Spatial Audio For Performance

Goal:

To have a spatial audio setup that allows the performer to improvise with music, and have that music automatically spatialized. The Ambisonic Toolkit allow a performer for real-time decoding a B-Format

Saving Money:

Turns out the audio interface I already owned had 4 outputs that I could hook up to speakers. The speakers that I bought (JBL 6.5" Studio Monitors) served as the speakers for the record player and my room speakers!

I built the smallest possible rendering of ambisonic audio: 4 speakers for 2D playback. I hope to one day get 2 or 4 more for 3D playback as well.

Free, Open Source Software

I used freely available tools from the internet to build a spatial audio workstation: SuperCollider, ATK (Ambisonic Toolkit), and Reaper (I lied, this DAW is $60). I am a huge supporter of open source technology and hope to contribute to it as I improve as an artist and a developer.

Instrumentation: the Moog Mother-32

I chose the Moog Mother-32 as my testing instrument because there was no chance of feedback, and there unlimited possiblities of timbre and experimentation in the box. It's a semi-modular synthesizer, which means that you can plug it in and play, but also have the option of creating your own signal patch.

First Demos

I hope to play in galleries and other walk-around events. This music works best as an ambient experience.

But I can't stop there.

What if there was a way to control the position and velocity of a sound in space using a controller?

One of my hands can control the synthesizer, twisting knobs and turning dials. My other hand could actually control where the sound is in a sound during a particular time. I prefer using my hand to artificial intelligence or automated movements because I want it to be as improvisational and expressive as possible.

Sending orientation info through an app on my phone over WiFi

Reaper ATK view of data sent over wifi. I can now control the soundfield orientation with my phone

oscAmbisonicsController.mp4

These are some recordings made with the phone controller. As you can hear, sudden movements can make the sound tick and glitch in place.

But what if I made a custom controller that used hand gestures to control sound in real time?

this is the glove before I solder the bend sensors onto it. The bend sensors will send gesture information to the Thingy-52

This is the Nordic 52. Is has a compass, accelerometer, and Low-Energy Bluetooth to transmit all the necessary data

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