A workshop combining mobile development, basic sound synthesis and processing (DSP) in the Faust programming language, CAD design, digital fabrication (3D printing and laser cutting), and musical interface design (sensors, microcontrollers)!
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Instructors: Romain Michon and John Granzow - Aug. 27-31, 2018



Mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.) have been used as musical instruments for over a decade, giving birth to the field of "mobile music." CCRMA played a pioneering role in the development of this new form of "lutherie" and musical practice with the work of Ge Wang that culminated into MoPhO (Stanford's Mobile Phone Orchestra).

Thanks to their built-in elements (e.g., motion sensors, touchscreen, speaker, microphone, etc.) and their computational power, mobile devices allow us to implement standalone and fully embodied musical instruments. However, they often lack crucial elements to compete with traditional acoustic instruments. In this workshop, mobile devices are used as a starting point to design instruments with extended capabilities. They are "augmented" using sensors or 3D printed passive elements to expand their "affordances" and turn them into expressive musical instruments.

During this one week intensive workshop, participants will be placed in the role of the "digital luthier" and will learn about the following topics:

The end goal of the workshop is to make a mobile-device-based musical instruments that participants will demonstrate on the CCRMA stage during final presentations that will take place on Aug. 31, 2018.

This workshop is intended for musicians, makers, engineers, computer scientists, etc. It doesn't require any previous background in computer programming or signal processing and is open to everyone. We expect participants to bring their own laptop and mobile device (smartphone and/or tablet). The following devices will be supported during the workshop:

The workshop registration fee includes a lab kit hosting various elements (e.g., sensors, microcontroller, prototyping board, etc.) that the participants will able to keep after the workshop.

Student Projects From Previous Years

2017 CCRMA Mobile Synth Workshop


2017 Augmented Smartphone Workshop, Aalborg University (Copenhagen, Denmark)


2016 CCRMA Composed Instrument Workshop