Does It Matter What Your Music Sounds Like? Maybe Not, According To The Most Depressing Scientific Research Ever

Does it matter what your music sounds like? Maybe not. According to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, the way you look when you perform may be more important than the way you sound. Researcher Chia-Jung Tsay reports that “People consistently report that sound is… Read More Does It Matter What Your Music Sounds Like? Maybe Not, According To The Most Depressing Scientific Research Ever

August 20, 201364 Comments

MusicBox Browser Visually Maps Your Music Collection

For her master’s thesis at MIT, a Anita Lillie developed MusicBox – an interesting application designed to visually map out your music collection. MusicBox analyzes the meta data of your music and categories the music based on a variety of attributes. Using this information, it creates a visual map of your music, which you can… Read More MusicBox Browser Visually Maps Your Music Collection

January 1, 20091 Comment

Turn Any Surface Into An Input Device Using Sound

This is a little off topic, but it’s fascinating research that could have applications for music. Chris Harrison, a PhD Student, is researching using sound and gestures to turn any surface into an input device. Here’s the summary of his project: Scratch Input: Creating Large, Inexpensive, Unpowered and Mobile Finger Input Surfaces We present Scratch Input,… Read More Turn Any Surface Into An Input Device Using Sound

November 14, 2008November 14, 2008Leave a comment

It’s Science! Dance Music Fans Are Creative, Outgoing And Like It Rough

Researcher Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt University UK claims to have documented clear connections between your personality and your musical tastes. If his research is to be believed, Dance Music fans are creative, outgoing and “not gentle”. Meow! I think he nailed this study! Other personality/music links: Jazz – High self-esteem, creative, outgoing and at ease Country… Read More It’s Science! Dance Music Fans Are Creative, Outgoing And Like It Rough

September 5, 2008September 6, 2008Leave a comment

t’s Science: Bars Use Loud Musi# To Get You Drunk

If you’ve ever wondered how pictures of you French-kissing a giant chicken ended up on Flickr, you’ll be glad to know there’s a scientific explanation: bars use loud dance music to get you drunk. A study to be published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research on the effects of music levels on drinking in bars… Read More t’s Science: Bars Use Loud Musi# To Get You Drunk

July 18, 2008July 18, 2008Leave a comment

Real-Time 3D Acoustics Rendering

This is a demonstration video showing real-time 3D acoustic rendering, using the Phoenix gaming engine. Developer David Rosen discusses this in depth in his paper Real-time 3D Acoustics Rendering: Abstract It is common for real-time systems to render 3D sounds by simply panning the sound from left to right and adjusting the volume based on… Read More Real-Time 3D Acoustics Rendering

May 27, 2008Leave a comment

Wine Tastes Great With Techno

Scientists have proven, with science, that wine tastes better with powerful, heavy music. So, if you like your techno with some fava beans and a nice chianti, there may be a reason. “It is widely acknowledged within the scientific community that music affects behaviour,” according to Prof Adrian North of Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh.… Read More Wine Tastes Great With Techno

May 15, 2008May 15, 2008Leave a comment

It’s Science: Ambient, Chill Out Music Is Good For You

It’s science: chill out music music is good for you According to research presented at the American Society of Hypertension’s Twenty Third Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition (ASH 2008), listening to just 30 minutes of rhythmically homogeneous music every day can significantly reduce high blood pressure. By rhythmically homogeneous, they mean music with little or… Read More It’s Science: Ambient, Chill Out Music Is Good For You

May 14, 20084 Comments

The Geometry Of Music

[display_podcast] Mathtrek has an interesting post that explores the geometry of music. According to Dmitri Tymoczko, a composer and music theorist at Princeton University…to grasp the true structure of music, we need to understand the geometry of hyperdimensional objects. Tymoczko compares the structure of music to the shape of a rock face that a rock-climber… Read More The Geometry Of Music

March 8, 2008Leave a comment

Notes Of Music Rooted In Human Speech

Researchers at the Duke University Center for Cognitive Neuroscience believe that the use of 12 tone intervals in music is rooted in the physics of how our vocal anatomy produces speech. According to their research, the notes traditionally used in tonal music sound “right” to our ears because of the way our bodies make sounds… Read More Notes Of Music Rooted In Human Speech

May 25, 2007May 25, 2007Leave a comment

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