Rudimentology

"Rudimentology" took place last Wednesday and featured all of the projects within the Performance Technology class this year; including my own "Wii Ball" installation. As well as this, "Rudimentology" featured a Theramin controller, an RjDj iphone installation, an acoustic/electronic drum composition, a light sensor keyboard as well as a bliptronome composition device. The following information outlines the success of my installation as well as the developments and alterations that I would make for future preferences:

Wii Ball

The Wii Ball station at Rudimentology

My completed installation was the Wii Ball in which I have been working and developing on over the past year. Through using a software named OSculator I was able to connect a Wii remote controller to Max MSP through bluetooth signals; the effect of this meant that I was able to manipulate the functions of the controller into a patch designed into Max MSP. Regarding the software OSculator, I had a number of problems with this software during the development of the Wii Ball, this was mainly due to the demo version that I was using as the software would stop the bluetooth signals from the Wii remote controller to the Max MSP patch. As a result of this, this meant that I needed to purchase OSculator in order to keep a a regular signal between the controller and my patch (thankfully OSculator ask for donations towards their software, this donation cost £7). The patch that myself and Simon had developed over a few months used and manipulated Tam's electronic drum composition. The patch in itself used the information of the pitch/yaw/roll movements in order to trigger of a number of loops that I had edited that were from Tam's Log Pro file. From this, this meant that when the Wii remote controller was thrown in the air  a small loop would be produced when passed number 0.52 in the  Max MSP patch. As well as this even when moving the ball in a numerous ways this affected the loops produced and the buffer object within the Max MSP patch. The following picture shows my final patch that I used for the Rudimentology workshop:

This patch above shows the numerous amount of objects that myself and Simon used in order to achieve loops being triggered when the Wii remote controller was thrown. Nevertheless, one thing that was essential that I needed for my installation was a ball, after having difficulty finding a suitable ball in order to fit my Wii remote controller into this was soon resolved as I ended up purchasing a  gerbil ball in which I compacted it with bubble wrap.
When setting up for Rudimentology, I had my own workstation which featured my Wii Ball, my patch and my laptop which was connected to two Edirol Speakers as well as to a DI Box for the end performance. When Rudimentology was opened to the public a number of people were playing around with my Wii Ball and were fascinated with the loops being produced from the ball, unexpectedly people began playing ball games which I thought was great, the video below shows people interacting with my ball (roughly at 1.05):

As a result of taking part in Rudimentology, I realised that there are a number of alterations and changes that I would make to my own Wii Ball. The loops that I edited were slightly too long when triggered, as a result of this, I would make the loops shorter so that they were more effective. As well as this, instead of have a gerbil ball, I would prefer to place a Wii remote controller into a softer material as throughout the day, the gerbil ball was not as durable as what I would've liked it to be. After having a discussion with Simon he also suggested that the when the ball is held still, maybe this could stop all of the loops so that it was silent instead of a continuos sound of tam's composition. Nevertheless, interaction wise, I was thinking that it would've been a good idea to make a game for people to play with using the ball and the loops triggered.

Rudimentology Performance 

Rudimentology was split into two sections, the first section was a hands on approach for the public to see how we had produced installations and the technological approach to each of these installations. As well as this, the second section was a performance that was revolved around Tam's acoustic/electronic drum composition which featured Daniel on the bass guitar and Ivor on the electric guitar as well as the Wii Ball, Theramin and the RjDj. The physical set up for this performance featured the acoustic drum and the electronic drums in the central stage whereas each of the other installations were situated around this. The idea of the performance was to start of with the each of the installations playing a "remix" idea of Tam's composition which would then be stopped whilst Tam and members of the group would perform his piece.

