Using the Fuzzy Inductive Reasoning methodology to improve coherence in algorithmic musical beat patterns

In the present work, the Fuzzy Inductive Reasoning methodology (FIR) is used to improve coherence among beat patterns, structured in a musical A-B form. Patterns were generated based on a probability matrix, encoding a particular musical style, designed by experts. Then, all possible patterns were generated and the most probables were selected. A-B musical forms were created and the coherence of the sequence was evaluated by experts by using linguistic quantities. The output pairs (A-B pattern and its qualification) were used as inputs to train a FIR system, and the variables that produce “coherent” outputs and the relations among them where identified as rules. The extracted rules are discussed in the context of the musical form and from the psychological perception.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Towards Machine Musicians Who Have Listened to More Music Than Us: Audio Database-led Algorithmic Criticism for Automatic Composition and Live Concert Systems

Databases of audio can form the basis for new algorithmic critic systems, applying techniques from the growing field of music information retrieval to meta-creation in algorithmic composition and interactive music systems. In this article, case studies are described where critics are derived from larger audio corpora. In the first scenario, the target music is electronic art music, and two corpuses are used to train model parameters and then compared with each other and against further controls in assessing novel electronic music composed by a separate program. In the second scenario, a “real-world” application is described, where a “jury” of three deliberately and individually biased algorithmic music critics judged the winner of a dubstep remix competition. The third scenario is a live tool for automated in-concert criticism, based on the limited situation of comparing an improvising pianists' playing to that of Keith Jarrett; the technology overlaps that described in the other systems, though now deployed in real time. Alongside description and analysis of these systems, the wider possibilities and implications are discussed

Map, Trigger, Score, Procedure: machine-listening paradigms in live-electronics

Since the advent of real-time computer music environments, composers have increasingly incorporated DSP analysis, synthesis, and processing algorithms in their creative practices. Those processes became part of interactive systems that use real-time computational tools in musical compositions that explore diverse techniques to generate, spatialize, and process instrumental/vocal sounds. Parallel to the development of these tools and the expansion of DSP methods, new techniques focused on sound/musical information extraction became part of the tools available for music composition. In this context, this article discusses the creative use of Machine Listening and Musical Information Retrieval techniques applied in the composition of live-electronics works. By pointing out some practical applications and creative approaches, we aim to circumscribe, in a general way, the strategies for employing Machine Listening and Music Information Retrieval techniques observed in a set of live-electronics pieces, categorizing four compositional approaches, namely: mapping, triggering, scoring, and procedural paradigms of application of machine listening techniques in the context of live-electronics music compositions

Automatic Composition of Electroacoustic Art Music Utilizing Machine Listening

This article presents Autocousmatic, an algorithmic system that creates electroacoustic art music using machine-listening processes within the design cycle. After surveying previous projects in automated mixing and algorithmic composition, the design and implementation of the current system is outlined. An iterative, automatic effects processing system is coupled to machine-listening components, including the assessment of the “worthiness” of intermediate files to continue to a final mixing stage. Generation of the formal structure of output pieces utilizes models derived from a small corpus of exemplar electroacoustic music, and a dynamic time-warping similarity-measure technique drawn from music information retrieval is employed to decide between candidate final mixes. Evaluation of Autocousmatic has involved three main components: the entry of its output works into composition competitions, the public release of the software with an associated questionnaire and sound examples on SoundCloud, and direct feedback from three highly experienced electroacoustic composers. The article concludes with a discussion of the current status of the system, with regards to ideas from the computational creativity literature, among other sources, and suggestions for future work that may advance the compositional ability of the system beyond its current level and towards human-like expertise

Generative Music from Fuzzy Logic and Probability: A Portfolio of Electroacoustic Compositions

This portfolio of thirteen recorded works was composed as an investigation into the application of generative processes to electroacoustic music, paying particular attention to the use of fuzzy logic and the rule-based constraint of chance events. These works were developed by a rolling process of program design and musical composition, focusing on two areas: the generation and transformation of large groups of sounds within a multi-dimensional parameter space for acousmatic composition (using the author’s software, Audio Spray Gun) and the real-time selection of sounds using audio descriptors, principally for live performance by instrument and electronics. Later stages of the project attempted to unite these processes in two ways: by the agent-based generation of large sound-groups for multichannel audio from live instruments or pre-recorded audio datasets and by the software generation of such groups for fixed-media composition using trajectories and transformations in ‘timbre space’. An accompanying document charts the development of these works with a programme note, technical discussion and performance records for each, along with spectrograms and scores as appropriate. It also describes the programming methods used and discusses the implications and limitations of these approaches, particularly for object-based spatial music and timbre selection

