Immersed in Pop! Excursions into Compositional Design

Recent changes in consumer audio and music technology and distribution - for example the addition of 3D audio formats such as Dolby Atmos to music streaming services, the recent release of “Spatial Audio” on Apple and Beats products, the proliferation of musical content in virtual reality and 360º videos, etc. - have reignited a public discourse on concepts of immersion and interactivity in popular music and media. This raises questions and necessitates a deepening of popular musicological discourse in these areas. This thesis thus asks: what is the relationship between so-called immersive media and immersive experience? How are immersive and interactive experiences of audiovisual popular music compositionally designed? And to what degree do interpretations of immersion and interactivity in popular music imply agency on part of the listener/viewer? To address these questions, Bresler has authored or co-authored four articles and book chapters on music in immersive and interactive media with a focus on compositional design and immersion in pop music. In the framing chapter, these articles are contextualized through the coining of the term immersive staging, which is a framework for understanding how the perceived relationship between the performer and listener is mediated through technology, performativity, audiovisual compositional design, and aesthetics. Additionally, the chapter makes a case for the hermeneutic methodologies employed throughout.publishedVersio

Doing It to Death: An investigation into a session musician’s migration

This doctorate dissertation is about the guitar and technology in a creative perspective – about a change and transformation in musical direction. Dreyer's quest is to clarify how technology can help break new ground for a former session musician with ambitions to deepen and create a more distinctive personal expression. Through different angles and with an exploratory approach, Dreyer is searching for his own personal sound, using improvisation, composition and sound manipulating tools. Dreyer is an experienced session guitarist now exploring creating his own music using technology. He has participated in more than 160 released albums, and toured with numerous Norwegian and international artists. He also has released four albums with three different self-initiated music projects, two of which combine music and sound art. This text is an autoethnographic depiction of the quest for a personal change in musical direction and a need for a strengthened profile as a performer and composer. The reader can acquire an insight into Dreyer’s search for, and aim at a clearer idiom and sound, using technology.publishedVersio

BRAIN-COMPUTER MUSIC INTERFACING: DESIGNING PRACTICAL SYSTEMS FOR CREATIVE APPLICATIONS

Brain-computer music interfacing (BCMI) presents a novel approach to music making, as it requires only the brainwaves of a user to control musical parameters. This presents immediate benefits for users with motor disabilities that may otherwise prevent them from engaging in traditional musical activities such as composition, performance or collaboration with other musicians. BCMI systems with active control, where a user can make cognitive choices that are detected within brain signals, provide a platform for developing new approaches towards accomplishing these activities. BCMI systems that use passive control present an interesting alternate to active control, where control over music is accomplished by harnessing brainwave patterns that are associated with subconscious mental states. Recent developments in brainwave measuring technologies, in particular electroencephalography (EEG), have made brainwave interaction with computer systems more affordable and accessible and the time is ripe for research into the potential such technologies can offer for creative applications for users of all abilities. This thesis presents an account of BCMI development that investigates methods of active, passive and hybrid (multiple control methods) control that include control over electronic music, acoustic instrumental music, multi-brain systems and combining methods of brainwave control. In practice there are many obstacles associated with detecting useful brainwave signals, in particular when scaling systems otherwise designed for medical studies for use outside of laboratory settings. Two key areas are addressed throughout this thesis. Firstly, improving the accuracy of meaningful brain signal detection in BCMI, and secondly, exploring the creativity available in user control through ways in which brainwaves can be mapped to musical features. Six BCMIs are presented in this thesis, each with the objective of exploring a unique aspect of user control. Four of these systems are designed for live BCMI concert performance, one evaluates a proof-of-concept through end-user testing and one is designed as a musical composition tool. The thesis begins by exploring the field of brainwave detection and control and identifies the steady-state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) method of eliciting brainwave control as a suitable technique for use in BCMI. In an attempt to improve signal accuracy of the SSVEP technique a new modular hardware unit is presented that provides accurate SSVEP stimuli, suitable for live music performance. Experimental data confirms the performance of the unit in tests across three different EEG hardware platforms. Results across 11 users indicate that a mean accuracy of 96% and an average response time of 3.88 seconds are attainable with the system. These results contribute to the development of the BCMI for Activating Memory, a multi-user system. Once a stable SSVEP platform is developed, control is extended through the integration of two more brainwave control techniques: affective (emotional) state detection and motor imagery response. In order to ascertain the suitability of the former an experiment confirms the accuracy of EEG when measuring affective states in response to music in a pilot study. This thesis demonstrates how a range of brainwave detection methods can be used for creative control in musical applications. Video and audio excerpts of BCMI pieces are also included in the Appendices

