I am presently working on a large-scale prototype which will detect the motions of multiple dancers anywhere on a stage, and translate their movements into sound, music, lighting, video and other effects. It uses beams of (invisible) infrared light to trigger sensors when a dancer or actor interferes with the beam. Several small processors sort out the location information, in three dimensions, and deliver the information to a show-control computer. From there, any combination of music, sound, lighting, projections, motion control of scenic elements, or pyrotechnics can be triggered. Shown in the photo is one of the sensor circuits, just 2.2 x 1.8 inches in size.
Read the latest updates about this project
As an offshoot of my work on the Dance Machine, I’ve built several small, handheld MIDI controllers which also use infrared light to trigger sensors, and ultimately drive music synthesizers. The first, built with a 12 x 15″ picture frame, is shown at work in this video. It plays like a lyre, but with no strings. It’s surprising how quickly the player can imagine where the “strings” are, and almost feels them as you play.
See it in action here
The second effort, built on a tambourine frame, positions each of the beams to cross the circular frame in the center. This allows one to play all 5 notes at the same time, for some very interesting effects. The challenge becomes playing notes individually, but this is done by playing around the edges of the frame.
I’m also excited to continue my work in creative audio for theatrical productions, radio, and alternative musical expression. This is a renewal of sorts for me, as I began this kind of work in 1975, while studying electronic music under Sorrel (Doris) Hayes at Queens College in NY. At the time, electronic music was hidden away in a small closet of a studio in the music wing, despite the fact that Robert Moog himself had studied physics at QC. This was directly analogous to the way electronic music was seen by the broader public – weird stuff which was better kept in the closet. I spent a semester composing strange and wonderful pieces with equipment made by Buchla and Moog. They had no memory – you had to remember where the patch cords went. With the advent of the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) we can now do anything and everything we used to do, and a thousand other things too, without a single patch cord.