At the start of the piece myself, Ivor and Mike started of the performance. Mike had created a patch in Max MSP which was controlled by  a Moog Theramin, the idea of this was to manipulate the composition through specific hand movements on the theramin. As well as this Ivor had created a number of scenes in the iphone application RjDj which used a number of loops from Tam's composition but altered them through using a number of effects and audio signals from the the microphone which was attached to the iphone. Each of these installations was connected to the PA so that the audience were experience a number of sounds being produced at different points. These installations were soon faded out so that the drum composition could begin. Regarding this, the electronic drum pads were connected to a patch made in Max MSP which produced sounds that were created by Tam in Logic Pro 9. This composition featured the electronic sounds as well as rhythmical grooves on the acoustic drum kit which were accompanied by a bass guitar groove and a melodic chord progression on the electric guitar.

As a result of this, Rudimentology was a great success which showcased the installations and creativity of the students who had taken Performance Technology HND 2. I myself enjoyed developing an installation for this showcase and from this, Rudimentology acted as a learning curve so that I realised the problems that were raised from my Wii Ball and from this, this can allow me to develop this installation. 

Emerging Technology and Physical Space with Geo-Location

Geo-Location is the term by which an object such as a mobile phone, an Internet connected device or a radar can be identified in real world geographical location. This is an example of emerging technology in todays society which has already been established as a desired feature in a number of technological devices such as mobile phones and tablets such as the iPad.
Nevertheless, the process of Geo-Location within internet connected devices can be performed by the Internet Protocol address,  a Wi-Fi connection, a Mac address and even embedded software numbers. Regarding programmes that use  geo-location, when a user accesses  Google Maps on an internet connected device,  the location of the user can be displayed and accessed through the information produced by the IP Address . (The picture above displays Google Maps ability of geo-location).

With the ability of tablet technology using geo-location as a feature within many applications, an example of this is the Inception app which itunes released in order to enable a user to enhance a unique experience of the film. This application based on Christopher Nolan's film is an application that pushes the boundaries on similar film applications due to its ability to make the listener feel as if they are experience similar dreams to Leonardo DiCaprio in the film thanks to a numerous use of musical effects as well as featuring Hans Zimmer soundtrack. This is achieved as the application uses the numerous  gizmos and sensors built within an iphone or ipad, the effect of this is that the application uses the surroundings of a user to create distorted/augmented  effects which are similar to the surreal dreams within the movie. Nevertheless, the input for this application is through the microphone as this turns all the surrounding noises into distorted and augmented sounds.  As well as this, the application features a number of dreams which enable several requirements in order to access them, from this, each dream features a range of augmented and discordant effects in order to make the user feel as if they inside the inception reality.  The effect of this means that this inception application creates a composition which is unique to each user and that the overall sounds produced is not a conventional performance instead it uses the physical space to create a unique performance. 

In conclusion geo-location is an example of emerging technology which is enhancing technological developments in todays society. Regarding the use of geo-location, electronic devices such as the iphone and the ipad are using this in order to produce thought provoking applications such as the Inception app which produces a composition based on the location and surroundings of the user. The effect of this means that applications such as this pushes the boundaries of music performance and does not use a conventional stage/audience set up/ 

Emerging Technology

The iPad  is an example of emerging technology in today's society; the iPad is a tablet computer which has been both designed and developed by Apple Inc. Designed as an alternative portable device compared to a laptop, the iPad is initially  a platform which enables the user to view and interactive with audio-visual media.
Controlled by a multi-touch display, the iPad uses Wi-Fi connection data in order to connect to the internet, which gives the user the freedom to search the web as well as loading/streaming media and also installing software. As a result of being manufactured and designed by Apple Inc, the iPad is managed and synced through using the application known as iTunes which can be connected through a Wi-Fi connection or through a USB connection to a laptop or computer.
Nevertheless, referring to music technology; I am extremely impressed with the iPad as it has the ability and functions necessary to allow the user to create and record musical compositions through the use of the music creation applications. As a result of this, this can allow a musician to experiment with sound samplers, virtual theramins, guitar and voice processors, virtual synthesisers and many more. From researching the iPad and this ability of music creation applications; I found out that the musician Damon Albarn created the Gorillaz's latest album Fall on the iPad.
Ultimately, the iPad is an example of emerging technology which I feel will change and offer new opportunities for musicians in recording, producing or even performance situations. From researching youtube, I came across this video below which highlights the information that I have discussed about the iPad and music creation applications as well as visually showing the creative use of the iPad:

