Sean Plott

With the rise in digital technology, we gain the ability to easily sculpt interesting sounds and analyze noise at a fundamental level. However, though many enjoy fiddling with instruments, digital sound programs are oftentimes intimidating or difficult to learn. Consequently, the Music Technology Group at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain developed a tangible tabletop musical interface called "The Reactable"

The Reactable allows the user to create noises using physical objects and visual connections. As a result, the study and creation of noise becomes an interactive experience analogous to musical legos. Even somewhat confusing audio signal concepts such as low frequency oscillators, sequencers, or filters become straightforward visual blocks that can be easily used to construct complex sound structures.

Many technologies exist to manipulate audio waveforms. With virtually any audio software, a sound can be increased in pitch, stretched in duration, or filtered to change the timbre altogether. However, audio software has always been subject to certain technological limitations. For example, all the previously mentioned techniques can only be applied to a sound as a whole. If you played a piano chord, a manipulation would affect the entire chord, rather than a specific note. However, to address this exact problem, a German software company called Celemony has developed DNA - Digital Note Access

With Digital Note Access, an audio waveform can be broken down into components, each of which can be adjusted individually. As a result, a producer can change one note in a chord, or even one instrument in a recording. Moreover, the visual interface provides a simple, intuitive functionality to the entire system.

This week, we've taken a look at some innovative interfaces for the manipulation and creation of sounds. However, suppose you're not interested in making sounds so much as making an actual piece of music. As mentioned, much of the software for sequencing music can be daunting and uninviting. So, we examine some more user friendly interfaces that emphasize tangibility.

A simple example is called the "BeatBearing." Placing ball bearings at specific locations generates a sound within the rhythm. Though the BeatBearing is fairly unsophisticated, its tangibility and creative approach to sequencing provides for a user-friendly experience. Moreover, it opens the door for consideration of other sequencing techniques. Consider the highly inventive "Phlock" in which music is created by the behavior of digital creatures.