Audiovisual object

The ʻaudiovisual objectʼ is a fusion of sound object and visual object to create an identifiable perceptual phenomenon, which can be treated as a ʻbuilding blockʼ in the creation of audiovisual work based primarily on electroacoustic composition practice and techniques. This thesis explores how the audiovisual object can be defined and identified in existing works, and offers an examination of how it can be used as a compositional tool. The historical development of the form and the effect of the performance venue on audience immersion is also explored. The audiovisual object concept builds upon theories of electroacoustic composition and film sound design. The audiovisual object is defined in relation to existing concepts of the sound object and visual object, while synaesthesia and cross-modal perception are examined to show how the relationship between sound and vision in the audiovisual object can be strengthened. Electroacoustic composition and animation both developed through technological advances, either the manipulation of recorded sounds, or the manipulation of drawn/photographed objects. The key stages in development of techniques and theories in both disciplines are examined and compared against each other, highlighting correlations and contrasts. The physical space where the audiovisual composition is performed also has a bearing on how the work is perceived and received. Current standard performance spaces include acousmatic concert systems, which emphasize the audio aspect over the visual, and the cinema, which focuses on the visual. Spaces which afford a much higher level of envelopment in the work include hemispheric projection, while individual experience through virtual reality systems could become a key platform. The key elements of the audiovisual object, interaction between objects and their successful use in audiovisual compositions are also investigated in a series of case studies. Specific audiovisual works are examined to highlight techniques to create successful audiovisual objects and interactions. As this research degree is in creative practice, a portfolio of 4 composed works is also included, with production notes explaining the inspiration behind and symbolism within each work, along with the practical techniques employed in their creation. The basis for each work is a short electroacoustic composition which has then been developed with abstract 3D CGI animation into an audiovisual composition, demonstrating the development of my own practice as well as exploring the concept of the audiovisual object. The concept of the audiovisual object draws together existing theories concerning the sound object, visual perception, and phenomenology. The concept, the associated investigation of how audiovisual compositions have evolved over time, and the analysis and critique of case studies based on this central concept contribute both theory and creative practice principles to this form of artistic creativity. This thesis forms a basis for approaching the creative process both as a creator and critic, and opens up a research pathway for further investigation

Immersivity in Music Performance with Original Compositions

The aim of this study is to critically investigate immersivity in music performance. It will evaluate how the combination of the performance space, musical material and delivery methods can produce unique and valuable sonic experiences to an audience. This investigative process hopes to highlight what compositional and spatial characteristics define this performance paradigm, with the goal to provide a taxonomy of key characteristics which creators must consider when devising an immersive music performance

Creating emotionally aware performance environments: a phenomenological exploration of inferred and invisible data space

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2674 on 13.03.2017 by CS (TIS)The practical research undertaken for this thesis - the building of interactive and non-interactive environments for performance - posits a radical recasting of the performing body in physical and digital space. The choreographic and thematic context of the performance work has forced us', as makers, to ask questions about the nature of digital interactivity which in turn feeds the work theoretically, technically and thematically. A computer views (and attempts to interpret) motion information through a video camera, and, by way of a scripting language, converts that information into MIDI' data. As the research has developed, our company has been able to design environments which respond sensitivelyto particular artistic / performance demands. I propose to show in this research that is it possible to design an interactive system that is part of a phenomenological performance space, a mechanical system with an ontological heart. This represents a significant shift in thinking from existing systems, is at the heart of the research developments and is what I consider to be one of the primary outcomes of this research, outcomes that are original and contribute to the body of knowledge in this area. The phenomenal system allows me to use technology in a poetic way, where the poetic aesthetic is dominant - it responds to the phenomenal dancer, rather than merely to the `physico-chemical' (Merleau-Ponty 1964 pp. 10-I I) dancer. Other artists whose work attempts phenomenological approaches to working with technology and the human body are referenced throughout the writing

Mapping Dynamic Relations in Sound and Space Perception

The research investigates the dynamic relations between sound, space and the audience perception as related to an artist’s intention. What is the relation between sound and space in the sonic arts, and to what kind of merger does it lead? What relationship exists between the intention of the composer and the perception of the audience regarding architectural and environmental spaces? Is there a common thread of perception of architectural and environmental spaces among participants? Is embodiment a key for the perception of the dynamic relations of sound and space? The framework for the investigation is based on a map of three defined spaces (Real, Virtual, and Hyperbiological) included in a portfolio of six works (three electroacoustic compositions, two sound installations, and one performance), which lead to the analysis of the perception of space, namely, the perception of architectural and environmental spaces as required by the portfolio. The original knowledge resides in the exploration of a potential common representation (space and sound perception being, of course, a personal representation) of internal perceptual spaces and mental imageries generated by the works. The act of listening plays a major role in the development of the portfolio presented and includes Pauline Oliveros’ concept of deep listening (Oliveros 2005). Sound and space are intimately related in the portfolio. One particular element emerging from this relationship is the plastic quality of sound, meaning that sound is considered and observed as a material that is shaped by space. From this perspective the research investigates the ‘sculptural’ and morphological quality of the relationship between sound and space. The results include the specific language and signature of the artworks that delineate the intersection of music and fine arts. The portfolio pays a large tribute to several iconic artists present in the outposts of sound blurred by space. Composers and artists are therefore presented in the theoretical section in order to highlight how their pioneering works have influenced and informed the present research portfolio. The analysis of the perception of the artworks relates to a methodology based on an empirical survey inspired by phenomenology