IN PROCESS

TMU NEW MEDIA THESIS - LIDAR LASER MIDI + VISUAL CONTROLLER

For my New Media thesis I am developing at Toronto Metropolitan University I decided to build and design my own midi instrument using lidar laser sensors.

I wanted this instrument to not only control sound but also have a projection mapped visual component that tracks my hand as I play the instrument, projecting that visual in the tracked location. I created this instrument using Arduino to package and send midi, Touchdesigner for the visual component and Ableton to create the sound. I am in the process of adjusting code, creating a durable and aesthetically pleasing casing for the instrument, experimenting with visuals and building live sets with Ableton to be performed with the instrument. I aim for this instrument to not only be a tool for my own live performance but also act as an installation allowing people to interact and explore the visuals and sounds.

TMU NEW MEDIA THESIS - MIDTERM PERFORMANCE

For my thesis midterm I decided to build a live set and visuals for the song Ribs originally performed by Lorde, using my instrument I have been developing and Ableton Live. The setup I have built has me using four of the laser sensors to play two layers chords needed for the song, assigning another sensor to trigger a clap sound with a nice echo on it. To change the effects on my chords throughout the song I mapped two of my knobs to act as a high pass on each of the two chord layers and the third knob mapped to a distortion effect on one of the layers. This allows me to bring out different parts of the chord mix and add more or less complexity as I perform the song. To trigger in and out drum layers for this song I mapped two of my effect buttons to toggle a layer of kicks and a layer of claps. My prototype frames square shape along with the tech aesthetic of the project inspired me to create pixelated visuals for this performance using Touchdesigner to design and program the movement based off of my sensor data sent from Arduino.

MADE WITH:

arduino, ableton &
touchdesigner