More Workshops at the NIME 2016 Unconference

The NIME Unconference will be held on the final day, Friday 15 July 2016. This includes workshops, panel sessions and a concert; all held at a Brisbane maker space called The Edge a short walk along the river from the main conference venue.

Here is a summary of the NIME Unconference activities:

  • DIY Retro Music Controller
  • Music Maker: 3D printing and Acoustics Curriculum
  • Paper Turntablism (With guest artist DJ Sniff)
  • Performing with USB Controllers
  • Sharing Innovations in Electronic Musical Instruments (Panel discussion)
  • Local Innovators Panel (Meet Brisbane-based musical interface developers and performers)
  • The Claude Controller
  • Showcase (A performance)

Find more details about, and register for, these activities (mostly free) here.

Workshop Information

Workshops are being held on Monday 11 July 2016
Workshops are optional and are included in your registration fees.

MORNING WORKSHOPS

1.  A NIME Primer

PLEASE NOTE: This workshop runs concurrently with Learning to Program Haptic Interactions using Max: Applications with Sound

PRESENTERS
Michael Lyons – Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto
Sidney Fels – University of British Collumbia

Abstract: This half-day tutorial is intended to provide a general and gentle introduction to the theory and practice of the design of interactive systems for music creation and performance. Our target audience consists of newcomers to the field who would like to start research projects, as well as interested students, people from other fields and members of the public with a general interest in the potential of NIME. We aim to give our audience an entry point to the theory and practice of musical interface design by drawing on case studies from previous years of the conference. Past attendees of the tutorial have told us that they gained a helpful perspective that helped them to increase their understanding and appreciation of their first NIME.

2.  Learning to Program Haptic Interactions using Max: Applications With Sound

PLEASE NOTE: This workshop runs concurrently with A NIME Primer. 

Presenters
Edgar Berdahl – Louisiana State University
Alexandros Kontogeorgakopoulos – Cardiff School of Art and Design

Abstract: In this workshop, participants will learn how to program force-feedback haptic interactions in Max. During the workshop, each participant will borrow a FireFader haptic device with the option of purchasing it at the end of the workshop. When programmed in Max, audio signal flow is typically primarily unidirectional (top to bottom). In contrast, programming force feedback typically involves bidirectional audio-haptic signal flow between virtual physical elements. For this reason, programming haptic force feedback can seem daunting at first because it requires a physical way of thinking. This workshop aims to get participants easily up to speed by examining simple example haptic interactions in the familiar Max programming environment. Many of these examples are based on physical models and leverage Max’s palette of visualization objects to help communicate the means of operation to participants. More advanced examples help provide participants with specific insight into how haptics can be integrated into novel music compositions and sound art.

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS

3.   NIMEhub: Toward a Repository for Sharing and Archiving Instrument Designs

Presenters
Andrew McPherson: Queen Mary University of London
Edgar Berdahl: Louisiana State University   
Michael Lyons: Ritsumeikan University
Alexander Refsum Jensenius: University of Oslo
Ivica Ico Bukvic: Virginia Tech
Arve Knudsen: Independent software developer   

Abstract: This workshop will explore the potential creation of a community database of digital musical instrument (DMI) designs. In other research communities, reproducible research practices are common, including open-source software, open datasets, established evaluation methods and community standards for research practice. NIME could benefit from similar practices, both to share ideas amongst geographically distant researchers and to maintain instrument designs after their first performances. However, the needs of NIME are different from other communities on account of NIME’s reliance on custom hardware designs and the interdependence of technology and arts practice. This half-day workshop will promote a community discussion of the potential benefits and challenges of a DMI repository and plan concrete steps toward its implementation.

FULL DAY WORKSHOPS

4.  Creative Coding for Distributed Interactive Audio Devices using the Beads Platform

PLEASE NOTE: This is a FULL DAY workshop. If you register for this workshop you won’t be able to attend any other half day or full day workshops.

