Extended Reality
Gareth William Young, Aljoša Smolić · Focal Press eBooks · 2022
As cognitive technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cross-reality (XR), become more advanced and ubiquitous in creative practices, the deeper integration of these technologies is inevitable for new musical applications. With the advent of smaller, lightweight devices and faster microchip processing speeds, AI and XR will uniquely impact the creative technology domain as music performance adapts and evolves. Furthermore, XR is experiencing a resurgence in interest, given the global impact of COVID-19 on live music industry. Fundamentally, the pandemic has intensified real-time telepresent performance requirements and new methods for artists to engage audiences remotely. Here we discuss the application of XR for presenting new musical interactions, specifically focusing upon the use of volumetric video (VV) for the embodiment of musicians in real-time immersive virtual environments (IVEs). We anticipate that our essay will be a starting point for exploring new platforms for musical expression and present emergent paradigms for audiences to consume music.