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

Ihmiskehonjatkesoittimet. Instruments extending the body in sonic performance: creation and development of three tangible string instruments for performative sound art

Ihmiskehonjatkesoittimet is an artistic research on tangible instruments extending the human body. The starting point is to research if the intertwined relationship between a musician and a musical instrument could be emphasized by creating instruments that physically extend the body. The author’s own experiences as a musician lead to discussion about the ergonomics of instruments, which is introduced in the theoretical framework of the thesis. As a context and inspiration for this thesis, instruments and artworks by other artists are being presented. The research is based on reflection of the author during the process of designing and build-ing the instruments, and practising and performing with them. Extensive documentation material of the process has been used as a tool for recalling the process and to illustrate the process for the reader. Two main goals were set for the project by the author: (1) to build durable and innovative instruments that physically can be seen as body extensions and (2) to develop as a performing musician by viewing the new instruments from the perspective of performance art. The results of the thesis support these set goals. Each of the instruments has a different approach to them both from the viewpoint of building and strategies of playing – the instruments provide a diverse view on the topic. The instruments are durable, but some different choices in the design would have made the instruments more practical and ergonomic. The amplification of the instruments as well as the design of the sound manipulation makes the instruments sonically versatile. The concept of extending and freeing the body while playing is felt by the performer, and the documentation material suggests that performing with the instruments create interesting visual images of the musician-instrument relationship while creating new sonic ideas and playing techniques. Performing with these instruments has broadened the author’s skills on planning a performance and being a performer – how to make the gestures on stage more meaningful and how to seek contact with the audience as a performer. The thesis aims to give inspiration and knowledge to artists and instrument builders with the emphasis on embodiment and criticism on unergonomic music making. It sends a message that instrument building can be regarded as innovative art and meaningful tool for musicians to develop as performers.Ihmiskehonjatkesoittimet on taiteellinen tutkimus ihmiskehoa jatkavista soittimista. Tutkimuksen lähtökohtana on tutkia, että voiko soittajan ja soittimen välistä yhteenpunoutunutta suhdetta korostaa kehoa jatkavien soitinten avulla. Kirjoittajan omat kokemukset muusikkona taustoittavat tutkimuksessa esiteltyjä teoreettisia pohdintoja soittamisen ergonomiasta. Tämän lisäksi teoreettisessa viitekehyksessä kontekstualisoidaan tutkimusta tutustumalla muihin soittimiin ja taideteoksiin, jotka ovat inspiroineet maisterityötä. Tutkimus perustuu kirjoittajan pohdintaan liittyen soittimien suunnitteluun ja rakentamiseen sekä niiden kanssa harjoitteluun ja esiintymiseen. Tutkimuksen aikana kerättyä laajaa dokumentaatioaineistoa on käytetty työkaluna prosessin muistiin palauttamisessa sekä projektin kuvaamisessa lukijalle. Tutkimukselle asetettiin kaksi tavoitetta: (1) fyysisesti kehoa jatkavien soittimien rakentaminen kestäviksi ja kekseliäiksi, ja (2) esiintymistaitojen kehittäminen tarkastelemalla soittimia performanssitaiteen näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen tulokset tukevat asetettuja tavoitteita. Jokainen soitin on rakennettu eri näkökulmasta ja niitä soitetaan eri tavoin – soittimet tarjoavat laajan näkökannan tutkimusaiheesta. Soittimet ovat kestäviä, mutta muuttamalla muutaman yksityiskohdan soitinten suunnittelussa soittimet voisivat olla käytännöllisempiä ja ergonomisempia. Soittimien äänen vahvistaminen ja äänen muokkaaminen tekevät soittimista soinnillisesti monipuolisia. Ajatus kehon jatkamisesta ja kehon vapautumisesta toteutuu soittaessa esiintyjän näkökulmasta ja dokumentaatiomateriaalien perusteella soittaminen muodostaa mielenkiintoisia visuaalisia kuvia soittajan ja soittimen välisestä suhteesta luoden samalla uusia äänellisiä ideoita ja soittotekniikoita. Soitinten kanssa esiintyminen on laajentanut kirjoittajan taitoja suunnitella performansseja sekä kartuttanut tietotaitoa siitä, että miten lavalla tehtävistä eleistä voi tehdä merkityksellisimpiä, ja miten etsiä kontaktia yleisöön. Tutkimus pyrkii inspiroimaan ja antamaan tietoa taiteilijoille ja soitinrakentajille näkökulmasta, joka korostaa soittamisen kehollisuutta ja on samalla kriittinen epäergonomisuutta kohtaan. Projekti pyrkii lähettämään viestin – soitinten rakentaminen voidaan nähdä innovatiivisena taiteena ja merkittävänä työkaluna muusikoille esiintymistaitojen kehittämiseen

