Trevor Wishart looks at the new developments in music-making and musical aesthetics made possible by the advent of the computer and digital information processing. His emphasis is on musical rather than technical matters. The text begins with a critical analysis of the assumptions underlying the Western musical tradition and the traditional acoustic theories of Pythagoras and Helmholtz. It later examines in detail such topics as the musical organization of complex sound-objects, using and manipulating representational sounds and the various dimensions of human and non-human utterance. The author seeks to learn lessons from areas such as, poetry, sound-poetry, film, sound effects and animal communications - not traditionally associated with the field of music. An audio CD containing many of the musical examples featured in the text is also included.