Research on Technology

Whilst researching videos and information about the Wii Remote Controller, I came across this video which I found extremely interesting on both a technological and performance aspect; using the technology of motion sensors the Physical Sequencer is a human interface which inevitably encourages musical expression:

The Physical Sequencer is a grid based human sequencer that uses 56 motion sensors which are individually gridded on a 7x8 board which detect the movement of the performer; this movement could consist of speed and height. A Motion Sensor is a device that contains an electronic device which detects motion, within electronic sensors when motion is detected these sensors will transform motion and produce this into an electric signal. Regarding the video, when each of these motion sensors detect the movement of the performer; each motion sensor will send an electric signal to a connected laptop which will use theses signals to trigger a sample or musical sound depending on the software used.

As a result of watching this, the video above shows how a sound installation can be combined with a performance whether its a choreographed dance or if it is improvised movements. 

1st Patch For Wiimote

From continuing to research on the internet about the use of controlling patches using a Wii Remote Control, myself and Simon began looking at ideas and patches that we could create which would react to the movement of the remote control. The video above highlights the use of two Max MSP patches which were designed in order to react to the pitch movement of the wiimote, this is illustrated within the green lines of the following diagram. Nevertheless, the two patches are initial ideas which will be developed and designed further in order to create a patch that will react to the pitch, roll and yaw movements however, I feel at this stage it is necessary for myself to design and develop ideas using Max MSP.

After syncing the wiimote to the laptop using osculator, I uploaded the template "Connect Wiimote to Max MSP" (a screen shot of this was published on an earlier blog of mine) which showed the movement of the controller using number boxes. From this, we used the Pitch number box and sent this information into a new patch through using a receive object which allowed us to create a patch that would be controlled through the pitch movement of the wiimote. As a result of this we decided to use a "mtof" object which converts MIDI notes to frequencies as this would give the remote controller the ability to produce a range of musical notes through specific vertical movements. After creating this patch we also used the information from the movement of the pitch to create a second patch which would control the buffer of a sample; this was achieved by importing a buffer patch into Max MSP in which we connected a receiver object from the "Connect Wiimote to Max MSP" patch. After importing an audio file into the buffer we were able to control the speed of the file through specific vertical movements from the wiimote.  These two patches are shown below:

Ultimately, from experimenting with the Pitch Movement of the Wiimote, this has given me a brief understanding of the wide capabilities of the remote control and the possibilities of creating a patch that will incorporate the use of other movements of the controller. From this the next stage that I will undergo will be to both develop patches similar to this as well as researching information on the Wii remote controller which will inevitably allow myself to produce a patch that will be used for my "Wii Tennis" idea.

Further Wii Remotes with Max MSP

From continuing to research through online webpages, I came across this video which has been taken from YouTube:

Uploaded by Boymakesmusic, the video above illustrates the extreme possibilities of using the technology from a Wiimote along with Max MSP. As a part of a school project, "Boymakesmusic" developed several patches that were created using the software Max which was controlled by a Wii Remote in order to generate both IDM style beats and pre-made loops. As a result of this, the video shows how a composition can be gradually created through a range of patches that have been created and controlled by the Wii Remote control. Inevitably after watching this; I felt that this video shows the possible use of creating a patch that generates loops through particular hand or wrist movements by the user which in turn creates a unique performance.
Nevertheless, from this; I feel that it could be worthwhile to develop and create a patch based on a number of loops which would be triggered by the Wii Remote. These loops could be triggered when the ball (containing the remote control) would be struck by a tennis bat; however, I feel that further research and class discussions will allow myself to develop a working patch.

