Difference between revisions of "MakerFaire"

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[[Image:MuthaBoard.jpg]]
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[[Image:Kalichord.jpg]]
 
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[[Image:Example.jpg]]
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==Introduction==
 
==Introduction==
The [http://ccrma.stanford.edu Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics] (CCRMA -- pronounced "karma") is an interdisciplinary center at Stanford University dedicated to artistic and technical innovation at the intersection of music and technology. We are a place where musicians, engineers, computer scientists, designers, and researchers in HCI and psychology get together to develop technologies and make art. In recent years, the question of how we interact physically with electronic music technologies has fostered a growing new area of research that we call Physical Interaction Design for Music. We emphasize practice-based research, using DIY physical prototying with low-cost and open source tools to develop new ways of making and interacting with sound. At the Maker Faire, we will demonstrate the low-cost hardware prototyping kits and our customized open source Linux software distribution that we use to develop new sonic interactions, as well as some exciting projects that have been developed using these tools, as well as special software/hardware used in the all-new Stanford Laptop Orchestra. Below you will find photos and descriptions of the tools and projects we will demonstrate.
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The [http://ccrma.stanford.edu Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics] (CCRMA -- pronounced "karma") is an interdisciplinary center at Stanford University dedicated to artistic and technical innovation at the intersection of music and technology. We are a place where musicians, engineers, computer scientists, designers, and researchers in HCI and psychology get together to develop technologies and make art. In recent years, the question of how we interact physically with electronic music technologies has fostered a growing new area of research that we call Physical Interaction Design for Music. We emphasize practice-based research, using DIY physical prototying with low-cost and open source tools to develop new ways of making and interacting with sound. At the Maker Faire, we will demonstrate the low-cost hardware prototyping kits and our customized open source Linux software distribution that we use to develop new sonic interactions, as well as some exciting projects that have been developed using these tools. Below you will find photos and descriptions of the projects and tools we will demonstrate.
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==Magnjo - The Magnetically Augmented Banjo==
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Magnjo is a fretless banjo that has magnets under its fingerboard to provide haptic feedback to a performer. The magnets are oriented in harmonic locations (similarly to frets) to inform the performer of tonal locations along the string. In order to feel the magnets, the performer must wear finger wrappings with iron fabric in them. Thus the performer's fingers are informed of the locations along the fingerboard corresponding to notes in the chromatic scale.
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[[Image:Magnjo.jpg]]
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==Haptic Drum ==
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The word haptic comes from Greek and pertains to the sense of touch.
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The haptic drum harnesses the power of force-feedback to assist drummers
 +
in playing parts that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. This
 +
patent-pending device consists of a drum pad, a DSP, an amplifier, and a
 +
woofer. Whenever a drumstick impacts the drum pad, the woofer
 +
gives a small push in the upward direction, adding energy to the
 +
bouncing drumstick.
 +
 
 +
== Kalichord==
 +
[[Image:Kalichord.jpg]]
 +
 
 +
The Kalichord is a two-handed electro-acoustic instrument which acts as a controller for a physical string model.  The user plucks virtual strings with one hand while playing bass lines with the other. 
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==GRIP MAESTRO ==
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[[Image:Grip.jpg]]
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The GRIP MAESTRO is a hand-exerciser that has been modified into a resistive one- or two-handed musical controller.  The GRIP MAESTRO Mach 1 uses magnets and Hall Effect Sensors to detect the position of each of the exerciser's six pad-springs and sends this information to ChucK to drive musical synthesis, or other sound manipulation.  The GRIP MAESTRO Mach 2 (presently in development) expands on this control structure by adding accelerometer data into the mix and by giving the player two GRIP MAESTOs, one for each hand.  The goal of this interface is to provide real force resistance as feedback to the performer and thereby establish an engaging relationship between the performer and his/her audience.
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== ==
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[[Image:Magnjo.jpg]]
  
 
==Software Tools==
 
==Software Tools==
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[[Image:Avrboard.jpg]]
 
[[Image:Avrboard.jpg]]
  
