Link to download: (click here)
INSTRUCTION
Command: Chuck dis.ck
After loaded…
- Press 'm' key to start the microphone input mode
- Press 'n' key to start the narrative
I had set one strong goal for this project in the beginning; I wanted to make something so interactive that a user can even feel it is playful.
When I plan my design idea, I love to sketch rough drawings on white paper with a pen. While I was sketching again and again, I realized that FFT lines drawn around a circle look like a cartoon-ish depiction of a flying ball.
Then I thought, "Why don't we let the FFT figure (or the reference coordinate of the FFT plot) itself move around according to the FFT spectrum magnitude? In all the audio visualizers I have seen, the reference coordinate of the FFT plot is static (or already pre-defined movement), but I want it to move around very freely.". I thought it should be so funny for a user if they can move an object in different directions (they can steer the movement of the object) by different sounds.
And then, when I made a circle that can move in all directions using FFT magnitude as propulsion, it immediately reminded me of the spaceship docking scene of the movie Interstellar. That was the point where my narrative was established.
For this project, after I realized what I wanted to do, everything just flew so smoothly, and I just enjoyed it. The idea of using FFT spectrum as propellant… I have never seen this kind of thing before, so I am so happy to create this interaction.
Run force.ck or force2.ck
Challenging Parts:
There are three parameter constants in the physics equation above: mass, thrust force constant (alpha), drag force constant (beta). Fine-tuning these values to make the movement of the circle very smooth and satisfyingly interactive, which depends on the audio material, takes most of the time for this project.
