New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Producing Music with N - Delta Interfaces

by Dimitrios Margounakis

nime05

by Michael Lyons

Bertinetto Vedere la musica

by Alessandro Bertinetto

Towards expressive musical robots: a cross-modal framework for emotional gesture, voice and music

by Angelica Lim

Angelica Lim*, Tetsuya Ogata and Hiroshi G Okuno

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing 2012, 2012:3 doi:10.1186/1687-4722-2012-3

It has been long speculated that expression of emotions from different modalities have the same underlying 'code',... more It has been long speculated that expression of emotions from different modalities have the same underlying 'code', whether it be a dance step, musical phrase, or tone of voice. This is the first attempt to implement this theory across three modalities, inspired by the polyvalence and repeatability of robotics. We propose a unifying framework to generate emotions across voice, gesture, and music, by representing emotional states as a 4-parameter tuple of speed, intensity, regularity, and extent (SIRE). Our results show that a simple 4-tuple can capture four emotions recognizable at greater than chance across gesture and voice, and at least two emotions across all three modalities. An application for multi-modal, expressive music robots is discussed.

Keywords: affective computing; gesture; entertainment robots.

“Almost like the real thing”: how does the digital simulation of musical instruments influence musicianship?

by Marko Aho

“Almost like the real thing”: how does the digital simulation of musical instruments influence musicianship?

by Marko Aho

Hex Player - a virtual musical controller

by Anna Xambo

Milne, Andrew J.; Xambó, Anna; Laney, Robin; Sharp, David B.; Prechtl, Anthony and Holland, Simon (2011). In: The International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression 2011, 30 May – 01 June 2011, Oslo, Norway.

In this paper, we describe a playable musical interface for tablets and multi-touch tables. The interface is a... more In this paper, we describe a playable musical interface for tablets and multi-touch tables. The interface is a generalized keyboard, inspired by the Thummer, and consists of an array of virtual buttons. On a generalized keyboard, any given interval always has the same shape (and therefore fingering); furthermore, the fingering is consistent over a broad range of tunings. Compared to a physical generalized keyboard, a virtual version has some advantages—notably, that the spatial location of the buttons can be transformed by shears and rotations, and their colouring can be changed to reflect their musical function in different scales.

We exploit these flexibilities to facilitate the playing not just of conventional Western scales but also a wide variety of microtonal generalized diatonic scales known as moment of symmetry, or well-formed, scales. A user can choose such a scale, and the buttons are automatically arranged so their spatial height corresponds to their pitch, and buttons an octave apart are always vertically above each other. Furthermore, the most numerous scale steps run along rows, while buttons within the scale are light-coloured, and those outside are dark or removed.

These features can aid beginners; for example, the chosen scale might be the diatonic, in which case the piano’s familiar white and black colouring of the seven diatonic and five chromatic notes is used, but only one scale fingering need ever be learned (unlike a piano where every key needs a different fingering). Alternatively, it can assist advanced composers and musicians seeking to explore the universe of unfamiliar microtonal scales.

TOUCHtr4ck: democratic collaborative music

by Anna Xambo

Xambó, Anna; Laney, Robin and Dobbyn, Chris (2011). In: TEI '11 Fifth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, 23-26 January 2011, Funchal, Portugal.

When electronic musicians compose collaboratively, they typically use their own single-user musical controllers. It... more When electronic musicians compose collaboratively, they typically use their own single-user musical controllers. It may, therefore, be useful to develop novel controllers that support collaborative workflows and democratic principles. After describing the design principles for developing such controllers, we present TOUCHtr4ck, a prototype multi-touch system designed to facilitate such democratic relationships. Informal testing has revealed that this approach does facilitate democratic and collaborative music making, and can produce creative musical results.

SoundSaber – A motion capture instrument

by Kristian Nymoen

Xenakis: combining tangible interaction with probability-based musical composition

by Bettina Conradi

co-authors are Markus Bischof, Peter Lachenmaier, Kai Linde, Max Meier, Philipp Pötzl, Elisabeth Andre
published in proceedings of TEI '08: Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on Tangible and embedded interaction. Bonn, Germany, February, 2008, ISBN 978-1-60558-004-3.

In this paper we present the table-based tangible interface application Xenakis which uses probability models in order... more In this paper we present the table-based tangible interface application Xenakis which uses probability models in order to compose music in a way that can be strongly influenced by the user. Our musical sequencing application is based on a framework for tangible interfaces with an architecture that is strongly inspired by the model-view-controller pattern. In addition, we developed a hardware setup for tangible interfaces and used MatraX for tracking markers. The sequencer is the first implementation based on this framework. It allows users to create music simply by moving tangibles on the table. The graphics engine Horde3D is used to visualize the user-interaction and to show the relationships between the tangible objects on the table, creating an appealing audio-visual experience. An evaluation with 37 first time users was conducted in order to discover the strong and the weak points of such tangible user interfaces, especially in the context of our application.