 
==Feedback Piano==
 
 
The Feedback Piano was originally built to make the sound design for a production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. It is a computer-controlled feedback loop which engages the strings as a sort of resonant memory. Any sound made in its vicinity will hang sustained in the air as it is slowly transformed. Its sound is at once familiar and alien, a fitting backdrop for the surreal world inhabited by these characters.
 
 
video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz2HwwG1KC8
 
 
audio: http://www.alloyelectric.com/music/halcyonic.mp3
 
 
 
 
 
==Mutha Rubboard==
 
[[Image:MuthaBoard.jpg]]
 
 
The Mutha Rubboard is a musical controller based on the
 
rubboard, washboard or frottoir metaphor commonly used
 
in the Zydeco music genre of South Louisiana. It is not only
 
a metamorphosis of a traditional instrument, but a modern
 
bridge of exploration into a rich musical heritage. It uses
 
capacitive and piezo sensing technology to output MIDI and
 
raw audio data.
 
 
This new controller reads the key placement in two parallel
 
planes by using radio capacitive sensing circuitry expanding
 
greatly on the standard corrugated metal playing surface.
 
The percussive output normally associated with the
 
rubboard is captured through piezo contact sensors mounted
 
directly on the keys (the playing implements). Additionally,
 
mode functionality is controlled by discrete switching on
 
the keys.
 
 
This new instrument is meant to be easily played by both
 
experienced players and those new to the rubboard. It lends
 
itself to an expressive freedom by placing the control surface
 
on the chest and allowing the hands to move uninhibited
 
about it or by playing it in the usual way, preserving its
 
musical heritage.
 
 
 
 
 
==Swing Set==
 
[[Image:pendulum.jpg]]
 
 
The Swing Set is a simple idea: a set of pendulums which control musical parameters.  The dynamics of the pendulums, with their inherent rhythms and a tendency to conserve energy efficiently, allow musician to play them in several modes; the player can respect the dynamics, or alter them according to his will.  When controlled with a computer, this allows for a surprisingly playable musical instrument.
 
 
Many digital interfaces choose power and flexibility over ease-of-use and intelligibility.  Moreover, many of them are overwhelmed by metaphors from the computing world.  Our goal with the Swing Set was to produce a set of controllers which are immediately intuitive and break away from this pattern.  Furthermore, we wanted to present something that had its own tangible physical dynamics; with a pendulum, we were able to capitalize not only on natural resonance and decay, but also the fringe benefits of physical devices, like inherent haptic feedback and visual intelligibility.
 
In order to create compelling musical experiences with the devices, we decided not to limit ourselves to only using the pendulums as controllers: our installation also includes a computer interface where an operator chooses samples, volume levels, and melodic patterns.
 
 
Our Swing Set consists of two main devices: the Swing Set proper, which consists of three pendulums, each with a dedicated purpose, and then the Transfer Pendulum, which is a set of two loosely-coupled pendulums dedicated for use as a tangible mixer.
 
 
 
==Stanford Laptop Orchestra==
 
 
http://slork.stanford.edu/images/slork-speakers-five.jpg
 
 
The [http://slork.stanford.edu/ Stanford Laptop Orchestra] (SLOrk) is a large-scale, computer-mediated ensemble that explores cutting-edge technology in combination with conventional musical contexts - while radically transforming both. Founded in 2008 by director [http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~ge/ Ge Wang] and students, faculty, and staff at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics ([http://ccrma.stanford.edu/ CCRMA]), this unique ensemble comprises more than 20 laptops, human performers, controllers, and custom multi-channel speaker arrays designed to provide each computer meta-instrument with its own identity and presence. The orchestra fuses a powerful sea of sound with the immediacy of human music-making, capturing the irreplaceable energy of a live ensemble performance as well as its sonic intimacy and grandeur. At the same time, it leverages the computer's precision, possibilities for new sounds, and potential for fantastical automation to provide a boundary-less sonic canvas on which to experiment with, create, and perform music.
 
 
Offstage, the ensemble serves as a one-of-a-kind learning environment that explores music, computer science, composition, and live performance in a naturally interdisciplinary way. SLOrk uses the [http://chuck.cs.princeton.edu/ ChucK] programming language as its primary software platform for sound synthesis/analysis, instrument design, performance, and education.
 
