Sound and Music Computing
Dr Charles Martin
Not sure if meme or serious lecture (?)
What are the ways of performing computer music.
Here’s a list of different modalities I have noticed over time.
these performers want the audience to see what they see and they want it to be big.
the human may not be important here, but the visuals are an integral part of the show.
the instrument is the performance
these musicians are taking a back seat to systems that play themselves, feed back, sense the world, or diffuse sound in different ways.
they might use light, new materials, custom electronics, to make their statement.
when it’s time to make serious music you have to face your band
this is about no-distraction serious music making
we’re not playing to the audience, but they get to look over our shoulder
no table can hold our brilliance
these performances are all about getting maximum equipment and minimum complications
these performance want to be a cyber person; or maybe they are a cyber person!
VR, AR, XR, etc. reality is not enough for these folks!
their motto: maybe this year is when VR will go mainstream!
headgear also includes other head-mounted musical modalities…
computer and acoustic instrument in one convenient package.
hyperinstrumentalists have invested a lifetime of practice into their instrument and they’re not giving it up now
they load their instrument with sensors, microphones, noise makers, screens, lights, etc
they follow hundreds of years of tradition with new techniques and a brand new sound
the desk semicircle represents control, confidence and conservatism
these musicians know their tools and know they need them within reach at all times
this performance is about software and communication
the real world bows to the dominance of their soundworld and the metaverse beyond
unplugged computer musicians play as a group, but away from their computers
they use mobile devices, smartphones, microcontrollers and wireless sensors
without desks, there’s no barrier to interaction
they’re the modern string quartet or chamber music ensemble, ready to blow an audience away with their feats of connected musicality
just a musician, the stage, and their adoring crowd
the virtuoso creates their own instrument with sensors and their bodily gestures
they minimise the computer in their setup (it’s not about the computer)
they’re this generations concert pianist or solo violinist
How do these modalities connect with your final performance ideas?
Which ones match up with the music you might like to make?
Which ones do you think are just bad.
What more do you need to know to create your dream performance?