First Progress Meeting

As I mentioned yesterday, I was looking forward to having a chance to chat with James. I wasn't disappointed tbh!

I have certainly come away with some confidence that wasn't there before. I also got a clear impression of which project he thought had legs, and tbh it was the one I knew it would be.

So back to audio reactive lights I go. However I realised today that I have been missing a whole range of possible applications and methods to achieve the project and the uses for the system.

Certainly, environmental testing of musicians in environments is the most obvious, however dependant on my progress I could push the idea further.

Generative graphics were a topic that was raised during the meeting and it was certainly a way I had thought of achieving the colour to frequency mapping. This technique can be shifted in order to generate a whole range of parameters for generating randomised patterns and colours etc. You can have image-change parameters shift on transient detection; you can change many more parameters infact when using a program such as Resolume Arena to control your projections. There are too many to mention just here frankly.

So I am going to do a rough draft of the aims of the project as I see them just now, so I have a reference point for the future.

1. To create an environment that is capable of reacting to audio dynamically, through the use of FFT/Spectral Analysis techniques, in order to map the the colour balance, hue and intensity of LED lights, or the visual content of a projector(s) mapped within a room.

2. To test both common platforms of audio analysis currently in use, Max/MSP/M4L & Arduino, in order to find the most suitable platform for deconstruction of audio information into usable data for control of lighting/projection systems.

3. To find the most efficient way of transmitting the information needed to activate the lights. Possible methods include direct micing of the environment, line level signal transmitted from the audio stream, MIDI to DMX conversion.

4. To test a range of scenarios for possible use of the system, with focus on studio production, mixing and mastering scenarios, in order to establish a consensus of it's use for the purpose intended; there is a possibility that in the studio environmental activity is not wanted/useful. It could be that for certain types of music it is more applicable than others. These can all be tested using scientific double blind testing on the producer community already exisiting within Abertay.

5. To test the positioning of dynamic lighting within the environment. Can splitting the stereo positioning of the image in the room aid/engage the producer or mix engineer in a more pronounced way with the audio? Dependant on the results, this could be proved to be a mix enhancing tool.

There are a number of other applications that this could be useful, including nightclubs & festivals, theaters, bars. You could have your bathroom lights react dynamically to the sound of splashing in the water, or just a great addition to a bedroom soundsystem for listening....


So now it's time to get started properly, over the weekend I am going to find a range of texts that I can get on both Max and Arduino. This is the most pressing issue I have, as my knowledge base of both these platforms needs to expand fast. At the start of the week I will also be buying my Arduino; I understand there are a fair few and some reviews need to be watched to make the best choice on which one to buy. Dependent on what my research over the weekend yields I may also go ahead and buy a bread board and a strip of LED's and the basic tools I will need. There is no point in holding back with this, the sooner I get this stuff the sooner I will know how to use it. I have found over my time in education, immediated and practicle application of the knowledge I have been given/found is the way I learn best.