Interface Complete

The interface design to accompany the sound application is complete. I decided to keep it relatively simple with minimal amount of visuals in order for the user to remain focussed upon the audible side of the application which is its main purpose after all. The interface includes visual feedback for the instrument and effect selected, along with numerical feedback to represent volume levels and feedback/modulation.

The bottom of the interface design features graphics to instruct the user as to which hands and fingers control the different aspects of the instrument. I included moveable icons for each finger/palm symbols that move in accordance to the symbol attached to the hands. This was done so that it would provide feedback to user in terms of location of the physical symbol.

Each hand graphic features further feedback for the user in terms of y-axis values as this is the value that alters the designated controls.

Application Update

So far the technical side of the application is complete. The Max/MSP patch is all set up with all the symbols I need connected to Reason via Midi and Reason is all setup to take orders from the symbols from Max. I had some issues initially with the combination of instrument symbol and finger symbols in that the finger symbols had to change multiple controls in Reason without upsetting all the other controls they are connected to. Luckily Dan showed me how to set up multiple channels using the same symbol ID so it only changes the instrument that is selected and not all the others simultaneously.

Here are some pics of part of the max patch and the Reason setup mode in which the lightning bolts indicate an assigned symbol/action.

Project Progress Update

So with (very) little money spent I have made myself a box to house a video camera and mirror in order to get underneath projection for this project. It's not the prettiest of React-Tables and the like but it does the job nicely. Got a deep plastic storage box, drilled a few holes here and there for cables and then gaffer taped a mirror and camera holders into place. I managed to get full coverage of the box and with the aid of an inside light it illuminates nicely so all the symbols get detected well. To start off with i was using a plain glass top for my symbols to be placed upon but I was having a few issues with lighting from above and below in the form of glare that would make certain areas undetectable for the symbols. Fortunately I stumbled upon a piece of perspex which happened to be already frosted and it works prefectly. Just need to spray the inside of the box white to disperse some of the light so its not as harsh in the one spot.

Here are some pics....

Interface Idea

The previous post talks about the idea of the application and the technical process of how it will work. This post is going to talk about the idea of using a custom interface in order to use the application effectively and with minimal confusion.

The idea of reducing the number of symbols and reusing the same ones multiple times is the first step to hopefully creating a fairly complex sound application without having to make the process of music creation complex. The use of finger and hand symbols is another way of simplifying and making the process of interaction different to that of the regular symbols placed on the Reactivision table/ deck. By using the hands and fingers the user should become more familiar with what each finger and palm symbol does for each instrument based upon them controlling the same or similar functions. This way the user will know what each symbol is to do and they don't have to search through a field of symbols to find what they want as it will be attached to them.

I can't rely on the reduced number of symbols and similar function symbols alone, so I plan to create a graphical interface to accompany the application. I haven't quite decided how the application will work yet, whether I will simply create an interface in photoshop to overlay over the max patch or whether to go down the animated flash interface route. However it is done the interface will be designed to change as each new instrument and effect is added to provide the user with real time updates of exactly what is going on and what each symbol on the hands of the user does for that chosen instrument/effects unit.

First thing to do towards this project is to project it from underneath rather than above as seen in the previous assignment, that revealed a few issues both with lighting and the covering of symbols with hands etc. The underneath projection of symbols seems the more safer and reliable option.

Assignment 3 Project Idea

For the final part of this project I have decided to expand the existing project of the ReactDJ interface by creating an application that runs in conjunction with Propellerhead's Reason 4 music production software and use the integrated sounds available from this software along with the Reactivision fudicials in order to create a live physical mixing desk/instrument.

In order to do this I plan on linking the already built patch from the previous project, that recognises the Reactivision symbols and asign them to a custom rack of instruments and effects within Reason and controlling the features of the rack with the symbols as more of a physical instrument/interface. Working with Reason often requires the use of a midi keyboard or controller unit to gain in depth control of the features and mixers, working with Reason on a keyboard and mouse is often less easy to control certainly with the likes of the synths or any other feature which requires live notation is very difficult.

I intend to keep the number of symbols used in this particular project to a minimum and instead utilise graphical interface design as well as reusing the same symbol for each instrument/effect. The interface will feature six instruments all of which will be activated using a cube featuring a symbol on each side. When a symbol is face down (added) that assigned instrument in Reason will be activated. It's then I plan to use finger and palm symbols to control the features of the instrument and mixing. This eliminates huge numbers of symbols and hopefully confusion if used with the aid of an interface.

Each instrument that is selected can be edited, if the instrument is not selected it cannot be edited until chosen but will carry on playing with it's previous settings and then changed again once reselected from the instrument cube.

One more symbol is to be used to activate an effect assigned to each instrument, this will turn the effect of the current instrument on and off and will use the left hand fingers, thumb and palm symbols to control the effects settings whilst the right hand controls the instruments functions.

The first four Instruments will be a variety of drum loops which will be connected to four individual effects and will feature the ability to scroll through the sound banks of each to change the loop when required. The final two instruments will be a Synths that don't feature additional effects but instead use both hands symbols to play the synth like a keyboard would to a certain level using the x-axis of the symbol detection. So from left to right will play the scale down to up.

The symbols will act like a midi keyboard or controller in the sense that will be connected to Reason via Midi so they can be assigned and edited within Reason and Max/MSP to control any aspect of the virtual application in more of a physical interactive fashion.