LookingOutwards-11 – Page 4 – [OLD FALL 2018] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice

Mimi Jiao – Looking Outwards 11 – Section E

Screencapture from Ryoji Ikeda’s datamatics 2006

Ryoji Ikeda is a sound artist primarily interested in generating sound tones and noise rather than instrumentals and voice. I am particularly interested in his audiovisual concert, Datamatics, which is an art project exploring making the intangible nature of data into something perceivable. Through a multisensory experience, Ikeda creates a soundscape generate based off of pure data. The soundtrack is jarring and almost hypnotic, with many layers and frequencies that create the feeling of being overwhelmed. Paired with the binary nature of the visuals, Ikeda presents a very accurate feeling of data and its presence in our lives. However, since I am viewing this work from a web page, I would like to know more about how this piece was incorporated into a physical environment and what other interactions were present within that space to enhance the communication of pure data.

Jenni Lee—Looking Outwards—11

For this week’s looking outwards, I chose to discuss Imogen Heap’s Mi.Mu gloves, a tool that gives musicians maximum freedom to improvise and allows simple movements to sculpt music. Mi.Mu Gloves are wireless, sensor-enabled gloves for creating and performing music through movement and gesture. The gloves are a fusion of textiles and electronic sensors. Combined with dedicated gesture detection and mapping software, the gloves offer a new and flexible approach to the control of music and visuals with intuitive human movement. When a hand makes a particular gesture/motion or when you activate a particular button on the glove, the Mi.Mu gloves alter the voice. I found this new tool to be innovative and creatively stimulating, as it pushes the boundaries of music and intertwines technology with music. I believe that these Mi.Mu gloves are a great example of advancing technology for creative/artistic purposes.

click here to read more about mi.mu gloves

Justin Yook – Looking Outwards 11

Prélude in ACGT by Pierry Jaquillard is a project that converts personal DNA data into into sounds. Jaquillard used his own DNA sequence to convert it into music. I admire this project because it combines biology and music together, two topics that can seem unrelated. It is a new way of expressing something through music, and it can open doors to creative and innovative ideas. Jacquillard used a midi Library for JavaScript to generate the midi signals in the main computer. Then he sent those signals to Ableton Live to play the sounds from webapps on iPads and iPhones. Even other musical elements such as tempo can be controlled on the application. There is no mention of a specific algorithm used with JavaScript. The creator’s artistic sensibilities show in his simple and intuitive design of the app.

Source: https://www.creativeapplications.net/js/prelude-in-acgt-sonification-of-personal-dna-data/

Kai Zhang-Looking Outwards-11

DEADMAU5

Image result for deadmau5

Talking about computational music, one of the most hyped music type EDM (electric dance music) is definitely worth mentioning. And Deadmau5 is one of the EDM artists that I love the most. Here’s one of his latest release:

EDM is a music form that’s sythesized in computer using various music generating programs. In these programs, there are many different tools that can generate different sound effects as well as editing existing sound files. For this perticular sound type, there are usually repetitive beats sythesized and played along with back tracks. Often times, vocals are also involved that adds to the richness of the music piece. In Deadmau5’s music, usually there are very long repetitive elements but slowly more and more elements are added along with the change of flow.

Music taste is rather subjective, so what I want to highlight is his workflow. In the foloowing YouTube video, Deadmau5 is streaming his composition on a track. And that’s also what I appreciate about him, which is sharing the working process with his audience. Ableton Live is one of his many weapon in the toolkit that powers his music pieces. As in the video, he’s experimenting with all types of sound and see how they’re mixed in a harmonic style. And the tools are also very powerful of doing all kinds of gestures to the play of sound that makes into a masterpiece.

I also learned about making EDMs in one of the music department courses. And what I appreciate about his ideology about sound is that everyone can make very good music. EDM opens up unlimited possibilities that even if you can’t play any instrument, you can still make a musician.

Looking Outwards-11 Computer Music-Veronica

(Video of performance using MI.MU gloves)

MI.MU gloves are designed by musician and artist, Imogen Heap, as alternatives to instruments during musical performances. Imogen set out to create a better relationship with the music software and hardware that forms her musical toolbox and came across the idea of making music using a pair of musical gloves.

“MI.MU exists to revolutionize the way we make music through movement”

Behind the product is a team of specialist musicians, artists, scientists, and technologists developing cutting-edge wearable technology for the performance and composition of music and specializing in textiles, electronics, sensors, software and, music.

GLOVOLUTIONsmall — Iterations and evolution of glove design

anatomy of a glove tech — Glove design details

Mi. Mu works by capturing movement and hand gestures with sensors and send information wirelessly from the board on the wrists to a computer backstage. The software enables performers to map that data to” musical control signals” and combine different gestures and movements to make more complex controls. Additionally, the gloves can also be programmed to control third-party music production and editing software.

