Deformable Interfaces for Performing Music

Abstract

Deformable interfaces offer new possibilities for gestures, some of which have been shown effective in controlled laboratory studies. Little work, however, has attempted to match deformable interfaces to a demanding domain and evaluate them out of the lab. We investigate how musicians use deformable interfaces to perform electronic music. We invited musicians to three workshops, where they explored 10 deformable objects and generated ideas on how to use these objects to perform music. Based on the results from the workshops, we implemented sensors in the five preferred objects and programmed them for controlling sounds. Next, we ran a performance study where six musicians performed music with these objects at their studios. Our results show that (1) musicians systematically map deformations to certain musical parameters, (2) musicians use deformable interfaces especially to filter and modulate sounds, and (3) musicians think that deformable interfaces embody the parameters that they control. We discuss what these results mean to research in deformable interfaces.

Morphees+

“…Other words such as "deformable" [3,23,55,54,57], "malleable" [10,13,32], or "shape-changing" [4,10,35,43,46,56,58] have also been used to describe this concept. These words convey a change in shape, which means that there is an initial shape A and a final shape B.…”

Variables that Influence Emotional Interaction between Human and Personified Flexible Devices

“…Pederson et al [4] have explores how different parameters of shape change influence upon user experience. Among researches which studies on the application of the usage of the deformable devices, such as in music, game and art [6,20], Park et al [21] present Bendi, a deformable device that provide tactile and visual response to the user, delivering emotion interaction with the user.…”

An Exploration of In-Game Action Mappings with a Deformable Game Controller

“…They suggested many unique uses for this device such as scooping and shaking to perform tasks such as 3D modelling and document navigation. Researchers have also used deformation interaction to perform music (Troiano, Pedersen, & Hornbaek, 2015), manipulate word processing carets (Eady & Girouard, 2015), create secure passwords (Maqsood, Chiasson, & Girouard, 2013), and control a TV as a remote (Lee et al, 2011). It is important for us to understand how deformation gestures are classified and used in order to test our prototype effectively.…”