Technologies de la Simulation Interactive de Modèles Physiques Multisensoriels

This thesis presents my research activity on multisensory interactive simulation (gesture, sound and image), in technological and conceptual aspects. This interdisciplinary research concerns three fields : 1/ physical modeling for simulation, 2/ hardware and software architectures for real time computation, 3/ interactive gestural interfaces (with force feedback). Work done in these three fields is presented chronologically.Ce mémoire présente mon activité de recherche sur la simulation interactive multisensorielle (geste, son et image), dans ses aspects technologiques et conceptuels. C’est une recherche interdisciplinaire qui concerne trois domaines : 1/ modélisation physique pour la simulation, 2/ architectures matérielles et logicielles pour le calcul temps réel, 3/ interfaces gestuelles interactives (à « retour d’effort »). Les travaux effectués dans ces trois domaines sont exposés de manière chronologique

Musical Haptics

Haptic Musical Instruments; Haptic Psychophysics; Interface Design and Evaluation; User Experience; Musical Performanc

Musical Haptics

Haptic Musical Instruments; Haptic Psychophysics; Interface Design and Evaluation; User Experience; Musical Performanc

Materializing interaction

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, February 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. "September 2012."Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-148).At the boundary between people, objects and spaces, we encounter a broad range of surfaces. Their properties perform functional roles such as permeability, comfort or illumination, while conveying information such as an object's affordances, composition, or history of use. However, today surfaces are static and can neither adapt to our changing needs, nor communicate dynamic information and sense user input. As technology advances and we progress towards a world imbued with programmable materials, how will designers create physical surfaces that are adaptive and can take full advantage of our sensory apparatus? This dissertation looks at this question through the lens of a three-tier methodology consisting of the development of programmable composites; their application in design and architecture; and contextualization through a broader material and surface taxonomy. The focus is placed primarily on how materials and their aggregate surface properties can be used to engage our senses. A series of design probes and four final implementations are presented, each addressing specific programmable material and surface properties. Surflex, Sprout 1/O, and Shutters are continuous surfaces which can change shape to modify their topology, texture and permeability, and Six-Forty by Four-Eighty is a light-emitting display surface composed of autonomous and reconfigurable physical pixels. The technical and conceptual objectives of these designs are evaluated through exhibitions in a variety of public spaces, such as museums, galleries, fairs, as well as art and design festivals. This dissertation seeks to provide contributions on multiple levels, including: the development of techniques for the creation and control of programmable surfaces; the definition of a vocabulary and taxonomy to describe and compare previous work in this area; and finally, uncovering design principles for the underlying development of future programmable surface aesthetics.by Marcelo Coelho.Ph.D

Musical Haptics

This Open Access book offers an original interdisciplinary overview of the role of haptic feedback in musical interaction. Divided into two parts, part I examines the tactile aspects of music performance and perception, discussing how they affect user experience and performance in terms of usability, functionality and perceived quality of musical instruments. Part II presents engineering, computational, and design approaches and guidelines that have been applied to render and exploit haptic feedback in digital musical interfaces. Musical Haptics introduces an emerging field that brings together engineering, human-computer interaction, applied psychology, musical aesthetics, and music performance. The latter, defined as the complex system of sensory-motor interactions between musicians and their instruments, presents a well-defined framework in which to study basic psychophysical, perceptual, and biomechanical aspects of touch, all of which will inform the design of haptic musical interfaces. Tactile and proprioceptive cues enable embodied interaction and inform sophisticated control strategies that allow skilled musicians to achieve high performance and expressivity. The use of haptic feedback in digital musical interfaces is expected to enhance user experience and performance, improve accessibility for disabled persons, and provide an effective means for musical tuition and guidance

