This started out as an idea for a musical instrument that would respond to both direct and indirect input. The direct input would come from hands or feet controlling switches, turning pots, etc. The indirect input could be light and color variation, motion sensing, proximity sensing, etc. As I thought about it I decided I wanted to open my idea up so that the device would be sensitive to the environment around the user. In fact, I thought it would be more interesting to have the environment be the main controller of the device. And since light is heavily influenced by the physical characteristics that make up any space, I thought the best way I could explore the environment or space around the user would be to use light sensors. That is why this project uses more photocells than any other form of input.
I wanted something that would be an exploration of immersion. I am fascinated with immersion, of being surrounded by both input and output that is extremely high quality and interactive in real-time. At the current time, I don't have the budget or technology to do this but I know there is a lot of research going on into different aspects of immersion. So while I can't do a completely immersive project, I want to explore it as well as I can so I can learn how to create experiences and systems of experiences so when the technology and my budget are ready, I will also be ready to take advantage of the new medium.
One application of immersive technologies that is being researched is virtual place. Virtual places are visual and audio representations that completely surround users in a space. The virtual place could be a reproduction of a room, a house, a beach, anything really. The possibilities of creating completely fantastic virtual places are the most intriguing. In computer music, one of the best ways to get interesting, complex sounds is to start with a sample of an acoustic sound an then process it. This can result in a new sound with the complexity of the sounds we're used to hearing from the world around us but with timbral qualities that are very new to us. It's possible that a good way to get interesting virtual places is to apply a similar technique by sampling real places and then processing them. So I thought a way to implement this idea right now would be to make my mostly light-to-midi device so portable it can be worn. This will make it easy to transport for installing in different spaces and also make it possible to wear as the user walks around an place they wish.
Works Sited
Kurz, Michael, et al. Reaktor Version 3 Manual.
Synthesis GmbH. 2001.
Pressing, Jeff.
Synthesizer Performance and
Real-time Techniques.
A-R Editions, Inc. 1992.
Roads, Curtis. Microsound.
Works Also Consulted
Boulanger, Richard.
The Csound Book: Perspectives in Software Synthesis, Sound
Design, Signal Processing, and
Programming.
Cook, Perry R.
Real Sound Synthesis for Interactive Applications.
Peters Ltd, 2002.