On her product website, it says that “The glove technology evolved in a symbiotic relationship with Imogen’s performances and writing. Real performances drove the development of the gloves, leading to an instrument and controller fit for professional musicians, ready to make complex, beautiful and engaging music.”

(Imogen Heap and a long exposure shot of her using the gloves)

I think the project is really successful at changing music composing into an intuitive and fun process and allowing for a different way of performing music. It also allows performers and artists to experiment with different types of music instruments without having to purchase physical instruments. Dancers and people with disabilities were also able to use these gloves to express themselves through music.

Jenna Kim (Jeeyoon Kim)- Looking Outwards Week 10- Sound Art

How light frequency is translated to sound

Christopher Yamane’s “wassiliscope” is a project in which Yamane developed a telescope that translates light frequencies from the eyes to audible frequencies. I admire this because it is a fresh, original idea of something transparent to a form that you can feel and hear at the same time. I personally like how there is less of subjectivity and abstraction to this sound art because it also involves some concepts from physics. I also admire the form of the wassiliscope because of its simplicity, but translation process from sound to music is not so simple. The wassiliscope analyzes the average frequency of the light waves to the center of the telescope with a camera inside Then, the light waves are sent to the triangle wave oscillator and transfer to the head phones that are attached to the telescope. There is artist’s sensibility to the form of the wassiliscope because he made the wassiliscope look as though the telescope and the headphones are one object. There is no unnaturalness to the form although the headphones are attached to the back of the telescope. Also, the simple white color of “wassiliscope” gives a nice delicate, simple feeling.

URLs:
https://superduperstudio.co/wassiliscope/

christopher yamane turns light into sound with wassiliscope

Victoria Reiter – Looking Outwards 11 – Computer Music

Kling Klang Machine

This week in my Looking Outwards post I am investigating an interactive app created by British electronic pop group Kraftwerk. The app is called “Kling Klang Machine No1”, a reference to the elusive and undisclosed studio where the group produces their music.

Some alterable variables that customize the music produced

The app’s map registers which time zone the user is in, and uses algorithms to make a custom tune based on this location and timezone, meaning that the same song with never be heard at a different time or place. Users can also tweak aspects such as volume, echo, and tune, or even choose a different region in which to listen to a composition.

Example video of “Kling Klang Machine No1”

I think this app is cool because of how specific it is to each region and time. I love travelling hehehe…so it would be cool to have another way to experience different places, by experiencing the different custom music generated there!

Kraftwerk’s website found here, and

Kling Klang Machine details found here.

Jonathan Liang – Looking Outwards – 11

Adrien Kaeser’s Weather Thingy is a custom built sounds controller that modifies the sounds produced by musical instruments based on real-time climate settings. Weather Thingy is composed of two parts: a weather station on a tripod microphone and a custom built controller connected to a weather station. The station has climate sensors like a rain gauge, a wind vane, and a anemometer that assign various parameters received to audio effects. The main goal of Adrien’s work is to offer a new perspective to a replayability of a song. Since the same song with change based on the surrounding climate, it offers an unique experience each time the song is heard.

Weather Thingy – Real time climate sound controller

Looking Outwards – 11

I found this project really interesting because the visual artist, Palmer Eldritch, combined a series of tech-noir chaos, their reactivity, and rotoscoping into his video and audio outputs. The sequences are made possible through the use of Max/Jitter with a bunch of different visual elements that are made by softwares like Ready, After Effects, GForce Suite, 3DSMax/VRay, Sound Forge/Waves, and many others. This work was also possible courtesy of Paul Fennell through his creations made on Max/Jitter. Eldritch made changes and modified an open source code to suit his thoughts and the direction of his project. As a result, many overlays were a result of experimentation with noise patterns and sonifications courtesy of Tomasz Sulej.

Article: by FilipVisnjic, January 3rd, 2017

Han Yu Looking Outward 11

Skirting on Thin Ice by Neotropic (Riz Maslen)

Riz Maslen is a British electronic music artist, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. She is one of the most recognized female composers in the field of post-techno experimental electronics. She first started out experimenting electronic music in 1996. Malsen had produced an extensive profile of music under the names Neotropic and Small Fish with Spine and performed in huge music festivals like Coachella.

Skirting on Thin Ice is performed by Riz Malsen on the Opening of London’s Artisit Quarter in 2011. Aside from making music and programming, Malsen also produces photographic slides and films as a live background during her performance as a complimentary medium to present a more holistic and multi-media experience for her audience. Just like the other tracks by Malsen I’ve came across when researching for this project, Skirting on Thin Ice has the same warm and mellow vibe that brings out the perfect amount of chill and energy. There are also slight variations nicely woven into the whole song which keep listeners eager to find out what’s next. I am impressed by the vast amount of creativity and innovation found in Malsen’s productions and I especially like this opening song as it somehow brings out my inner peace whenever I listen to it.