2,766 research outputs found

    Modelling the live-electronics in electroacoustic music using particle systems

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    Contemporary music is largely influenced by technology. Empowered by the current available tools and resources, composers have the possibility to not only compose with sounds, but also to compose the sounds themselves. Personal computers powered with intuitive and interactive audio applications and development tools allow the creation of a vast range of real-time manipulation of live instrumental input and also real-time generation of sound through synthesis techniques. Consequently, achieving a desired sonority and interaction between the electronic and acoustic sounds in real-time, deeply rely on the choice and technical implementation of the audio processes and logical structures that will perform the electronic part of the composition. Due to the artistic and technical complexity of the development and implementation of such a complex artistic work, a very common strategy historically adopted by composers is to develop the composition in collaboration with a technology expert, which in this context is known as a musical assistant. In this perspective, the work of the musical assistant can be considered as one of translating musical, artistic and aesthetic concepts into mathematical algorithms and audio processes. The work presented in this dissertation addresses the problem of choosing, combining and manipulating the audio processes and logical structures that take place on the liveelectronics (i.e the electronic part of a mixed music composition) of a contemporary electroacoustic music composition, by using particle systems to model and simulate the dynamic behaviors that reflect the conceptual and aesthetic principles envisaged by the composer for a determined musical piece. The presented research work initiates with a thorough identification and analysis of the agents, processes and structures that are present in the live-electronics system of a mixed music composition. From this analysis a logical formalization of a typical live-electronics system is proposed, and then adapted to integrate a particle-based modelling strategy. From the formalization, a theoretical and practical framework for developing and implementing live-electronics systems for mixed music compositions using particle systems is proposed. The framework is experimented and validated in the development of distinct mixed music compositions by distinct composers, in real professional context. From the analysis of the case studies and the logical formalization, and the feedback given by the composers, it is possible to conclude that the proposed particle systems modelling method proves to be effective in the task of assisting the conceptual translation of musical and aesthetic ideas into implementable audio processing software.A música contemporânea é amplamente influenciada pela tecnologia. Os recursos tecnológicos atualmente disponíveis permitem que os compositores criem com sons e ao mesmo tempo criem os sons em si próprios. Os atuais aplicativos e ferramentas de software focados no desenvolvimento, controle e manipulação de processamentos de áudio, permitem a elaboração de diversos tipos de tratamentos e sínteses de som com a capacidade de serem executados e manipulados em tempo real. Consequentemente, a escolha dos algoritmos de processamento de áudio e suas respectivas implementações técnicas em forma de software, são determinantes para que a sonoridade desejada seja atingida, e para que o resultado sonoro satisfaça os objetivos estéticos e conceituais da relação entre as fontes sonoras acústicas e os sons eletrônicos presentes em uma composição eletroacústica de caráter misto. Devido à complexidade artística e técnica do desenvolvimento e implementação do sistema de eletrônica em tempo real de uma composição eletroacústica mista, uma estratégia historicamente adotada por compositores é a de desenvolver a composição em colaboração com um especialista em tecnologia, que neste contexto é usualmente referido como assistente musical. Nesta perspectiva, o trabalho do assistente musical pode ser interpretado como o de traduzir conceitos musicais, artísticos e estéticos em algoritmos matemáticos e processamento de áudio. O trabalho apresentado nesta dissertação aborda a problemática da escolha, combinação e manipulação dos processamentos de áudio e estruturas lógicas presentes no sistema de eletrônica em tempo real de uma composição de música eletroacústica contemporânea, e propõem o uso de sistemas de partículas para modelar e simular os comportamentos dinâmicos e morfológicos que refletem os princípios conceituais e estéticos previstos pelo compositor para uma determinada composição. A parte inicial do trabalho apresentado consiste na identificação e análise detalhada dos agentes, estruturas e processos envolvidos na realização e execução do sistema de eletrônica em tempo real. A partir desta análise é proposta uma formalização lógica e genérica de um sistema de eletrônica em tempo real. Em seguida, esta formalização é modificada e adaptada para integrar uma estratégia de modelagem através de sistemas de partículas. Em sequencia da formalização lógica, um método teórico e prático para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de eletrônica em tempo real para composições de música mista é proposto. O teste e consequente validação do método se dá através de sua utilização na realização da eletrônica em tempo real para obras de diferentes compositores. A análise dos casos de estudo e da formalização lógica, e também o parecer e opinião dos compositores, permitem concluir que o método proposto é de fato eficaz na tarefa de auxiliar o processo de tradução dos conceitos musicais e estéticos propostos pelos compositores em forma de algoritmos e processamentos de som implementados em software

