there will be no pauses once the music starts. With a 14.4 modem typically you will hear only about 10-20 seconds of music before a 15-30 second pause. There is, however, a way to get around this problem. Punch the "pause" button on the monitor (see the RealPlayer description in the next article) and wait for a few minutes for the buffer to fill. Then, when you punch "play," you can hear music interrupted for two to five minutes.

How Good Is the Fidelity?

This partly depends on your equipment. Generally, with the 14.4 modem the sound is described as AM-quality graduating to FM-quality and better with a 28.8 modem.

What Would I Realistically Use Composerver For?

With your posting on Composerver, anyone, anywhere in the world with the right equipment will have access to your music 24 hours a day. No composer in history has had such a resource. You can use your slot for your most recent composition, or a segment of it. You can post a sampler of your music, CDs or tapes, including narration if you like. Even with AM-quality and frequent pauses, your clips will be able to demonstrate accurate tempos and difficult coordinations. Some have suggested that your sound clip be thought of as a kind-of Internet calling card.

Yes, the technology still has some rough edges, but it is almost there. In a few years the potential of Streaming Mode audio will be almost unlimited. SCI is proud to bring such a resource to its members in these early stages of development and grateful to Tom Wells for making the site available at Ohio State University.

Gerald Warfield