The ixiQuarks: merging code and GUI in one creative space

This paper reports on ixiQuarks; an environment of instruments and effects that is built on top of the audio programming language SuperCollider. The rationale of these instruments is to explore alternative ways of designing musical interaction in screen-based software, and investigate how semiotics in interface design affects the musical output. The ixiQuarks are part of external libraries available to SuperCollider through the Quarks system. They are software instruments based on a non- realist design ideology that rejects the simulation of acoustic instruments or music hardware and focuses on experimentation at the level of musical interaction. In this environment we try to merge the graphical with the textual in the same instruments, allowing the user to reprogram and change parts of them in runtime. After a short introduction to SuperCollider and the Quark system, we will describe the ixiQuarks and the philosophical basis of their design. We conclude by looking at how they can be seen as epistemic tools that influence the musician in a complex hermeneutic circle of interpretation and signification

Screen-based musical instruments as semiotic machines

The ixi software project started in 2000 with the intention to explore new interactive patterns and virtual interfaces in computer music software. The aim of this paper is not to describe these programs, as they have been described elsewhere, but rather explicate the theoretical background that underlies the design of these screen-based instruments. After an analysis of the similarities and differences in the design of acoustic and screen-based instruments, the paper describes how the creation of an interface is essentially the creation of a semiotic system that affects and influences the musician and the composer. Finally the terminology of this semiotics is explained as an interaction model

Computer Music and Digital Media Art Through a Web-Based Collaborative Interface

A dissertação apresentada é resultado de uma investigação em interfaces colaborativas usando tecnologias web, feita no contexto do Braga Media Arts. Como resultado é apresentado um ambiente audiovisual em rede como desenvolvimento prático, o Akson. O Akson foi inicialmente concebido como uma exploração do que poderia ser construído aproveitando a infraestrutura global da Internet, bem como a reprodução musical e visual em vários dispositivos. Este sistema foi feito pensando em seu uso em performance ao vivo e é capaz de interagir com os dispositivos do público.The dissertation presented is the result of an investigation into collaborative interfaces using web technologies, done in the context of Braga Media Arts. As a result an audiovisual environment is presented as a practical development, Akson. Akson was initially conceived of as an exploration into what could be built by leveraging global internet infrastructure as well as musical and visual playback across multiple devices. This system was done thinking about its use in live performance and is able to interact with the devices of the public

Aesthetically driven design of network based multi-user instruments.

Digital networking technologies open up a new world of possibilities for music making, allowing performers to collaborate in ways not possible before. Network based Multi-User Instruments (NMIs) are one novel method of musical collaboration that take advantage of networking technology. NMIs are digital musical instruments that exist as a single entity instantiated over several nodes in a network and are performed simultaneously by multiple musicians in realtime. This new avenue is exciting, but it begs the question of how does one design instruments for this new medium? This research explores the use of an aesthetically driven design process to guide the design, construction, rehearsal, and performance of a series of NMIs. This is an iterative process that makes use of a regularly rehearsing and performing ensemble which serves as a test-bed for new instruments, from conception, to design, to implementation, to performance. This research includes details of several NMIs constructed in accordance with this design process. These NMIs have been quantitatively analysed and empirically tested for the presence of interconnectivity and group influence during performance as a method for measuring group collaboration. Furthermore qualitative analyses are applied which test for the perceived e ectiveness of these instruments during real-world performances in front of live audiences. The results of these analyses show that an aesthetically driven method of designing NMIs produces instruments that are interactive and collaborative. Furthermore results show that audiences perceive a measurable impression of interconnectivity and liveness in the ensemble even though most of the performers in the ensemble are not physically present

OMChroma: Compositional Control of Sound Synthesis

International audienc

Interaction Design for Digital Musical Instruments

The thesis aims to elucidate the process of designing interactive systems for musical performance that combine software and hardware in an intuitive and elegant fashion. The original contribution to knowledge consists of: (1) a critical assessment of recent trends in digital musical instrument design, (2) a descriptive model of interaction design for the digital musician and (3) a highly customisable multi-touch performance system that was designed in accordance with the model. Digital musical instruments are composed of a separate control interface and a sound generation system that exchange information. When designing the way in which a digital musical instrument responds to the actions of a performer, we are creating a layer of interactive behaviour that is abstracted from the physical controls. Often, the structure of this layer depends heavily upon: 1. The accepted design conventions of the hardware in use 2. Established musical systems, acoustic or digital 3. The physical configuration of the hardware devices and the grouping of controls that such configuration suggests This thesis proposes an alternate way to approach the design of digital musical instrument behaviour – examining the implicit characteristics of its composite devices. When we separate the conversational ability of a particular sensor type from its hardware body, we can look in a new way at the actual communication tools at the heart of the device. We can subsequently combine these separate pieces using a series of generic interaction strategies in order to create rich interactive experiences that are not immediately obvious or directly inspired by the physical properties of the hardware. This research ultimately aims to enhance and clarify the existing toolkit of interaction design for the digital musician

Morton Subotnick\u27s Ghost Scores: Interaction and Performance with Music Technology

This thesis investigates the ghost works of Morton Subotnick and their contribution to the world of sound art and electronic music technologies. Subotnick\u27s work in this area is an integral part of his outstanding achievements, on which there is little collected research. The discussion focuses on the development of Subotnick\u27s designs and techniques that he applied to the construction of the ghost works. Through an exploration of earlier background details, it is shown that tape recording, voltage-controlled technologies, and the analog sequencer provided Subotnick with the means to follow his vision and begin creating music as studio art. An examination of these technologies and the creative manner in which he applied them reveal how Subotnick established a vehicle for his life\u27s work in the early sixties, from which he created notable electronic works. An assessment of Subotnick\u27s work from the early seventies shows that the composer\u27s methods progressed using a variety of compositional elements, including electronics and traditional acoustic orchestral instruments, the culmination of which resulted in the creation of the ghost compositions in the mid-seventies. The evaluation of these works reveals Subotnick\u27s aptitude with real-time analog signal processing and his standing as a significant American composer

Interactive computer music: a performer\u27s guide to issues surrounding Kyma with live clarinet input

Musicians are familiar with interaction in rehearsal and performance of music. Technology has become sophisticated and affordable to the point where interaction with a computer in real time performance is also possible. The nature of live interactive electronic music has blurred the distinction between the formerly exclusive realm of composition and that of performance. It is quite possible for performers to participate in the genre but currently little information is available for those wishing to explore it. This written document contains a definition of interaction, discussion on how it occurs in traditional music-making and a brief history of the emergence of live interaction in computer music. It also discusses the concept of live interaction, its aesthetic value, and highlights the possibilities of live interactive computer music using clarinet and the Kyma system, revealing ways a performer may maximize the interactive experience. The document, written from a player\u27s perspective, contains descriptions of possible methods of interaction with Kyma and live clarinet input divided into two areas: the clarinet can be used as a controller and the clarinet can be used as a source of sound. Information upon technical issues such as the speaker system, performance-space acoustics and diffusion options, possible interactive inputs, and specifically on microphone choices for clarinet is provided. There is little information for musicians contemplating the use of Kyma; specifically clarinetists will find in this paper a practical guide to many aspects of live electronic interaction and be better informed to explore the field. This area has the potential to expand not only our performing opportunities, but might increase economic development. Application of interactive music technology can be used in a traditional recital and for collaborative work with other art forms, installation projects and even music therapy. Knowledge of these programs also opens possibilities for sound design in theatre, film and other commercial applications