This workshop is intended as a practical introduction to network based technologies used for artistic purposes. It focuses on performance techniques over computer networks (uncompressed audio and graphics), and real-time data acquisition for visualization/sonification of online data sources (social networks, online databases, and HTML pages).

Both technical and artistic topics will be discussed, including: history of the field, Internet technologies for low-latency streaming, very long distance high-quality network performance, performance issues like delay and presence, installations and synthesis in the network, future and potential as a compositional medium, programming techniques and software survey. On data, we'll look at incorporating live online data sources into your projects through various publicly available API's (Twitter/NOAA). We will discuss how to fine-tune the network and software specifically for artistic performance. The correlation of physical and acoustical distance in this medium and what it implies for musical performance/composition will be analyzed.

We will learn how to use popular computer music (SuperCollider, Pd) and visual (Processing) programming languages for interconnected music and art. Software design techniques and synchronization will be explored though hands-on experiments. We expect participants to leave with an embodied sense of network performance and ready to apply it in their work. This workshop was designed for Mac and Linux users (unfortunately some applications are not available on Windows).

This workshop is intended for: Musicians, composers, visual artists, conceptual artists, programmers and technologists interested in performing with distance, designing systems for the medium or composing with the network in mind. No art/music theory or technical skills background necessary, the workshop will put emphasis on the participants’ particular interests and goals.

Workshop structure: The schedule will be organized around morning lectures and afternoon lab and practical sessions. We will have access to CCRMA’s state-of-the-art stage, studios and computers to experiment and perform. Special sessions will be arrange with remote musicians. During the labs, participants will have the chance to experiment with provided tools and build on top of them.

Calendar

Date Morning
(9am-12noon)
Afternoon
(1pm-5pm)
Monday 8/6

9:00am: Intoduction | Workshop Description. Historical Overview. Examples and Demos. [PDF]

10:30am: Data Introduction | Several case studies of interesting projects. | Types of data and data conditioning. | Processing IDE basics. [PDF]

Lab 1
OSC Messages and Control | Using the Processing IDE
Tuesday 8/7

9:00am: Internetworking Tutorial | Foundations. Packet Switching. End-to-End Protocols. OSC Messages and Interconnected Laptop Ensembles. [PDF] Real-time High-quality Audio Streaming | Audio quality. Delay/Jitter Tradeoff. Multichannel streaming. Software Implementations. JackTrip. Musical Applications. Commercial Tools. [PDF]

10:30am: Network as Data: a look at displaying contents of network packets: tcpdump, Wireshark and Carnivore. [PDF]

Lab 2
Real-time Audio Interconnection and Visualization
Wednesday 8/8

9:00am: Performance Issues and Strategies | Delay. Presence. What you need to be aware. Psychoacoustic studies, delay ranges in performances, synchronization. How to take advantage compositionally: is it the same on all the locations? Distributed patterns. Spatialization. [PDF]

10:30am: Twitter Integration: Using the Twitter API | TweetDreams Analysis

Lab 3
Twitter lab
Thursday 8/9

9:00am: Visuals | Visual scores. Synchronization through visuals. Virtual Worlds, q3osc, MiTo Festival. [PDF]

10:30am: XML and RSS: Integrating RSS text. [example files] [PDF]

Lab 4
Final Project
Friday 8/10

9:00am: Beyond Performance and Challenges for the Future | Remote acoustics. Effects embedded on the network. Fixed venues: World Opera. Music Prediction. Art Installations. The studio of the future. [PDF]

10:30am:CCRMA Resources, Listening Room.

Lab 5
Final Project
STAFF AND MEETING

Instructors:
Juan-Pablo Caceres
jcaceres@ccrma.stanford.edu

Carr Wilkerson
carrlane@ccrma.stanford.edu

Class meetings:
Mon, 08/6/2012 - Fri, 08/10/2012
9:00am-5:00pm (with an hour lunch break)
[Class Room @ the Knoll]

LINKS

SoundWIRE
SoundWIRE Research Group at CCRMA

JackTrip
Network Performance Software, for Linux and Mac OS X

CCRMA
Center For Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Stanford University

Net vs. Net Collective
Collective of musicians exploring network music that I co-founded

Locusonus NMSAT
Networked Music and Soundart Timeline (NMSAT)

MusicianLink
Hardware + Social Netowrks for Network Music Performances

q3osc
An interactive musical performance environment