Figure 3. The A/D convertor attached on the performer’s waist | Ataxia
The sensor-costume was entirely finished after the completion of both the instrumental and the electronic part; consequently its implementation did not influence the compositional process deeply. The system consists of two 2-axis accelerometer sensors (measuring tilt) attached on the performer’s wrists, an A/D14 convertor receiving the information from the sensors and a Max/MSP patch that maps the data to sonic processes. The left hand is responsible for diffusing the sound in a quadraphonic format simply by moving the wrist in a two-dimensional plane and the right hand is responsible for adding reverb and altering the speed/pitch of the soundfile.
With this simple architectural design the physical world of the instrument is linked to the virtual. The system grasps the movement of the performer and uses it to add a layer of control over the electroacoustic sound by allowing for realtime manipulation of the precomposed elements. Even if the current system is not particularly complex, it requires considerable effort in order to learn and appreciate its capabilities and limitations. Part 3 14
Both STEIM’s JunXion board and Dan Overholt’s CUI were tested.
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