MSc project ideas.
MSc project ideas.
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Augmented instruments.
Augmented instruments.
Are you proficient with a musical instrument and want to expand its sonic and/or technical capabilities? Do you want to make a smart instrument that logs playing patterns or that provides feedback to its player based on their heart rate? For this type of project, you may use hardware and sensors, as well as fabricate attachments for the instrument. You can also think "outside" of the instrument, and make an accessory device for it, or a wearable device for its player (e.g., my strap-based controller: video, paper).
My strap-based controller.
New instruments.
New instruments.
Do you have an idea for a completely new instrument? Do you want to make a new version of an existing instrument to accommodate specific accessibility needs? Do you want to make a simplified version of an instrument for children to play and explore their musicality? Do you think an existing instrument's layout should change? For example, think of the Jankó piano or the C-Thru Axis controller, which aimed to make more compact (and less linear) keyboard instruments, or the Archichembalo which aimed to add more semitones to the harpsichord. For this type of project you may design hardware or software.
C-Thru Axis 49.
Interactive sonic installations.
Interactive sonic installations.
This type of project can be suitable for more arts-oriented people who may want to make an installation and evaluate how spectators interact with it, whether it is intuitive, and/or engaging. This must have an interactive element to it, preferrably a sonic-based interaction, for you can use sensors, actuators and other materials available in the lab to make. You may also use AI-based tools for this (such as Wekinator). You may also explore audio-reactive visuals (see Suiteru's work).
My "dia de los muertos" altar instrument showcased at NIME 2023 (see paper).
Musical interfaces.
Musical interfaces.
I'm particularly interested in graphical-user interfaces to support the instrument learning experience and music-learning games. However, for this project option you can also explore your own music-related ideas. For example, you may develop a VR-based instrument, or add a virtual layer or AR interface overlay to an instrument. You could also explore mobile-based ideas, like applications or gestural paradigms (with the device's sensors), as well as web applications like Ableton's synthesis learning page.
The Lumi keyboard and learning app.
Qualitative studies with musicians.
Qualitative studies with musicians.
You can also do qualitative studies as a project option. For example, you can conduct a survey of how people use a particular music software or conduct evaluations of its usability. You can conduct interviews to find out how people are using technology to support their musical practices. You can do a field study with your band or observe a specific community of practice (for this, you should have taken the design ethnography module as pre-requisite). You can also run focus groups or co-design workshops with musicians, in which you can explore a range of concept ideation methods (paper sketching, magic machines, lo-fi prototypes, and so on). Bear in mind that the goal of this project would be to inform software and/or hardware design. Here's a few of papers where I have employed these methods, presented at conferences and journals such as CHI, NIME, JNMR.
Musicians during rehearsal.
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