Wii Remotes and Max MSP

After researching on YouTube for videos based on people using the technology of the Wii Remote Control along with the software Max MSP, I came across this following video which illustrates how the user charytanaka has created a patch using Max MSP which controls and imitates the wiimote as a theramin. As a result of this, this shows the capability and the possibilities of using a Wii remote controller alongside with Max, from this, I think that it is essential for myself to continue researching for videos such as this in order for myself to gain inspiration for when I will develop a patch used for my Wii Remote Tennis idea.

Wii Remote Connection

After proposing my end of term "Tennis Wii Remote" idea to the Performance Technology class, I felt that it was particularly important to research into softwares and Max MSP patches that would allow myself to control a Wii remote (which would be placed within a ball) to a pre-made patch in Max5.

After researching online web forums and having a discussion with Simon, we decided to use a software named OSCulator as this software has been designed to synchronise electronic gadgets to a range of MIDI sequencers as well as supporting softwares such as Max MSP, SuperCollider etc.  After downloading OSCulator, I tried to sync the "wiimote" to the computer but had a number of connection problems which were soon resolved after I changed the batteries and pressed the sync button placed within the battery compartment. 

When connected, I then opened a pre-made patch in Max MSP created by OSCulator which displays the positioning of the Wii remote controller concerning pitch, roll, yaw and scalar acceleration data; this patch is displayed below:

As a result of connecting the Wii to Max MSP, the next stage that I think will be essential will be  to create a patch which will be designed around the movement and positioning of the Wii Remote, from this, I think that it may be beneficial for myself to research and investigate whether people are already using Wii Remotes with softwares such as Max and the possibilities of producing a range of sounds.

Proposed Project for Performance Technology

As a result of attending the Tramway Showcase in Glasgow, this gave me a "hands on" opportunity to see how people are using and developing modern technology in order to produce unique musical experiences; from this, I have devised my own idea in which I would like to develop further. I have proposed a project that will showcase at the end of term Performance Technology concert that will use both the technology a Wii remote control as well as the software of Max MSP. The following information outlines the basis of this idea as well as areas in which I will need to both investigate and develop. 

The Wii is a video game console which was released by Nintendo in 2006  which has developed the idea of allowing users to control and manipulate functions of  the console through the use of motion sensors which is achieved through the technology used within the  remote control. The Wii Remote is a wireless motion sensing controller which has used both accelerometer and optical sensor technology in order to allow the user to control the gaming of the console through wrist/arm movements which ultimately offers a unique experience when playing.                                                                                  

From this, my proposed idea for the Performance Technology Showcase is to use the technology within the Wii Remote to create an object which produces sound depending on the movement of the controller. When walking around Tramway, I noticed that many of the installations allowed and encouraged the public to interact with them and from this, I want to create an instrument that requires human interaction.

From this, I have decided to incorporate the technology used within the Wii Remote and to develop this within a sporting activity. My proposed idea is to place the wii remote into a ball which will be used in a game of Tennis, Badminton, Swingball, Football etc. When placed inside a ball, the wii remote will be wirelessly connected to a patch created in Max MSP which will produce a range of sounds depending on the movement of the controller.

As a rough idea, this project requires a lot of research and design developments as there are many areas in which I need to investigate including:

*The physical weight/dimensions of the Wii remote and the possibilities of placing this within a ball.

* How to connect the Wii Remote to Max MSP and to research any software which allows myself to do this.

* Creating a patch which is designed around the movement of the Wii Remote and which successfully works accordingly. 

*Anthropometric problems which may arise and any difficulties regarding human interaction.

In conclusion, the next stage of this idea is to research and look into the connection between using the controller alongside with Max MSP.

   

TramWay Presents John Cage MusiCircus

Saturday 26th February 2011

Along with my Performance Technology Class, I attended the  "John Cage MusiCircus" which took place at a venue in Glasgow named Tramway, that allowed musicians to showcase a number of interactive workshops as well as performances throughout the full day. Nevertheless, these workshops were mainly aimed towards young children to a certain extent, whilst the technology used within many of the sound installations illustrated creative thinking as well as technological advancements.  As a result of this, from watching several workshops, I have been inspired to develop an idea for the end of term technology performance.; this idea will be illustrated in the following blog.

