Interactive Music Systems

1. Interactive Music Systems Umut Ozbay PhD Candidate Brunel University West London

2. Interactive Music Systems • Start of research: October, 2007 • Research objective: Finding new ways for composing and performing musical pieces • One possible way is controlling musical parameters by movement (motion in space)

3. Brief History and Point of Departure • “Before 1950, almost all instruments were designed for live performance. After 1950, the technology of recording changed the nature of electronic music” Curtis Roads • Ex: Electro-acoustic music concerts (tape music, speaker orchestras, acousmatic listening practice) • Or, Mainstream electronic music, laptop performance (Kraftwerk 1975, Alva Noto 2006)

4. Brief History and Point of Departure • During 60’s and 70’s, there was a tendency to produce all instruments with keyboard controllers (synthesizers) • Starting from the second half of 80’s till now, electronic music became a main element of interactive environments.

5. Brief History and Point of Departure • In the last 15 years, dozens of research have been done on controlling music with light, movement, motion, emotion, brain waves, diverse sensor systems, video cameras, laser, robotics, kineasonics, digital instruments which look like their acoustic originals.

6. Brief History and Point of Departure • My point of departure for such a research is this lack of “apparent” performance in computer music. I aim to create my own human-computer interface to drive music.

7. Mo-Cap Driven Music • First 3 months, experiments on Motion Capture system which contains loads of information and is very open for analysis and for building up a library of movement vocabulary in numbers. • Disadvantage of Mo-Cap systems used for artworks: they are not portable systems

8. Our_obs.cure_Selves An Interactive Sound and Video Installation

9. Our_obs.cure_Selves • First step to create an interactive environment • Sound triggering, control of volume and spatialization in space, altering parameters of delay and the looper • Closed Circuit video projection (mirroring)

10. Video Analysis • EyesWeb Patch • DV cam input • Operation block • Baricenter block • OSC • Display

11. Video Analysis • EyesWeb Patch • DV cam input • Operation block • Baricenter block • Baricenter Primitive • Interaction between the audience

12. Video Projection • White-edged silhouettes on black background • Standardization of human appearance • Obsolete and obscure bodies • Loosing the identity • Baricenter Primitive • Interaction between the audience

13. Video Projection • White-edged silhouettes on black background • Standardization of human appearance • Obsolete and obscure bodies • Loosing the identity • Baricenter Primitive • Interaction between the audience

14. Video Projection • White-edged silhouettes on black background • Standardization of human appearance • Obsolete and obscure bodies • Loosing the identity • Baricenter Primitive • Interaction between the audience

15. Video Projection • White-edged silhouettes on black background • Standardization of human appearance • Obsolete and obscure bodies • Loosing the identity • Baricenter Primitive • Interaction between the audience

16. Sound • Surround sound system • Pre-composed sound layers • Division of space into regions • Sound triggering • Volume Control • Sound Diffusion • Delay and Looper

21. Future Work Convert the system from an installation work to a performance by one or more performers • Real time composing • Offering performers the feeling of shaping the music with their bodies • Deeper video analysis • Increasing the responsiveness beyond sound triggering (continuous responsiveness) • Room for improvisation