the Stretch Harp

Recently I was tasked with building a new instrument for musical expression as part of an assignment at Bournemouth university as part of my music and audio technology course. This consisted of two key elements, one to physically build the instrument and secondly to create a synthesis engine for it.

Frame of the Stretch Harp.

String attachment of the Stretch Harp.

As a bit of background, each year there is a conference to show new interfaces for musical expression, The NIME show, many academics from around the world build new devices and present papers written about the field. A proceedings archive can be found here showing all the documents presented at the conference over the years. So what is a NIME? While its hard to give a definition in short, its should be a novel way of controlling and manipulating sound that allows for a performer to extend and express their musical intention.

Guide holes of the Stretch Harp.

I created something I call the Stretch Harp, it is played by pulling on strings, in turn pulling the shat of a slide potentiometer, this is then feed into an Arduino and then to Max 7 where the synthesis engine resides. In addition to the 14 strings there are two ultrasonic distance sensors and a sustain pedal.

Tension system connecting the strings to the slide potentiometers of the Stretch Harp.

Some of the 14 potentiometers used in the project.

The system is mounted in an aluminium frame built with a 99p junior hacksaw, a £12 electric drill and a few pencil files, so as a result the physical build didn’t come out as precise as I would have liked. However still very usable and sturdy.

Close up of the paracord used in the project

Overall I happy with the outcome however I would like to expand on it further perhaps building a second prototype using springs rather than rubber bands, and adding more strings to give two full octaves. Here is a short video of the device.

One Year With Android Wear

Back in March 2014, Google announced the Android Wear platform, an offshoot of android designed for wearables, mainly smartwatches. After the launch in June of 2014 and some humming and haring I bit the bullet when I saw the the LG G Watch, One of the first devices to run Android Wear, on offer directly from Google. Now one year on I thought I would share with you some of my thoughts about the G Watch and the Wear Platform.

I bought the watch out of curiosity when it when I saw it on offer thinking it would be a gimmick. However I'm pleased to say it's so much more than that, wearing it almost every day and feeling slightly lost without it. Before buying it was not much of a watch fan, why would I be when I have a phone in my pocket. The G watch and other Wear devices are a lot more than just timekeeping devices.

By far the most used feature of the watch for me, is the ability to check for notifications that appear on my phone. They appear on the watch along with a quick rumble. I don't have to stop what I'm doing to pull out my phone and can see instantly. If it's a message I even have the option to reply from a selection of preformed messages or dictate one to my watch. Although I would only dictate when no one else is around it's still useful for quick replies. with a recent update to my messaging app of choice (Hangouts) I can now draw emojis to replies with, not really my style but useful again for a quick simple response.

Watch screenshots of emoji reply function in hangouts

Its great for setting alarms and timers when I have things I need remember, particularly when cooking or working. It also works fantastically with Google Now, perfect for tracking packages, weather and sports information, it really streamlines a lot of little tasks.

The watch has also surprised me by provoking me to do more exercise, Google Fit pumps notifications relating to steps and activity time, telling you how far from your "goal" you are. After regularly hitting my 10,000 steps I upped it to 12,000 and recently to 15,000. It really helps me keep active, and I definitely didn't expect that.

Physically the device has held up well over the year, despite me giving it a hard time. The screen has no scratches even after a few close calls with brick walls, soldering irons and other electronics.
The strap has the most noticeable wear, with the matte rubber finish showing multiple markings from use. This can be changed down the line but it functions well and is comfortable for the time being. Battery life has been a surprise, holding up for a day with ease and often two under normal to heavy use.

Only noticeable damage on LG G Watch after a year of daily use; just a small scrape on the corner of the watch 

Some of the downsides are that physically the watch is relatively thick in comparison with standard watches. Not often a huge issue however can be when wearing formal shirt with cuffs and jackets with elastic cuffs; this watch can easily get caught on then and becomes rather annoying quickly. It would also be nice to beable to do more with it however new software and apps are available every day and it may be the case I am yet to find apps that would be more helpful to me.
It seems clear to me that smartwatches are not a gimmick and as they develop further i can see them becoming a staple piece of tech. As for the LG G Watch I am very happy with it and expect to keep using it daily until I inevitable buy a new Android Wear watch.

Adventures with Arduino

Recently I have started exploring what can be done with Arduino and in particular when used in tandem with Cycling 74's MAX 7. I've had an Arduino Uno laying around for a little while and not really known what to do with it; other than using a pre made synthesizer shield and sketch. Part of my university work involved looking into making new controllers for music software so I started by playing around with some potentiometers and buttons i had and exploring how I could utilise them with a program such as MAX 7 or PureData.

Arduino Uno on a desk - Taken with Nikon D7000 with Sigma 105mm EX DG Macro

After a while i've found that there is a lot of potential for me to explore strange controllers and different ways to utilise an arduino. Currently I am building an expressive controller for music creation for a university module and I look forward to seeing the finished product.

