NMC 2015

New Music Controllers

CCRMA Summer Workshop 2015
June 29-July 3

Instructors: Sasha Leitman sleitman@ccrma.stanford.edu and Michael Gurevich mdgurev@umich.edu

COURSE HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION

This course was originated in 1996 to offer a hands-on approach to interaction design for musical applications. It was originally helmed by Max Mathews and Bill Verplank, and early on was jointly taught over teleconference with instructors at San Jose State and Princeton. In 2002, CCRMA began offering an intensive workshop version of this course during the summer. Other past instructors include Matt Wright, Edgar Berdahl, and Wendy Ju.

This workshop integrates programming, electronics, interaction design, audio, and interactive music. Focus will be on hands-on applications using sensors and microprocessors in conjunction with real-time DSP to make music. Specific technologies will include Satellite CCRMA, Beagle Board, Arduino Nano, Pd for music synthesis, and sensors including force-sensitive resistors, bend sensors, accelerometers, IR range finders, etc. Participants will design and build working prototypes using a kit that can be taken home at the end of the workshop. Further issues to be explored will include modes and mappings in computer music, exercises in invention, and applications of sensors and electronics to real-time music. The course will be augmented by a survey of existing controllers and pieces of interactive music.

Monday Morning

Introductions

Class Overview: Why we’re here and schedule overview

Opening Sketching exercise - Take 15 minutes and draw the following:

1. Your favorite musical instrument

2. Something you think you could make this week

3. Something you could create if money, time, knowledge and physics were not considerations

Context / history / examples (https://ccrma.stanford.edu/wiki/Example_Interfaces)

Signal flow and toolchain

Electronics overview

Monday Afternoon Background and Intro To Arduino

Arduino Hands on Lecture Download Arduino IDE here: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software

Download some examples here: http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~sleitman/Arduino_examples.zip

Max Physical Models: http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~gurevich/MaxPhysicalModels.zip

Goal: send data, receive data

Challenge: Make an interesting instrument with one button

References: Make: Electronics (Learning by Discovery) by Charles Platt: http://amzn.com/0596153740

Multi-tasking and Arduino : why and how? by Loe Feijs: http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~gurevich/Feijs_ArduinoMultitasking.pdf

Tuesday Morning One-button show and tell

Gestures - discrete vs. continuous

Bill Verplank's Interaction Design Sketchbook http://ccrma.stanford.edu/courses/250a/lectures/IDSketchbok.pdf

Continuous sensing in Arduino -- A/D and sending Serial

Scaling data in Max and/or in arduino

Go through sensors:

FSR

Bend

Photocell

Pot

Softpot

Hall Effect

Piezo

Tuesday Afternoon

Solder your accelerometer and proximity

Sensors: Proximity Accelerometer

Max for Beginners Lecture

Max instrument: http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~gurevich/Max.zip

Goal: Create a musical interaction. using 1 continuous and 1 discrete sensor.   Think about how the physical gestures that you are using and the type of sensor (continuous or discrete) interact with the sounds you are controlling.

Homework: Come up with at least 5 ideas for your performance.  Sketch them out.  Include details such as materials, sounds, sensors, gestures. Think about how the physical gestures that you are using and the type of sensor (continuous or discrete) interact with the sounds you are controlling.

Wednesday Morning Present your ideas

Building a serial protocol

Making Connectors

Wednesday Afternoon

Advanced/ other sensing: Encoders Capacitive

Pair up and help each other narrow down your ideas for final projects.

Electronics Resources: jameco.com digikey.com mouser.com sparkfun.com adafruit.com futurelec.com

Thursday Morning

Group check in about the state of your piece

Bonus topics on demand

Individual working with consultation

Thursday Afternoon

Individual working with consultation

Friday Morning

Set up and rehearse performance

Friday Afternoon

Final projects Wrap up Clean up