Design of a hybrid acoustic-electronic musical instrument

The present project discusses the design of a hybrid musical instrument that combines sound production through acoustic and electronic methods. The evolution of the project is discussed from the definition of the idea for the instrument to later determination of the design requirements and then proceed to design. After the design of the instrument is done, various models are created for instrument’s behavior verification as well as evaluation of the created design. These analyses include multibody dynamics and Finite element Methods utilization.El presente proyecto discute el diseño de un instrumento musical híbrido que combina producción de sonido mediante métodos acústicos y electrónicos. Se discute la evolución del proyecto desde la definición de la idea como tal para después determinar los requerimientos y proceder a realizar el diseño. Después de realizado el diseño, se realizan varios modelos para verificación del comportamiento y correcto diseño del instrumento. Estos análisis incluyen métodos de dinámica multicuerpo y utilización del método de elementos finitos

Evaluating computational creativity: a standardised procedure for evaluating creative systems and its application

This thesis proposes SPECS: a Standardised Procedure for Evaluating Creative Systems. No methodology has been accepted as standard for evaluating the creativity of a system in the field of computational creativity and the multi-faceted and subjective nature of creativity generates substantial definitional issues. Evaluative practice has developed a general lack of rigour and systematicity, hindering research progress. SPECS is a standardised and systematic methodology for evaluating computational creativity. It is flexible enough to be applied to a variety of different types of creative system and adaptable to specific demands in different types of creativity. In the three-stage process of evaluation, researchers are required to be specific about what creativity entails in the domain they work in and what standards they test a system’s creativity by. To assist researchers, definitional issues are investigated and a set of components representing aspects of creativity is presented, which was empirically derived using computational linguistics analysis. These components are recommended for use within SPECS, being offered as a general definition of creativity that can be customised to account for any specific priorities for creativity in a given domain. SPECS is applied in a case study for detailed comparisons of the creativity of three musical improvisation systems, identifying which systems are more creative than others and why. In a second case study, SPECS is used to capture initial impressions on the creativity of systems presented at a 2011 computational creativity research event. Five systems performing different creative tasks are compared and contrasted. These case studies exemplify the valuable information that can be obtained on a system’s strengths and weaknesses. SPECS gives researchers vital feedback for improving their systems’ creativity, informing further progress in computational creativity research

Evaluating computational creativity: a standardised procedure for evaluating creative systems and its application

This thesis proposes SPECS: a Standardised Procedure for Evaluating Creative Systems. No methodology has been accepted as standard for evaluating the creativity of a system in the field of computational creativity and the multi-faceted and subjective nature of creativity generates substantial definitional issues. Evaluative practice has developed a general lack of rigour and systematicity, hindering research progress. SPECS is a standardised and systematic methodology for evaluating computational creativity. It is flexible enough to be applied to a variety of different types of creative system and adaptable to specific demands in different types of creativity. In the three-stage process of evaluation, researchers are required to be specific about what creativity entails in the domain they work in and what standards they test a system’s creativity by. To assist researchers, definitional issues are investigated and a set of components representing aspects of creativity is presented, which was empirically derived using computational linguistics analysis. These components are recommended for use within SPECS, being offered as a general definition of creativity that can be customised to account for any specific priorities for creativity in a given domain. SPECS is applied in a case study for detailed comparisons of the creativity of three musical improvisation systems, identifying which systems are more creative than others and why. In a second case study, SPECS is used to capture initial impressions on the creativity of systems presented at a 2011 computational creativity research event. Five systems performing different creative tasks are compared and contrasted. These case studies exemplify the valuable information that can be obtained on a system’s strengths and weaknesses. SPECS gives researchers vital feedback for improving their systems’ creativity, informing further progress in computational creativity research