Outline#

  • Performance Dates: TBA (during the exam period)
  • Artefact Submission Date: 23:59 2/6/2023
  • Mark weighting: 40%
  • Submission: submit your assignment according to the instructions below
  • Policies: Late submission not permitted.
  • GitLab Repo: link

Description#

The LENS (Laptop Ensemble) performance is the major project for this course. You will create a computer music system that can be performed live by a group of students at a live concert. This could take the form of a new computer music instrument or composition that a group of performers can control.

Your performance must be sophisticated in terms of fundamental concepts in music computing, have high technical quality as a coherent performance, and demonstrate a high level of expression and collaboration by the performers.

In order to create your LENS Performance, you will be assigned to a laptop ensemble during the semester and you must involve all members of the ensemble in your performance.

You will also submit all of your performance materials (code) and a readme PDF explaining how your performance works after your concert.

In summary, your LENS performance consists of:

Specification#

Your LENS performance consists of:

  1. an in-person ensemble performance that you will participate in with your group
  2. performance materials PDF submitted through Wattle

There are two representations of your LENS performance: the ensemble performance at the final gig, and the performance materials you’ll submit through GitLab.

Ensemble performance#

Your performance is the primary representation of your work. As described in the marking criteria this includes all aspects of the performance.

Your ensemble performance:

  • must involve at least three LENS members (but hopefully all members of your group)
  • must be created with one of the computer music languages studied this semester
  • must be 5-7 minutes in length
  • must be presented at a LENS performance in the exam period

We’ll make a video & audio recording of the performances for archival purposes and also to put on the YouTube channel.

You will perform a concert with the members of your group. Each group member must present their own work and be prepared to participate in everybody else’s piece.

Performance materials#

You must submit your performance materials through GitLab in the final-performance folder in your submission repo

Your performance materials:

  • must include all patches, code, sound files, scores, instructions required to produce your performance (upload to GitLab)
  • must include a README.md file explaining how to get your performance up and running and including screenshots and code listings of the important part of this performance.
  • you must download the PDF artefact of the README file and upload to wattle by the due date.

The primary part of your performance materials is the PDF uploaded to Wattle. We may check your Gitlab repository if further information is required about your performance, but basically your work should be represented clearly in your PDF file.

Please use good judgement about the size of media files you upload to GitLab. It’s ok if you need to upload large files (e.g., up to 100MB or so), but better if you can keep sound files smaller.

The performance materials due date is the same for everybody in the class, but may be before your performance. Your readme PDF upload needs to be finalised by the due date, but you may make changes to your gitlab repository up to your performance day.

Process#

Performance Times#

TBA.

Concert day is likely to be intense, try to get good sleep, eat properly, and bring a water bottle.

Your performance will be a public event! Feel free to advertise it, create a poster, and invite up to 100 of your best friends and foes.

Technical Setup#

We will provide for each laptop:

  • HDMI input (for your video and sound)
  • power point

We will also provide a WiFi router with internet.

You need to provide whatever adapters or cables that are necessary to connect HDMI to your computer, you should also bring your power adapter.

By default, we expect every member of the ensemble to connect their laptop to all of: HDMI and a power point and leave it plugged in for the duration of your setup, run through and performance.

  • We will provide a big PA system and foldback speakers in the venue.
  • There will be technical support available at the performance, support is limited to connectivity issues, not stability of your piece :-)
  • You will need to confirm the order of works in your group’s concert and any special instructions for the HDMI and audio inputs by the week 12 workshop.

If you have trouble getting your laptop to output video and audio over HDMI please sort this out well before the final performance.

Marking criteria#

Your LENS artefact will be assessed based on the representations above. The marking criteria are:

  • Sophistication of application of fundamental concepts in sound and music computing. (50%)
  • Technical Quality (20%)
  • Demonstrated capacity for expression and collaboration (20%)
  • Presentation and communication through performance materials (10%)

Marking Rubric#

Criteria HD D CR P N
Sophistication of application of fundamental concepts in sound and music computing. (50%) Excellent to outstanding SMC implementations going beyond learning materials. Very good application of SMC concepts, but not beyond learning materials. Application of SMC at level of learning materials. May have gaps in some areas. Some effort to replicate SMC learning materials resulting in functional SMC software. May have only applied some SMC concepts covered. Very little SMC software or software that is below the level of learning materials.
Technical Quality (20%) A performance showing an outstanding level of stability, technical polish, and consideration of staging. A performance showing an very good level of stability and technical polish with good consideration of staging. A performance showing a good level of stability but some lack of technical polish. Staging has been considered. A performance that may have some issues with stability but lacks technical polish. Staging considerations may be lacking. A performance with serious stability issues and a lack of technical polish. Staging considerations may be lacking.
Demonstrated capacity for expression and collaboration (20%) Performance demonstrates an excellent to outstanding capacity for expression (creative control) by all performers and collaboration that goes beyond learning materials. A performance that shows very good capacity for expression and creative control by the performers. Collaboration is demonstrated and necessary for the performance. A performance that shows some capacity for expression and creative control by the performers. A good capacity for collaboration is demonstrated but it may not be completely necessary. A performance with some capacity for expression by the performers, but it may not lead to fully collaborative creative control. Performance does not demonstrate a capacity for expression (creative control) by the performers and the level of collaboration is below acceptable standards.
Presentation and communication through performance materials (10%) An outstanding presentation of performance materials clearly communicating the submissions and performance procedure. A very good presentation of performance materials clearly communicating the submissions and performance procedure. A good presentation of performance materials. The submission and performance procedure may not be fully communicated. A satisfactory presentation of the performance materials. The submission and performance procedure may be only weakly communicated. Unsatisfactory performance materials that may have minimal or no communication of the performance and submission.

Reference format#

We prefer ACM reference format: https://www.acm.org/publications/authors/reference-formatting

Some example references in Markdown format are as follows:

# References

1. Alice McGuffing. 2022. Ideas for creating the animated ripple effect
2. Jerry Wang. 2022. Background Artwork (artwork.jpg)
3. Howzit (StackOverflow user). 2018. p5js-image-array (CC BY-SA 2.5). Retrieved from: <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51233447/p5js-image-array>
4. p5 Reference. No Date. MouseWheel Example (CC BY-NC 4.0). Retrieved from: <https://p5js.org/reference/#/p5.Element/mouseWheel>
5. Scott Bauer. 2004. Photo of Potatoes (Public Domain). Retrieved from: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato#/media/File:Patates.jpg>
6. Aaron Wu. 2018. Boat Photo on Unsplash. Retrieved from: <https://unsplash.com/photos/_8rjlHwN4uk>
7. Wikipedia. 2022. J M W Turner Article. Retrieved from: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._M._W._Turner>
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