AudioCubes are a modular live performance instrument that let you shape sound, create music and perform live through hands-on interaction with wireless intelligent objects.
AudioCubes offer new ways to interact with your existing audio software, beyond what is possible with classic knob boxes and trigger pads. They can be used for simple filter sweeps as well as infinitely complex setups in which the musical information they generate will depend on how the objects interact with each other and with their user.
Multiple users’ AudioCubes talk to each other wirelessly without complicated setup. High-speed, high-resolution, better-than-MIDI sensor technology makes sure even the most subtle performance gestures are captured.
TuISt (Transformable uber Interface for Stardom) is an emotionally driven interface taking on our inner desires and fantasies of instantaneously becoming superstars (and momentarily living under the skin of our idols) and on our instinctive imitation of the musical performers gestures as expressions of sounds. Tuist is a multi-instrument interface based on a single object with minimal gesture input surfaces and various modes of use through different positioning and orientation towards the user’s body. Multi-track gesture recording and playback/loop features also enable for multi-arrangement and composition by allowing the user to record and interact with his own performances in time. Its objective was the development of an intuitive and playful interface for novices, capable of providing explorayory interactions in an enjoyable experience inspired by our significant mimicking gestures of ‘real’ musicians and our private ambitions of creating music.
Jaime Oliver – general concept, technical design, programming
Matthew Jenkins – concept, design
The Silent Drum Controller is a transparent drum shell with an elastic head. As one presses it, the head deforms and a variety of shapes with peaks are created reflecting the shape of the hand. These shapes are captured by a video camera that sends these images to the computer, which analyzes them and outputs the tracked parameters.
These variables are sent to a mapping / score-control system. Through several discrete gestures the performers gestures control the progression through an internal score, which is in charge of moving between different mappings, while the continuous gestures shape the sounds themselves.
Zoybar is a modular hardware platform for creating custom electric string instruments and effects.
Ziv writes — “The basic Zoybar kits enable you to assemble a variety of electric string instruments that could be mounted with different sound effects. The Zoybar components provide research and development tools as a sustainable, playable prototype platform. The same modular parts can be assembled as different instruments, can be change during the performance and also be mounted with numerous special effects, just by adding and changing their position across the profile groves.
Zoybar.net is a co-creation community inspired to develop and create innovative music instruments and effects in an open platform environment. Every new effect or feature that would be created by an independent developer could become relevant to the whole Zoybar users and community. Almost any application can be easily attached to the Zoybar platform, just by adding and changing its position across the profile groves with common bolts and screws.”
George Logemann uses the Polhemus Corp Isotrak — a six-dimensional spatial “joystick” that operates over a hemisphere of about five feet in diameter. George writes that the Isotrak provides “flexibility over a realstic human expression space and a significant number of dimensions available to communicate gestures”.
I am currently looking at ways to combine a piano with elements of different interfaces, to enable fully interactive control of electronics whilst playing the instrument normally and on the strings/soundboard/body. I currently use icube sensors and MIDI, serial-driven & FFT-responsive motors. It is in constant development.
Fake Radio, an interface holding a PIC microcontroller, with 6 channels of continous control parameters and 6 channels of audio level control. Fake Radio can be connected to a computer for further processing of the audio, using Max/MSP or Pure Data (Pd).
Fake Radio is an interface, a digital musical instrument and a sound sculpture. The starting point of the interface is based around the concept of radio as transmission/reception and pure sound. The sound is transmitted from Fake Radio and is not received. Fake Radio is based on the idea of minimal design for an easy to understand interaction. Fake Radio is based on Frequency Modulation Synthesis and the dynamics of poly-rhythmic, tempo, time stretch and the variation of sound/silence referred to as time cracks in manipulation of pure sound.
Mused is a software instrument / information visualization interface designed to aid sample-based composition and interaction. Using basic onset-detection techniques to build a database of note-sized units, musical features are extracted from the units. The user can then navigate the units on a scatter plot with zoom and dynamic queries on the unit features. There is a basic keyboard sampler implemented.
The eMIC is an interface designed for vocal performers it consists of a standard microphones stand and is fitted with a number of sensors and controllers. The primary goals were to allow the vocalist a greater degree of control over the processing of their voice during performance. The eMIC consists of a standard microphone stand. It has —
An industrial joystick on the top of the stand.
Pressure sensors attached to the mic holder.
Slide sensors on the side of the stand shaft.
Distance sensors on the joystick casing at the top of the stand.
3 toggle switches at the top of the stand on the joystick casing.
A tilt sensor in the base of the stand.
A pressure sensor for the foot located on the base of the stand.