  
  
 
[[Category:PID]]
 
[[Category:PID]]
 
[[Category:Projects]]
 
[[Category:Projects]]

Revision as of 00:56, 31 March 2009

Kalichord.jpg

Introduction

The Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA -- pronounced "karma") is an interdisciplinary center at Stanford University dedicated to artistic and technical innovation at the intersection of music and technology. We are a place where musicians, engineers, computer scientists, designers, and researchers in HCI and psychology get together to develop technologies and make art. In recent years, the question of how we interact physically with electronic music technologies has fostered a growing new area of research that we call Physical Interaction Design for Music. We emphasize practice-based research, using DIY physical prototying with low-cost and open source tools to develop new ways of making and interacting with sound. At the Maker Faire, we will demonstrate the low-cost hardware prototyping kits and our customized open source Linux software distribution that we use to develop new sonic interactions, as well as some exciting projects that have been developed using these tools. Below you will find photos and descriptions of the projects and tools we will demonstrate.


Magnjo - The Magnetically Augmented Banjo

Magnjo is a fretless banjo that has magnets under its fingerboard to provide haptic feedback to a performer. The magnets are oriented in harmonic locations (similarly to frets) to inform the performer of tonal locations along the string. In order to feel the magnets, the performer must wear finger wrappings with iron fabric in them. Thus the performer's fingers are informed of the locations along the fingerboard corresponding to notes in the chromatic scale.

Magnjo.jpg

Haptic Drum

The word haptic comes from Greek and pertains to the sense of touch. The haptic drum harnesses the power of force-feedback to assist drummers in playing parts that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. This patent-pending device consists of a drum pad, a DSP, an amplifier, and a woofer. Whenever a drumstick impacts the drum pad, the woofer gives a small push in the upward direction, adding energy to the bouncing drumstick.

Kalichord

Kalichord.jpg

The Kalichord is a two-handed electro-acoustic instrument which acts as a controller for a physical string model. The user plucks virtual strings with one hand while playing bass lines with the other.

GRIP MAESTRO

Grip.jpg


The GRIP MAESTRO is a hand-exerciser that has been modified into a resistive one- or two-handed musical controller. The GRIP MAESTRO Mach 1 uses magnets and Hall Effect Sensors to detect the position of each of the exerciser's six pad-springs and sends this information to ChucK to drive musical synthesis, or other sound manipulation. The GRIP MAESTRO Mach 2 (presently in development) expands on this control structure by adding accelerometer data into the mix and by giving the player two GRIP MAESTOs, one for each hand. The goal of this interface is to provide real force resistance as feedback to the performer and thereby establish an engaging relationship between the performer and his/her audience.

Magnjo.jpg

Software Tools

Planet CCRMA at Home is a collection of open source programs that you can add to a computer running Fedora Linux to transform it into an audio/multi-media workstation with a low-latency kernel, current audio drivers and a nice set of music, midi, audio and video applications (with an emphasis on real-time performance). It replicates most of the Linux environment we have been using for years here at CCRMA for our daily work in audio and computer music production and research. Planet CCRMA is easy to install and maintain, and can be upgraded from our repository over the web. Bootable CD and DVD install images are also available. This software is free.

http://ccrma.stanford.edu/planetccrma/software


Ardour sm.png

Ardour - Multitrack Sound Editor


[[Image: Hydrogen sm.png]]Example.jpgExample.jpg

Hydrogen - Drum Sequencer


Pd-jack-jaaa sm.png

Pd, Jack and Jaaa - Real-time audio tools

Hardware Tools

In our courses, we use a prototyping kit based on Atmel AVR microcontrollers, with Pascal Stang's AVRmini at the core. To the AVRmini, we attach an I2C LCD display, solderless breadboard strips, a loudspeaker and sometimes a MIDI jack. In student lab exercises and for prototyping, we hook up sensor circuits on the breadboard and send control signals to a Linux PC over USB, serial, MIDI or Ethernet in order to control open source real-time sound synthesis and processing software. These prototypes are then often built into larger-scale music and interactive sound art projects like the ones below that we will demonstrate at the Maker Faire.

Avrboard.jpg