Implementations of the Leap Motion device in sound synthesis and interactive live performance
Lamtharn Hantrakul, Konrad Kaczmarek · 2014
The Leap Motion device opens new doors for mapping various degrees of human motion for musical control and expression. In this paper, we explore implementations of the Leap Motion in sound synthesis and interactive live performance. The Leap Motion is a USB computer peripheral released in mid-2013 that uses IR cameras to track hand and finger location with unprecedented accuracy. Discussed implementations include a 5-grain granular synthesizer created in Max/MSP that connects to the Leap Motion, allowing users to trigger individual grains using finger and hand motion. The Leap Motion is also interfaced with Ableton Live, software synthesizers and a 6-channel hemispherical speaker. The benefits and limitations of these implementations are discussed in light of recent compositions and performances.