Interacting with the piano

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (By Research Publications) and awarded by Brunel University.Several performances relating to this thesis will shortly be made available for viewing from this page. Publication 8 has been published by New Interfaces for Musical Expression as a conference article in the proceedings of NIME'09, pages 203-206. Publication 9 has been published by MIT Press, Boston as a journal article in the Leonardo Music Journal, volume 20, pages 47-55. Both articles can be viewed from the links below.This thesis explores the expansion of the piano performance environment, using technology to augment the sound, the playing area of the piano and its surroundings, and/or the performer's own body in controlling electronic elements of the music. In particular I examine the extension of piano technique and how this is affected by adding technology. I also discuss collaborative compositional processes in creating co-authored musical works and have given a critical appraisal of the different technological systems used in all of these pieces. I have also introduced ideas about developing the structure of the piano to better suit contemporary techniques and the addition of technological elements in piano playing. These ideas are represented by my own "Inside-out Piano", illustrated within the thesis. Throughout this work many new pieces for piano and live electronics have been generated and I hope these may also be useful as a resource for other pianists exploring their own interactions with the piano

Implementation and Characterization of Vibrotactile Interfaces

While a standard approach is more or less established for rendering basic vibratory cues in consumer electronics, the implementation of advanced vibrotactile feedback still requires designers and engineers to solve a number of technical issues. Several off-the-shelf vibration actuators are currently available, having different characteristics and limitations that should be considered in the design process. We suggest an iterative approach to design in which vibrotactile interfaces are validated by testing their accuracy in rendering vibratory cues and in measuring input gestures. Several examples of prototype interfaces yielding audio-haptic feedback are described, ranging from open-ended devices to musical interfaces, addressing their design and the characterization of their vibratory output

Mapping Through Listening

Gesture-to-sound mapping is generally defined as the association between gestural and sound parameters. This article describes an approach that brings forward the perception-action loop as a fundamental design principle for gesture–sound mapping in digital music instrument. Our approach considers the processes of listening as the foundation – and the first step – in the design of action-sound relationships. In this design process, the relationship between action and sound is derived from actions that can be perceived in the sound. Building on previous works on listening modes and gestural descriptions we proposed to distinguish between three mapping strategies: instantaneous, temporal, and metaphoric. Our approach makes use of machine learning techniques for building prototypes, from digital music instruments to interactive installations. Four different examples of scenarios and prototypes are described and discussed

A Selectable and Excisable Marker System for the Rapid Creation of Recombinant Poxviruses

Genetic manipulation of poxvirus genomes through attenuation, or insertion of therapeutic genes has led to a number of vector candidates for the treatment of a variety of human diseases. The development of recombinant poxviruses often involves the genomic insertion of a selectable marker for purification and selection purposes. The use of marker genes however inevitably results in a vector that contains unwanted genetic information of no therapeutic value.Here we describe an improved strategy that allows for the creation of marker-free recombinant poxviruses of any species. The Selectable and Excisable Marker (SEM) system incorporates a unique fusion marker gene for the efficient selection of poxvirus recombinants and the Cre/loxP system to facilitate the subsequent removal of the marker. We have defined and characterized this new methodological tool by insertion of a foreign gene into vaccinia virus, with the subsequent removal of the selectable marker. We then analyzed the importance of loxP orientation during Cre recombination, and show that the SEM system can be used to introduce site-specific deletions or inversions into the viral genome. Finally, we demonstrate that the SEM strategy is amenable to other poxviruses, as demonstrated here with the creation of an ectromelia virus recombinant lacking the EVM002 gene.The system described here thus provides a faster, simpler and more efficient means to create clinic-ready recombinant poxviruses for therapeutic gene therapy applications

The MSCI Platform. A framework for the Design and Simulation of Multisensory Virtual Musical Instruments

International audienc

Glissement prismatique de Al2O3 déformé par compression

Al2O3 samples have been deformed by compression along the prismatic glide system { 1210 } from 1 400 °C to 1 800 °C at shear strain rates γ = 3.5 x 10-5 s-1 and 3.5 × 10-4 s-1. The τ-γ curves show three stages with work hardening rate θ1 ≃ μ/150 and θ II ≃ μ/70 independant of T. A saturation stress is reached in stage III after 2 to 5 % strain. The critical resolved shear stress τ can be described by the equation : γ = A(τ/μ) m exp[ - (ΔG0 - τV)/kT] where 2 { 1210} de 1 400 °C à 1 800 °C et suivant des vitesses résolues de l'ordre de 3,5 x 10-5 s-1 et 3,5 x 10 -4 s-1. Les courbes τ-γ présentent trois stades avec des vitesses de consolidation θI ≃ μ/150 et θ II ≃ μ/70 indépendants de T. Le stade de restauration τ III est atteint après 2 à 5 % de déformation. La contrainte de cisaillement critique résolue peut être décrite par la relation : γ = A(τ/μ) m exp[-(ΔG0 - τV)/kT] où 2 < m < 4,5 et 5 < V < 14 b3. Ces valeurs amènent à penser à un mécanisme de glissement visqueux des dislocations ou ΔG0, bien qu'élevée - entre 8 et 10 eV - serait liée à une énergie libre de diffusion

DEFORMATION OF Al2O3 SINGLE CRYSTALS BETWEEN 25°C AND 1800°C : BASAL AND PRISMATIC SLIP

Des essais de compression à vitesse constante ont été éxécutés sur des monocristaux d'alumine entre 25°C et 1800°C sous une pression hydrostatique de 1500 MPa. Les cristaux sollicités pour le glissement prismatique se fracturent en-dessous de 200°C et pour le glissement basal en-dessous de 600°C. Les scissions critiques pour les 2 glissements ont été trouvées entre 100 MPa et 3000 MPa. Elles s'accordent avec l'extrapolation que l'on peut faire des résultats obtenus à haute température et pression normale.Compression tests on alumina single crystals have been performed under 1500 MPa hydrostatic pressure at temperatures between 25°C and 1800°C Specimens tested for prismatic slip failed below 200°C and those for basal slip below 600°C. Critical resolved shear stresses for both slip systems, have been in the range 100 MPa - 3000 MPa. They show a reasonable agreement with extrapolated values from high temperature-room pressure data

MODÈLES ET SIMULATION EN TEMPS RÉEL DE CORDE FROTTÉE

La synthèse musicale par simulation de modèles physiques permet de retrouver les conditions du jeu instrumental. La qualité musicale obtenue dépend pour une part importante du mécanisme excitateur. Ce papier présente un modèle d'excitateur rendant compte des viscosités et adhérence non linéaires du couplage archet-corde et sa simulation en temps réel.Musical sounds synthesis with physical modeling gives a new access to instrumental playing. Musical quality is more dependent on excitation process. This paper presents an exciter model, and its real time simulation, which restitute the non linear viscosity and adherence existing in the bow-string coupling