Search

For the electric guitar, which takes a large proportion in modern pop music, effects unit (or effector) is no longer optional. Many guitarists already `play' their effects with their instrument. However, it is not easy to control these effects during the play, so lots of new controllers and interfaces have been devised; one example is a pedal type effects that helps players to control effects with a foot while their hands are busy. Some players put a controller on their guitars. However, our instruments are so precious to drill a hole, and the stage is too big for the player who is just kneeling behind the pedals and turning the knobs. In this paper, we designed a new control system for electric guitar and bass. This paper is about a gesture-based sound control system that controls the electric guitar effects (like delay time, reverberation or pitch) with the player's hand gesture. This system utilizes TAPIR signal to trace player's hand motion. TAPIR signal is an acoustic signal that can rarely be received by most people, because its frequency exists between 18 kHz to 22 kHz [TAPIR article]. This system consists of a signal generator, an electric guitar and a sound processor. From the generator that is attached on the player's hand, the TAPIR signal transfers to the magnetic pickup equipped on the electric guitar. Player's gesture is captured as a Doppler shift and the processor calculates the value as the sound effect parameter. In this paper, we focused on the demonstration of the signal transfer on aforementioned system.

Smartphone-based music conducting is a convenient and effective approach to conducting practice that aims to overcome the practical limitations of traditional conducting practice and provide enhanced user experience compared to those of previous virtual conducting examples. This work introduces the v-Maestro, a smartphone application for music conducting. Powered by the Gyroscope of the device, the v-Maestro analyzes conducting motions that allows the user to not only control the tempo but also simulate ``cueing" for different instruments. Results from user tests show that, in spite of certain ergonomic problems, new conducting practice with the v-Maestro is more satisfactory than traditional methods and has a strong potential as a conducting practice tool.

This paper presents an enhanced sonic data communication method using TAPIR (Theoretically Audible, but Practically Inaudible Range: frequencies above 18kHz) sound and a software toolkit as its implementation. Using inaudible sound as a data medium, a digital data network among the audience and performer can be easily built with microphones and speakers, without requiring any additional hardware. ``TAPIR Sound Tag" is a smart device framework for inaudible data communication that can be easily embedded in audience participatory performances and interactive arts. With a bandwidth of 900 Hz, a high transmission rate of 200 bps can be achieved, enabling peer-to-peer or broadcasting real-time data communication among smart devices. This system can be used without any advanced knowledge in signal processing and communication system theory; simply specifying carrier frequency and bandwidth with a few lines of code can start data communication. Several usage scenarios of the system are also presented, such as participating in an interactive performance by adding and controlling sound, and collaborative completion of an artist's work by audience. We expect this framework to provide a new way of audience interaction to artists, as well as further promoting audience participation by simplifying the process: using personal smart devices as a medium and not requiring additional hardware or complex settings.

Laptap is a laptop-based, real-time sound synthesis/control system for musicand multimedia performance. The system produces unique sounds by positive audiofeedback between the on-board microphone and the speaker of a laptop com-puter. Users can make a variety of sounds by touching the laptop computer inseveral different ways, and control their timbre with the gestures of the otherhand above the mi- crophone and the speaker to manipulate the characteristicsof the acoustic feedback path. We introduce the basic con- cept of this audiofeedback system, describe its features for sound generation and manipulation,and discuss the result of an experimental performance. Finally we suggest somerelevant research topics that might follow in the future.

SSN (Sound Surfing Network) is a performance system that provides a new musicalexperience by incorporating mobile phone-based spatial sound control tocollaborative music performance. SSN enables both the performer and theaudience to manipulate the spatial distribution of sound using the smartphonesof the audience as distributed speaker system. Proposing a new perspective tothe social aspect music appreciation, SSN will provide a new possibility tomobile music performances in the context of interactive audience collaborationas well as sound spatialization.

This research aims to improve the correspondence between music and dance, and explores the use of human respiration pattern for musical applications with focus on the motional aspect of breathing. While respiration is frequently considered as an indicator of the metabolic state of human body that contains meaningful information for medicine or psychology, motional aspect of respiration has been relatively unnoticed in spite of its strong correlation with muscles and the brain. This paper introduces an interactive system to control music playback for dance performances based on the respiration pattern of the dancer. A wireless wearable sensor device detects the dancer's respiration, which is then utilized to modify the dynamic of music. Two different respiration-dynamic mappings were designed and evaluated through public performances and private tests by professional choreographers. Results from this research suggest a new conceptual approach to musical applications of respiration based on the technical characteristics of music and dance.

In this paper we introduce an interactive mobile music performance system using the digital compass of mobile phones. Compass-based interface can detect the aiming orientation of performers on stage, allowing us to obtain information on interactions between performers and use it for both musical mappings and visualizations on screen for the audience. We document and discuss the result of a compass-based mobile music performance, Where Are You Standing, and present an algorithm for a new app to track down the performers' positions in real-time.

In this paper, we discuss the use of the clothesline as ametaphor for designing a musical interface called Airer Choir. This interactive installation is based on the function ofan ordinary object that is not a traditional instrument, andhanging articles of clothing is literally the gesture to use theinterface. Based on this metaphor, a musical interface withhigh transparency was designed. Using the metaphor, weexplored the possibilities for recognizing of input gesturesand creating sonic events by mapping data to sound. Thus,four different types of Airer Choir were developed. By classifying the interfaces, we concluded that various musicalexpressions are possible by using the same metaphor.

In this paper, we introduce a pipe interface that recognizestouch on tone holes by the resonances in the pipe instead ofa touch sensor. This work was based on the acoustic principles of woodwind instruments without complex sensors andelectronic circuits to develop a simple and durable interface.The measured signals were analyzed to show that differentfingerings generate various sounds. The audible resonancesignal in the pipe interface can be used as a sonic event formusical expression by itself and also as an input parameterfor mapping different sounds.

&nbsp

It has been shown that collaborative musical interfaces encourage novice users to explore the sound space and promote their participation as music performers. Nevertheless, such interfaces are generally physically situated and can limit the possibility of movements on the stage, a critical factor in live music performance. In this paper we introduce the Drummer, a networked digital musical interface that allows multiple performers to design and play drum kits simultaneously while, at the same time, keeping their ability to freely move on the stage. The system consists of multiple Nintendo DS clients with an intuitive, user-configurable interface and a server computer which plays drum sounds. The Drummer Machine, a small piece of hardware to augment the performance of the Drummer, is also introduced.