Turning Paper Into Electronic Music Instruments

Gary Kellum an Alain Crevoisier have created a cheap process for turning physical objects into musical instruments and other multi-touch controllers.

Can you imagine printing out a music sequencer? Or printing out a photo of a Roland TB-303 and then being able to play it?

Here’s a summary of how it works:

The system makes it possible to turn any flat surface, such as walls, wood boards, etc, into a musical controller by using computer vision technologies to track the interactions made by the musician, with hands, mallets or sticks.

These new musical interfaces can be used to control standard sound modules or effects processors, by defining zones on their surfaces and then assigning them musical commands, such as the triggering of notes or modulation of parameters.

It’s not difficult to extrapolate on this and imagine PDF files that are musical instruments! You’d download them, print them out and be able to play them.

Here’s a link to a PDF that documents their research: Transforming Ordinary Surfaces Into Multi-Touch Controllers.

via wired

One thought on “Turning Paper Into Electronic Music Instruments

  1. Look, listen, and explore music and musical instruments that aren’t part of the mainstream. Showcasing unusual musical creations and sounds of unique artists and artisans from around the globe. From gourd music to electronic odysseys, harp guitars to industrial insects, from beautiful, to bizarre, to just plain wacky. New, unique innovations, along with heavily modified hybrids of instruments once formally known as guitars, basses, keyboards, drums, wind and stringed instruments.

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