Brain-computer music interface for generative music

by Prof Eduardo R. Miranda

Proc. 6th Intl Conf. Disability, Virtual Reality & Assoc. Tech., Esbjerg, Denmark, 2006. ISBN 07 049 98 65 3

This paper introduces a brain-computer interface (BCI) system that uses electroencephalogram (EEG) information to... more This paper introduces a brain-computer interface (BCI) system that uses electroencephalogram (EEG) information to steer generative rules in order to compose and perform music. It starts by noting the various attempts at the design of BCI systems, including systems for music. Then it presents a short technical introduction to EEG sensing and analysis. Next, it introduces the generative music component of the system, which employs an Artificial Intelligence technique for the computer-replication of musical styles. The system constantly monitors the EEG of the subject and activates generative rules associated with the activity of different frequency bands of the spectrum of the EEG signal. The system also measures the complexity of the EEG signal in order to modulate the tempo (beat) and dynamics (loudness) of the performance.

Wakeful software and wakeful musical instruments: a theoretical approach to the implementation

by Fabio Paolizzo

to appear in: ISEA 2011 - conference proceedings

A new category of content-related software is here proposed. ‘Wakeful’ software is one that senses and responds to an... more A new category of content-related software is here proposed. ‘Wakeful’ software is one that senses and responds to an environment with which it may consistently interact meaningfully. The term ‘wakeful’ is here meant as ‘sign-bearing,’ rather than potentially being capable of such. Specifically, the study was carried out in relation to music and interactive music systems.

A MIDI sequencer that widens access to the compositional possibilities of novel tunings

by Andrew Milne

Prechtl, A., Milne, A. J., Holland, S., Laney, R. Sharp, D. B. (2012). Computer Music Journal, 36(1), 42–54.

This is a preprint version of an article that has been accepted for publication in Computer Music Journal, 36(1).

We present a new Dynamic Tonality MIDI sequencer, Hex, that aims to make sequencing music in and across a large... more We present a new Dynamic Tonality MIDI sequencer, Hex, that aims to make sequencing music in and across a large variety of novel tunings as straightforward as sequencing in twelve-tone equal temperament. It replaces the piano roll used in conventional MIDI sequencers with a two-dimensional lattice roll in order to enable the intuitive visualization and dynamic manipulation of tuning.

In conventional piano roll sequencers, a piano keyboard is displayed on the left side of the window, and white and black note lanes extend horizontally to the right, into which a user can draw a sequence of notes. Similarly, in Hex, a button lattice is displayed in its own pane on the left side of the window, and horizontal lines are drawn from the center of each note to the right. These lines function as generalized note lanes, just like in piano roll sequencers, but with the added benefit that each note lane's height is always proportional to its pitch, even if the user changes the tuning. The presence of the button lattice on the left side of the window illustrates exactly which buttons a performer would play in order to replicate the sequence when playing a physical button lattice instrument.

A structured design and evaluation model with application to rhythmic interaction displays

by Reha Discioglu

Instruments from Now into the Future: The Disembodied Voice

by Paul Doornbusch

Sounds Australian Journal of the Australian Music Centre, Sydney, 2003

Discusses the basics and theory of new musical instruments based on sensors and digital technology. Discusses the basics and theory of new musical instruments based on sensors and digital technology.

Advanced Media Control Through Drawing:

by Steve Gibson

Co-authored with Justin Love

This paper demonstrates the results of the authors’ Wacom tablet MIDI user interface. This application enables users’... more This paper demonstrates the results of the authors’ Wacom tablet MIDI user interface. This application enables users’ drawing actions on a graphics tablet to control audio and video parameters in real-time. The programming affords five degrees (x, y, pressure, x tilt, y tilt) of concurrent control for use in any audio or video software capable of receiving and processing MIDI data. Drawing gesture can therefore form the basis of dynamic control simultaneously in the auditory and visual realms. This creates a play of connections between parameters in both mediums, and illustrates a direct correspondence between drawing action and media transformation that is immediately apparent to viewers.

The paper considers the connection between drawing technique and media control both generally and specifically, postulating that dynamic drawing in a live context creates a performance mode not dissimilar to performing on a musical instrument or conducting with a baton. The use of a dynamic and physical real-time media interface re-inserts body actions into live media performance in a compelling manner. Performers can learn to “draw/play” the graphics tablet as a musical and visual “instrument”, creating a new and uniquely idiomatic form of electronic drawing. The paper also discusses how to practically program the application and presents examples of its use as a media manipulation tool.

Alternative Approaches to Interface Technology

by Steve Gibson

Chapter 2 in Perspectives on Multimedia: Communication, Media and Inforamtion Technology. Edited by Robert Burnett, Anna Brunstrom and Anders Nilsson.  Published by John Wiley and Sons, London, 2004. Pages 17-39.