The cyber-guitar system: a study in technologically enabled performance practice

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, March 2017This thesis documents the development and realisation of an augmented instrument, expressed through the processes of artistic practice as research. The research project set out to extend my own creative practice on the guitar by technologically enabling and extending the instrument. This process was supported by a number of creative outcomes (performances, compositions and recordings), running parallel to the interrogation of theoretical areas emerging out of the research. In the introduction I present a timeline for the project and situate the work in the field of artistic practice as research, explaining relationship between the traditional and creative practices. Following on from this chapter one, Notation, Improvisation and the Cyber-Guitar System discusses the impact of notation on my own education as a musician, unpacking how the nature of notation impacted on improvisation both historically and within my own creative work. Analysis of fields such as graphic notation led to the creation of the composition Hymnus Caesus Obcessiones, a central work in this research. In chapter two, Noise, Music and the Creative Boundary I consider the boundary and relationship between noise and music, beginning with the futurist composer Luigi Russolo. The construction of the augmented instrument was informed by this boundary and aimed to bring the lens onto this in my own practice, recognising what I have termed the ephemeral noise boundary. I argue that the boundary line between them yields the most fertile place of sonic and technological engagement. Chapter three focuses on the instrumental development and a new understanding of organology. It locates an understanding of the position of the musical instrument historically with reference to the values emerging from the studies of notation and noise. It also considers the impacts of technology and gestural interfacing. Chapter four documents the physical process of designing and building the guitar. Included in the Appendix are three CDs and a live DVD of the various performances undertaken across the years of research.XL201

Groove in Cuban Dance Music: An Analysis of Son and Salsa

The rhythmic feel or 'groove' of Cuban dance music is typically characterised by a dynamic rhythmic energy, drive and sense of forward motion that, for those attuned, has the ability to produce heightened emotional responses and evoke engagement and participation through physical movement and dance. No single work on groove in Cuban dance music considers together the cognitive, cultural, socio-musical and emotional dimensions of the music-making practices and aesthetics that characterise groove production. This study integrates these perspectives into a single theoretical framework with the aim of gaining fresh insights into the nature of groove in two prominent styles of Cuban and Cuban-related dance music: son and salsa. Methodologically, this study blends ethnography and the analysis of timing data extracted from real-world performances to explore the shared cultural knowledge, socio-musical processes, aesthetics and emotional dimensions of groove. Ethnography facilitates the detailed investigation of how performers talk about the music-making practices that characterise aspects of musical culture while the use of timing data, recorded in situ, facilitates the investigation of the real-time nuanced micro-timing relationships that shape effective groove production. The findings of this study paint a picture of groove that is rich, complex and multidimensional, one that is built upon the expressive performances, socio-musical interactions and collectivist attitudes of rhythm section musicians as well as powerful cultural models and intersubjectively shared knowledge. When rhythm section musicians engage in expressive and interactive dialogues and work effectively as a synchronous collective, the resultant groove embodies the dynamic rhythmic, communicative and emotional energies of the individuals that comprise the group. In performance situations, when the groove of the rhythm section spontaneously finds union with the kinaesthetic and emotional energies of dancers and audiences, the cumulative energy possesses the power to inspire, excite, energise, invite participation and unite people in joyous celebration

Electroacoustic music composition: myth, symbol and image

This thesis presents the author's musical compositions through the elucidation of their source impulse. In order to facilitate the unveiling of the works presented in this thesis I have subdivided it into sections thus: Section 1 - Here I introduce the reader to the motivation behind my music composition work and discuss the elements which inform my cosmology through the elucidation of the concepts and methods used in the realisation of the compositions. Section 2 - An introduction, discussion and conclusion to the series heading of Raza. The compositions and chapters are as follows: Chapter 3, Lucero for charango and tape; Chapter 4, Gato's Raid for marimba and tape; Chapter 6, De Luna a Luna ... for two percussionists and tape. In this section I address that particular musical imagery which is directly related to my cultural roots. Section 3 - An introduction, discussion and conclusion to the series heading of Urbis. The compositions and chapters are as follows: Chapter 9, Urbis #2 'passing moments/riffs & raffs' for bass clarinet and tape; Chapter 10, Urbis #3 'Alter ego' for electric guitar, live electronics and tape; Chapter 11, Urbis #4 for tape. In this section I address the use of modern urban culture symbols in order to create a contemporary mythological canon. Section 4 - A conclusion to this thesis