Instrument Design in Selected Works for Solo Multiple Percussion

abstract: Instrument design is intrinsic to multiple percussion solo performance preparation, from formulating a physical layout of instruments that best suit each work's technical requirements to fabricating unique instruments to fulfill each composer's sonic specifications. Several works in the multiple percussion repertoire require setups comprised partly or entirely of performer-built instruments. Given that performers have varying degrees of expertise with instrument design and construction, the specialized instruments created do not necessarily meet the level of care with which many of the masterworks in the percussion field were created. Even with the many articles, books, and other publications regarding the instrument design issues of specific works, solo percussion literature is so varied that many set-ups are created using a set of nebulous guidelines. Developing solutions to the problems inherent in multiple percussion instrument design is clearly a continuing effort. Instrument and setup design within selected works for solo multiple percussion is the focus of this document and will be addressed through specific examples from literature commonly performed on concert stages and educational institutions. The scope of this document is limited to the widely applicable design issues of three pieces: Maki Ishii's Thirteen Drums: for Percussion Solo, Op. 66 (1985), David Lang's The Anvil The Chorus: for Percussion Solo (1991), and Steve Reich's Music for Pieces of Wood: for claves (1973). The set-up designs for these pieces suggested by the author are largely the focus for which other material in this document is preparatory.Dissertation/ThesisD.M.A. Music 201

Design of Transportation Process for Band Equipment

The following report documents the attempt to design a safe and reliable process for transporting Louder Space’s musical gear that requires minimal physical demand. Design specifications were derived from customer requirements as well as human factors principles. The transportation process was broken down into systematic process steps and standardized, making use of lean methodologies in order to reduce the number of non-value steps involved. Furthermore, a model portable storage unit for miscellaneous gear was developed to the specifications determined by the band using 3D modeling, as well as certain limiting constraints. Once the customer approved the prototype, the product was broken down into a bill of materials and manufactured. Once the product and improved process were implemented, extensive analysis revealed a profit of about $2,485 each year

Prototyping of Ubiquitous Music Ecosystems

This paper focuses the prototyping stage of the design cycle of ubiquitous music (ubimus) ecosystems. We present three case studies of prototype deployments for creative musical activities. The first case exemplifies a ubimus system for synchronous musical interaction using a hybrid Java-JavaScript development platform, mow3s-ecolab. The second case study makes use of the HTML5 Web Audio library to implement a loop-based sequencer. The third prototype - an HTML-controlled sine-wave oscillator - provides an example of using the Chromium open-source sand-boxing technology Portable Native Client (PNaCl) platform for audio programming on the web. This new approach involved porting the Csound language and audio engine to the PNaCl web technology. The Csound PNaCl environment provides programming tools for ubiquitous audio applications that go beyond the HTML5 Web Audio framework. The limitations and advantages of the three approaches proposed - the hybrid Java/- JavaScript environment, the HTML5 audio library and the Csound PNaCl infrastructure - are discussed in the context of rapid prototyping of ubimus ecosystems

Noted: Musical affordances for collective exploratory music-making

Noted is a product system that allows for exploration of musical ideas and collaboration through an integrated tangible user interface (TUI). It combines a mobile app and physical controller accessories that attach to the phone. This interaction of digital app functionality and tangible controls highlights the role of musical haptics as the primary channel of interaction between a musician and an instrument. This design concept is structured around four main themes: Exploratory Workflows, Musical Haptics, Musical Affordances and Collective Action

The digital revolution : how technology changed the workflow of composers for media = La révolution numérique : comment les technologies ont changé les méthodologies de travail pour les compositeurs à l'image

Les technologies ont façonné et façonnent les méthodes de travail des compositeurs de musique à l’image : en termes de communications, de méthodologie et au niveau des compétences requises. De La Planète Interdite au Covid-19, nous examinerons comment les méthodologies de travail des compositeurs de musique à l’image ont changé au fil des ans.Technologies have shaped, and still do so, the way music composers for screen work: communication-wise, in their creative workflow and in their skill sets. From Forbidden Planet to Covid-19, we will examine how and in what way the workflows of music composers have changed throughout the years

Drum Sense: SMART Drum Set

I would like to propose a SMART drum set: a 5-piece acrylic LED drum set with 2 strips of adhesive RGB LEDs under each rim of every drum. Current SMART drum sets are very expensive and come as installable light rings that are attached on the outside of the drum instead of the inside. I have successfully prototyped 1 Floor Tom of the complete set. The LEDs are connected an AC to DC power converter via a six pin MIDI connector and Arduino. The drum set is characterized with a single RGB microcontroller, 5 sets of 150 LEDs, a piezoelectric sensor, a six-pin MIDI connector, a 120V to 12V power converter, and an amplifying circuit. As a drummer hits each drum the piezoelectric sensor will trigger the LED light to spike in brightness depending on the strength of the hit and fade out over a period of time. The sensitivity of light will be controlled by a potentiometer. These optical illusions will enhance the overall drum set and provide onlookers with a visual performance. This system is a single prototype that can be expanded to a full drum set and is versatile in that it can work for any size drum or a larger drum set. Future work entails the design and manufacture of a control panel for the system to allow drummers to quickly change between settings during a performance. Lastly, a tutorial feature will be included for drum enthusiasts and new learners to promote visual, hands-on learning