A questionnaire-based investigation of the skills and roles of Computer Music Designers
Résumé
Throughout the history of electroacoustic music, creative collaboration has been a constant feature
due to the complexity of the technology. All laboratories and electronic music studios involved the
presence of different individuals with diverse, intertwined competencies. In particular, the embedding
of technological tools into the process of musical creation prompted the rise of a new “agent” called
the Computer Music Designer (CMD), who can work in writing, creating new instruments, recording
and/or performance. Audiences as well as the academia have long been unaware of this emerging
profession and its crucial role in the creative process of electroacoustic, electronic and computer
music. This study sheds light on the socio-professional profile and expertise of the CMD in order to
better understand how computer music design contributes to shaping electronic music as we know it.
We present the methodology and outcomes of a questionnaire submitted to several CMDs. The purpose
was to investigate this emerging community by means of an instrument permitting anonymity.
Findings help to understand how the CMDs perceive their profession; trace common paths and habits
among CMDs; and study this community from the point of view of their age, training, tasks, legal
status, recognition, skills, professional identity and involvement in technological migration. The
questionnaire instrument is appended.