Those registering to attend this workshop will need to BRING THEIR OWN laptop to fully participate

Presenters
Sam Ferguson: Creativity and Cognition Studios, University of Technology Sydney    

Abstract: This workshop will introduce creative coding audio for the Raspberry Pi, using the \emph{beads} platform for audio programming, and the \emph{picode} platform for inter-device communication and sensor data acquisition. We will demonstrate methods to allow each self-contained battery-powered device to acquire sensor data about its surroundings and the way it is being interacted with, as well as methods for designing systems where groups of these devices wirelessly communicate their state, allowing new interaction possibilities and approaches.

5.  Making Musebots @ NIME: A Workshop

PLEASE NOTE: This is a FULL DAY workshop. If you register for this workshop you won’t be able to attend any other half day or full day workshops.

Those registering to attend this workshop will need to BRING THEIR OWN laptop to fully participate. The presenters will provide online links to templates in their language of choice.

Presenters:
Arne Eigenfeldt: Simon Fraser University
Ollie Bown: University of New South Wales
Ben Carey: University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: We propose a full day (6 hour) workshop on creating musebots (described below). The workshop would target NIME participants who are experienced coders in either MaxMSP, Max4Live, PD, Java, Extempore, and possibly SuperCollider (we hope to develop musebot templates in SuperCollider in the next few months).

Keynotes announced

We are  pleased to announce two fabulous NIME 2016 keynote presenters.

Miya Masaoka is a musician, composer and sound artist who has created works for koto, laser interfaces, laptop and video, installations and written scores for instrumental ensembles and mixed choirs. In other works, she has monitored the physiological response of plants, the human brain and her own body as renderings for music and sound composition.

Garth Paine is internationally regarded as an innovator in the field of interactivity in experimental music and media arts. He is particularly fascinated with sound as an experiential medium, both in musical performance and as an exhibitable object. Garth has lead international research projects, been invited to perform at numerous international events, and his music has been released on a number of CDs including Bowl Chant Meditation and Parallel Lines.

Find out more about NIME 2016 keynote and invited presenters on this page.

Registration Now Open

Registration for NIME 2016 is NOW OPEN! To view the registration fees and to register to attend visit the attend page.

Registration fees have be kept at a similar level to those from last year to maximize access and participation.  We’re looking forward to an exciting event.

There are some other conferences nearby NIME 2016 that you might also like to consider attending to extend your visit. These include:

Sonic Environments conference adjacent to NIME 2016

ACMC 2016: SONIC ENVIRONMENTS, JULY 10-11, QUEENSLAND CONSERVATORIUM, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

​In July 2016, the Australasian Computer Music Association is joining forces with the Australian Forum for Acoustic Ecology and NIME 2016 (New Interfaces for Musical Expression) to host an interdisciplinary conference at the Queensland Conservatorium on the theme of Sonic Environments. ​

Drawing inspiration from contemporary acoustic ecology, Sonic Environments invites composers, performers, academics, field recordists, acoustic ecologists and technologists to present research and creative works exploring the ecological, social and cultural contexts of our sonic environments. This conference aims to expand our current understandings of acoustic ecology and the role of sound and technology in understanding rapidly changing environments across the world. The conference theme encourages interdisciplinary perspectives on sound and aims to explore the possibilities of emerging technologies ranging from augmented reality sound walks and generative ecological compositions to networked performance connecting communities and immersive sound in virtual reality. We also invite research exploring aural awareness and investigations of natural and anthropogenic sounds and their relationship with the environment.
​
Sonic Environments is hosted in collaboration with NIME 2016 (New Interfaces for Musical Expression) the premier international conference in designing human-computer interfaces and interactions for musical performance. Special joint conference registration deals will be available.

Please visit the website for further information on our call for participation:
http://www.sonicenvironments.org

Call for papers, presentations and creative works closes on April 6th, 2016.

Conference papers will be double-blind peer reviewed and published in the conference proceedings.

Please follow Sonic Environments on twitter for conference updates
http://www.twitter.com/sonicenviro