    The Body as Musical Instrument

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    This chapter explores the possibility of thinking of the human body as musical instrument. It builds on the philosophy of phenomenology to discuss body schemata that might be considered “instrumental” and discusses the diversity of bodies proposed by body theory to consider the incorporation of digital technology. Concepts of embodied interaction from the scientific field of human–computer interaction are discussed with an eye toward musical application. The history of gestural musical instruments is presented, from the Theremin to instruments from the STEIM studio. The text then focuses on the use of physiological signals to create music, from historical works of Lucier and Rosenboom to recent performances by the authors. The body as musical instrument is discussed in a dynamic of coadaptation between performer and instrument in different configurations of body and technology

    Finding Music in Chaos: Designing and Composing with Virtual Instruments Inspired by Chaotic Equations

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    Using chaos theory to design novel audio synthesis engines has been explored little in computer music. This could be because of the difficulty of obtaining harmonic tones or the likelihood of chaos-based synthesis engines to explode, which then requires re-instantiating of the engine to proceed with sound production. This process is not desirable when composing because of the time wasted fixing the synthesis engine instead of the composer being able to focus completely on the creative aspects of composition. One way to remedy these issues is to connect chaotic equations to individual parts of the synthesis engine instead of relying on the chaos as the primary source of all sound-producing procedures. To do this, one can create a physically-based synthesis model and connect chaotic equations to individual parts of the model. The goal of this project is to design a physically-inspired virtual instrument based on a conceptual percussion instrument model that utilizes chaos theory in the synthesis engine to explore novel sounds in a reliable and repeatable way for other composers and performers to use. This project presents a two-movement composition utilizing these concepts and a modular set of virtual instruments that can be used by anyone, which can be interacted with by a new electronic music controller called the Hexapad controller and standard MIDI controllers. The physically-inspired instrument created for the Hexapad controller is called the Ambi-Drum and standard MIDI controllers are used to control synthesis parameters and other virtual instruments

    Experimental Design for the LATOR Mission

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    This paper discusses experimental design for the Laser Astrometric Test Of Relativity (LATOR) mission. LATOR is designed to reach unprecedented accuracy of 1 part in 10^8 in measuring the curvature of the solar gravitational field as given by the value of the key Eddington post-Newtonian parameter \gamma. This mission will demonstrate the accuracy needed to measure effects of the next post-Newtonian order (~G^2) of light deflection resulting from gravity's intrinsic non-linearity. LATOR will provide the first precise measurement of the solar quadrupole moment parameter, J2, and will improve determination of a variety of relativistic effects including Lense-Thirring precession. The mission will benefit from the recent progress in the optical communication technologies -- the immediate and natural step above the standard radio-metric techniques. The key element of LATOR is a geometric redundancy provided by the laser ranging and long-baseline optical interferometry. We discuss the mission and optical designs, as well as the expected performance of this proposed mission. LATOR will lead to very robust advances in the tests of Fundamental physics: this mission could discover a violation or extension of general relativity, or reveal the presence of an additional long range interaction in the physical law. There are no analogs to the LATOR experiment; it is unique and is a natural culmination of solar system gravity experiments.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures, invited talk given at ``The 2004 NASA/JPL Workshop on Physics for Planetary Exploration.'' April 20-22, 2004, Solvang, C
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