Electronic music of all types is created and performed with both "classic" and state of the art hardware and software at the S.T.R.U.M. (Sound, Technology & Reserach at the University of Minnesota) Studios, located in Ferguson Hall, home of the UMN School of Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA).
Since the hire of former S.T.R.U.M. Director and assistant professor Douglas Geers in 2002, the S.T.R.U.M. facilities have undergone major upgrades every year for the last 5 academic years, thanks to very generous grants from the UMN College of Liberal Arts, including the Infotech Fees Committee.
In their current incarnation, the S.T.R.U.M Studios enable many methods of music composition, music recording and production, sound synthesis and audio processing, video production, motion capture, and construction and performance of software and hardware instruments for presentation in concert and multimedia contexts. Students are encouraged to experiment and explore their musical ideas with the studios' technology, whatever their interests or background may be.
Plus, in addition to composition and performance, faculty and students of S.T.R.U.M. are engaged in numerous research projects related to music technology, including creation of synthetic performers, virtual and haptic instrument design, analytical and cultural issues of contemporary electronic music, algorithmic composition, and more.