Circuit Bending

Example of Circuit Bending

After thinking about ideas and projects that I can pursue with Performance Technology, I am going to research and look further into "Circuit Bending".

Circuit Bending is the short circuiting of electronic devices such as guitar effects pedals, small children toys and small synthesisers to produce new musical sound generators. The methodology of circuit bending is achieved through bisecting an electronic device and connecting any two circuit locations with a "jumper wire", as a result; this will send a current  from one part of the circuit into another. After experimenting with this, it is possible to connect components such as switches, resistors or capacitors at this point which have the ability to change the quality of the audio output of the device.

Example of a kids toy with circuit bending

From researching youtube, I have came across a range of people that have experimented with circuit bending and have used this method with electronic devices ranging from, kid toys to Gameboys:

The video above has been taken from Circuit Master's  You Tube account, the video shows the ability of circuit bending a gameboy through adding an oscillator. An oscillator is an electronic circuit which produces an electronic signal; often as a sine wave. From using the gameboy to play a Super Mario game, circuit master has used the oscillator to change and alter the sounds produced from the game.

As a result of this, I think that it would be interesting in researching further into Circuit Bending and developing an idea where I can take an electronic device and alter the sounds through adding necessary components. From this, I feel that it is important to look at videos where people have used circuit bending with technology which will give me a further knowledge within this field.
  

Max MSP Korg Nano Pad Patch

As a result of working with the Korg Nano Pad  and  Max MSP, I have managed to create my own patch which is featured in the video above which shows myself demonstrating and experimenting with the patch that I have created.

After connecting the Pad and carrying out a MIDI Tester on Max MSP, I wanted to create a patch that was suitable for the trigger and X/Y pads on the Nano Pad. From this, I started my patch with a "notein" object which receives MIDI information sent from the Nano Pad, after this I routed each of the 12 trigger pads through using both the "strip note" and the "route" objects. Ultimately this gave me the ability to create unique and different sounds for each of the trigger pads, I achieved this through the "cycle- object" which is an interpolating oscillator that has allowed me to create sounds for each pad. Furthermore, with the X/Y axis I wanted to use this to control the frequency of one of my pad sounds, I achieved this through using the "ctlin" object as well as the "mtof" object which gave me the ability to change the frequency of the trigger pad.

The picture below is the Max MSP Nano Pad Patch that I have created:

My MAX MSP Patch for this controller can be downloaded here

Max MSP Live Looper

Throughout researching videos on youtube that combined both a performance and technology aspect, I found this interesting video which has been posted from a user named Seamsmusic. Within this, Seamsmusic has created a patch using the software Max MSP which randomly loops live audio which has been taken from the condenser microphone, this audio information is randomly looped within given parameters which adds a textural slutter effect.
When both singing and playing the guitar into the condenser microphone, the patch created in Max MSP takes this information and produces a robotic stutter which adds an interesting effect to a live performance. From this, after watching the video above, I would like to experiment more with live audio and Max MSP to create a patch similar to Seamsmusic. Inevitably, if I was to develop an idea that includes both  live audio and Max MSP I would want to use this in a performance aspect; possibly having a band performing and using microphones that are connected to a patch within Max 5?
 

Korg Nano

In today's Performance Technology class, we began experimenting with varied controllers along with Max 5 which enabled us to create interesting patches and use the controllers to their full potential. From this, I choses the Korg nanoPad and began experimenting with this along with max MSP.

