Research in computer music at the University of Padua, Italy, began in the early 1970s and was formalized in 1979 by establishing the Centro di Sonologia Computazionale (CSC). Since its foundation, CSC has established itself as a leading research center in the field of computer music. This article describes the scientific and musical research activities of the center and of the composers and members who worked in association with it in its first four decades. The center's historical background with its musical and scientific precursors is also chronicled, as are important events at CSC. An outline of its scientific research activity is then traced, with aspects of the technical details in its different areas of activities, showing the distinctive research ethos and the changing priorities of the center. Research from the 1970s is also included, as it led to the foundation of the CSC. Moreover, selected musical works, representative of CSC works from historical and scientific points of view, are described. Finally, perspectives for future developments are discussed.

Electroacoustic music on analog magnetic tape is characterized by several carrier-related specificities that must be considered when creating a copy for digital preservation. The tape recorder needs to be set to the correct speed and equalization, and the magnetic tape could have some intentional or unintentional alterations. During both the creation and the musicological analysis of a digital preservation copy, the quality of the work may be affected by human inattention. This article presents a methodology based on neural networks to recognize and classify the alterations of a magnetic tape from the video of the tape as it passes in front of the tape recorder's playback head. Furthermore, some machine-learning techniques have been tested to recognize a tape's equalization from its background noise. The encouraging results open the way to innovative tools able to unburden audio technicians and musicologists from repetitive tasks and to improve the quality of their work.