Some limitations I have found are rapidly running out of analogue inputs on the UNO, this is relatively easy to resolve by using an analogue multiplexer such as a 4051, this allows you to read analogue data from eight sources into a single analogue pin on the Arduino. Another issue I'm running into is running multiple LED's from a fewer digital outputs, it appears to be possible however I'm having issues sourcing a chip capable of this.

Despite the issues I'm having I'm enjoying myself exploring the Arduino system and am having lots of ideas for projects to do with them, I'll be posting some more specific info on what I'm doing in the coming weeks.

Pro Tools 101

A few weeks ago I was presented with the opportunity to take the AVID Pro Tools 101 course, the first stage in becoming an AVID certified Pro Tools user.
These courses usually cost around £350 as a minium, and I was given the opportunity to do the course for £20, so naturally I jumped at the chance.
The 101 course explores the basics of Pro Tools, understanding the key tools used within the programme and basic work flows. Despite the fact I have worked with the programme for around four years I did learn a lot more about it. The course lasted two days and finished with a 50 question exam. Going in to the exam it was clear to me that I had gained a lot of knowledge about the software and I was still a little nervous but I passed with 48 out of 50 correct answers.
I would encourage people new to Pro Tools to take the course especially if they plan to do the 110 course and become an AVID certified user. I look forward to completing the 110 hopefully before a head into industry after university.

Week One

This week has been my first week of timetabled lectures and lab sessions, this really making me look forward to some of the topics I'll be learning about this year.
Firstly the business unit I am taking aims to provide the skills and knowledge needed to run a business in the music technology industry also providing transferable skills for employability. This should be good fun as it will give me time to start looking for work after I graduate.
Mobile programming is another unit I'm looking forward to. Mobile application development is something I've wanted to do for a while and have never had any formal training in it. Previously I have tried to build simple apps for android and android wear but they have only been simple tests. This unit should give me knowledge of developing in Java, HTML 5 and CSS, this can be applied to mobile web and desktop audio applications. We will also cover GUI design, something that has only been touched on in previous years.
The strangest unit will be creative audio technology, in this we will explore different ways of using the skills we have learnt through the course so far. I'm looking forward to this a lot as I have always loved building strange prices of hardware. Our first assignment is to create a unique instrument, this will involve building the hardwear, most likely to be based around an Arduino, and some form of digital sound creating and signal processing. I really hope I enjoy this unit as much as I think I will.
This week I have also started work on my final project. Doing lots of research in to existing products and and looking at the bandwidth of the human mind. I'm looking forward to really get the project moving in the next few weeks after I have completed my research and proposal.
Now it's time for me to watch some rugby and this weeks Google press conference as I missed it earlier in the week.

Final year

I have just completed my placement year as part of my course at Bournemouth university and am now starting my final year. It's very daunting!
I've had my induction lecture about the units I will be taking and most terrifyingly my final project.
This makes up 35% of my degree so it could make or break it. Once completed it should be around 10,000 words about a study I have I have conducted or about a product/prototype I have made.
Currently I'm looking into making a product, a DSP pedal, with additional sensors, but I'm still ironing out the idea.
In the mean time I'm completing a log of my year long work placement along with a document describing what I have learnt while working.
I hope this year is as enjoyable and rewarding as my previous years but the work load is going to be a lot higher, hopefully I can take the pressure.

Placement

Over the last twelve months I have been working full time at Bournemouth University to satisfy the work placement requirement of my BSc sandwich degree in Music and Audio Technology that I am studying at Bournemouth University.

After searching long and hard for a placement and over a hundred email I decided to apply to the placement offered by Bournemouth University. This was not my first choice however it was a real struggle to find a placement let alone one that was paid. Previously I had been offered a placement by however this was unpaid and required a lot lot of traveling and was not really a viable option for me. The technician job offered had lot of others applying as many others in the same situation were also struggling. I was offered an interview as a result of experience working in a computer repair shop for almost two years prior to starting university.

The interview was relaxed however I was asked a lot about my past experience and my knowledge of Mac’s and audio hardware. Along with many questions about technology in general and my practical skills such as soldering.

To my joy I was offered the position, having shown a good knowledge of the field and a genuine interest in the music technology field. Upon starting my I had a week long crossover with the previous technician to learn about the tasks required on the job. Three hours a day were spent running the tech store, this is where students from music technology and games technology can rent out equipment such as cameras, microphones, graphics tablets and many other things. Other time was spent doing repairs on equipment, maintaining lab machines and studio equipment, building cables and anything else to aid the running of the creative technology department.

The job gave me a good insight into how a course like my own is run, how a studio is run and maintained, and offered lots of challenges in fixing hardware and software issues. During the placement I feel I improved a lot, in my organisational, communication and technical skills. I really enjoyed the year I spent working at the university and I am looking forward to completing my final year at Bournemouth and feel my placement year has helped me prepare for it.