My contribution to this project will be to discuss the interface between humans and machines, specifically some... more My contribution to this project will be to discuss the interface between humans and machines, specifically some alternative approaches to human interaction with large-scale digital systems. Currently the majority of mainstream research in the area of interface technology is dominated by both concerns of ergonomics and matters of practicality in the mouse-keyboard-monitor configuration. This paper is interested in those interface strategies that purposely diverge from the standard mouse-keyboard arrangement and therefore offer a wider range of sensory interaction with digital systems.

Scratching the scale labyrinth

by Andrew Milne

Milne, A. J., Carlé, M., Sethares, W. A., Noll, T., & Holland, S. (2011). In C. Agon, E. Amiot, M. Andreatta, G. Assayag, J. Bresson, & J. Mandereau (Eds.), Mathematics and Computation in Music: Third International Conference, MCM 2011, Paris, France, June 2011 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 6726, pp. 180–195). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.

The original publication is available at http://www.springerlink.com/content/n257556xw8390457/?CFID=70130633&CFTOKEN=29786250.

In this paper, we introduce a new approach to computer-aided microtonal improvisation by combining methods for (1)... more In this paper, we introduce a new approach to computer-aided microtonal improvisation by combining methods for (1) interactive scale navigation, (2) real-time manipulation of musical patterns and (3) dynamical timbre adaption in solidarity with the respective scales. On the basis of the theory of well-formed scales we offer a visualization of the underlying combinatorial ramifications in terms of a scale labyrinth. This involves the selection of generic well-formed scales on a binary tree (based on the Stern-Brocot tree) as well as the choice of specific tunings through the specification of the sizes of a period (pseudo-octave) and a generator (pseudo-fifth), whose limits are constrained by the actual position on the tree. We also introduce a method to enable transformations among the modes of a chosen scale (generalized and refined “diatonic” and “chromatic” transpositions). To actually explore the scales and modes through the shaping and transformation of rhythmically and melodically interesting tone patterns, we propose a playing technique called Fourier Scratching. It is based on the manipulation of the “spectra” (DFT) of playing gestures on a sphere. The coordinates of these gestures affect score and performance parameters such as scale degree, loudness, and timbre. Finally, we discuss a technique to dynamically match the timbre to the selected scale tuning.

Hex Player—a virtual musical controller

by Andrew Milne

Milne, A. J., Xambó, A., Laney, R., Sharp, D. B., Prechtl, A., & Holland, S. (2011). Hex Player—a virtual musical controller. In A. R. Jensenius, A. Tveit, R. Godøy, & D. Overholt (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2011 International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME11) (pp. 244–247). Oslo, Norway.

In this paper, we describe a playable musical interface for tablets and multi-touch tables. The interface is a... more In this paper, we describe a playable musical interface for tablets and multi-touch tables. The interface is a generalized keyboard, inspired by the Thummer, and consists of an array of virtual buttons. On a generalized keyboard, any given interval always has the same shape (and therefore fingering); furthermore, the fingering is consistent over a broad range of tunings. Compared to a physical generalized keyboard, a virtual version has some advantages—notably, that the spatial location of the buttons can be transformed by shears and rotations, and their colouring can be changed to reflect their musical function in different scales.

We exploit these flexibilities to facilitate the playing not just of conventional Western scales but also a wide variety of microtonal generalized diatonic scales known as moment of symmetry, or well-formed, scales. A user can choose such a scale, and the buttons are automatically arranged so their spatial height corresponds to their pitch, and buttons an octave apart are always vertically above each other. Furthermore, the most numerous scale steps run along rows, while buttons within the scale are light-coloured, and those outside are dark or removed.

These features can aid beginners; for example, the chosen scale might be the diatonic, in which case the piano’s familiar white and black colouring of the seven diatonic and five chromatic notes is used, but only one scale fingering need ever be learned (unlike a piano where every key needs a different fingering). Alternatively, it can assist advanced composers and musicians seeking to explore the universe of unfamiliar microtonal scales.

MUQUISC

by Musical Anatomical Motion Studies

- A musicians and narrators forum on minimal musicality, set up in Mumbai India.

'MUQUISC'- is an activity and discussion forum for people interested in open minded radical physiological performance... more 'MUQUISC'- is an activity and discussion forum for people interested in open minded radical physiological performance practice.

Musical Quotients of IndividualS Convergence :"The mandate is to divulge in to the musical motion across all our fingers, on any Instrument.Select phrase or word of music and see the silent motions of fingers.Let us think about many many tunes and harmonic structures for silently working upon-- lets hear 1 form of music and play the other 1.lets discuss the experience and analyze the anatomical commons across the fellow experimentalists...."
-Amit Bhavsar