C4DM Seminar: Norbert Schnell - Playing (with) Mobile Devices and Web Technolgies... Together

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Date and Time
Thursday, 28th July, at 3:00pm

Place
Room 3.24, Electronic Engineering building, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS. Information on how to access the school can be found at here.

Speaker
Norbert Schnell

Title
Playing (with) Mobile Devices and Web Technolgies... Together

Abstract
The recent availability of affordable motion capture technologies and mobile platforms allows for creating a new generation of musical instruments and interactive audio applications. These systems are currently redefining the boundaries between music listening and music performance. On one hand, new devices and applications, enable music listening as an active participation in musical interpretation and composition. On the other hand, new digital musical instruments integrate notions of perception, generativity, and collaboration, questioning the performance practices and functions of traditional instruments. In the framework of the CoSiMa research project (http://cosima.ircam.fr/) we currently explore recent web standards (HTML5, Javascript, WebAudio API, WebSockets, Device Motion, Node.js) and mobile platforms to create collective performances and participative concerts. On the background of underlying concepts and previous works, the presentation will give insides into ongoing work on the design of scenarios, technologies, and applications. It includes various live demonstrations as well as a collective performance that involve the attendees using their own smartphones (Android >= 4.2 or iOS >= 7).

Bio
Norbert Schnell is a researcher, developer and designer focusing on real-time interactive digital audio processing and interaction design. Together with his colleagues of the Sound Music Movement Interaction Team at IRCAM – Centre Pompidou in Paris, he develops technologies and interaction scenarios on the frontiers between music listening and music performance. He was involved in numerous international research and development projects as well as artistic works in the field of music, interactive audiovisual installations, music pedagogy, and industrial design. Having created musical interactions that – apart from digital technologies – involve traditional musical instruments, chessboards, gambling machines, balls, and kitchen utilities he currently explores collective interaction scenarios based on web-based mobile technologies that involve many people engaging in making music together. He currently coordinates the CoSiMa research projet (http://cosima.ircam.fr/). http://ismm.ircam.fr/norbert-schnell/