Virtual Musical Instruments: Technological Aspects and Interactive Performance Issues
Suguru Goto · 2000
I have been creating various Gestural Interfaces 1 for use in my compositions for Virtual Musical Instruments 2 . These Virtual Musical Instruments do not merely refer to the physical instruments, but also involve Sound Synthesis 3 , programming and Interactive Video 4 . Using the Virtual Musical Instruments, I experimented with numerous compositions and performances. This paper is intended to report my experiences, as well as their development; and concludes with a discussion of some issues as well as the problem of the very notion of interactivity. 1. An interface which translates body movement to analog signals. This contains a controller which is created with sensors and video scanning system. This is usually created by an artist himself or with a collaborator. This does not include a commercially produced MIDI controller. 2. This refers to a whole system which contains Gesture, Gestural Interface, Mapping Interface, algorithm, Sound Synthesis, and Interactive Video. According to programming and artistic concept, it may extensively vary. 3. This is a domain of programming to generate sound with a computer. In this article, the way of this programming emphasis the relationship between gesture and sound production. 4. A video image which is altered in real time. In Virtual Musical Instruments, the image is changed by gesture. This image is usually projected on a screen in a live performance. l P r i n t t h i s a r t i c l e