Korg nanoPad

The Korg nanoPad, is a Midi controller featuring 12 highly responsive trigger pads and additional X-Y touchpad with roll and flam functions for realistic drum programming. USB powered, the nanoPad's X and Y touchpad will send MIDI control change which makes it a useful interface for any parameter when using a software that requires full range MIDI control such as pitch, cutoff, volume etc

The patch below is a working progress and is the result of todays work when I began using the nano Pad along with Max5, as result of this, the patch that I have created assigns each of the 12 trigger pads an individual note through using the note in, strip note and pack objects. As a result of todays work, I feel that I have managed to create a very basic patch that works coincide with the nanoPad however, from this I am going to develop the patch that I have created and use the nanoPad to its full potential.

Max MSP Algorithmic Patch

After beginning to use Max 5, the patch above is one of the first patches that I have created within my Performance Technology class with help from the tutorial video and the result of this is that the patch produces a random drunken melody.
Revolving around the "drunk" object in the centre of the patch, the button above this sends a bang to the drunk object which produces a note that will randomly leap each time when pressed. These leaps are determined from the number 4 within the drunk object and this  creates a range for the leaps to jump from, this particular range is from -3 to 3. As well as this, the number 128 within the drunk object determines the note range and this can be altered determine the range where I would like my melody to be created. Furthermore, through the use of the "metro 500" object; this object ticks continuously every 500 milliseconds and creates a rhythmical feeling to the patch which ultimately enables the Max 5 patch to create a randomly drunken melody.
From this; designed as a melody maker, this patch allows the user to create unique and random melodies through the process of connecting relative objects together

Tutorial Video taken from the user scje's channel on youtube.

Water Drum Kit

After using the visual programming software Max MSP within Performance Technology, I began searching through youtube to see if and how people are experimenting with this software? Furthermore, as a result of this, I should hopefully be aware of the possibilities that Max 5 will have upon my creativity, thus, this will be able to inspire me to create and develop possible ideas through using this software.

Piezo Sensor 

From researching the internet, I came across this video which is a perfect example of how Max 5 has allowed people to experiment and create virtual instruments through the use of a bowl of water and a piezo sensor! Taken from a youtube user named yopayet, the video shows how he has connected a piezo sensor to a bowl of water and used this along with a patch created on Max 5 which imitates the sounds of a drum kit. Through research, I found out that a piezo sensor is a sensor that generates electricity in response to applied stresses, from this when connected to the bowl of water through the vibrations enforced onto the water in the bowl, the sensor responds to this and sends information to the virtual drum patch made in Max 5 which imitates the sound of a drum kit.
Ultimately after only using Max 5 for a short amount time, I do not fully understand how yopayet managed to create this virtual instrument, however through emailing the youtube user and asking for information upon this video I should be able to gain information on this. As well as this, through learning about Max 5 and the the vast capabilities that this software has to offer, I will be able to create patches and connect electronic devices to this software to create interesting sounds.

Scrapple by Golan Levin

After researching the Internet about projects that coincide with performance and technical elements, I stumbled across this video that has been posted on YouTube which shows a unique performance of the Scrapple by Golan Levin. Ultimately, the one thing that I felt that was exceptional about the Scrapple is its diverse ability to enable the user to compose music through shapes.

Scrapple is an audiovisual installation which imitates and produces sound  through everyday objects being randomly placed along a 3 metre long table. The specific function of the table is to primarily act as an "active score" which has been designed to constantly scan the surface of the table where objects have been placed. From this, these objects are interpreted as sound producing marks which the table responds to them in real time. As well as this, a 4 second audio loop is produced from the table which enables the user to experiment with the Scrapple freely and to compose technical pieces. Nevertheless, the objects come in different shapes and sizes; ranging from square like shapes to flexible curves as this influences the user to create melodic or rhythmical phrases. Furthermore, video projections are displayed onto the Scrapple table which ultimately gives the user the feeling that they composing onto an interactive score.

As a result of this, the Scrapple has influenced and opened up new ideas for myself to experiment with through Music Performance and has shown me new possibilities. Throughout this year I myself would like to create a piece of work similar to Golan Levin which emerges the use of technology through a performance.