Greetings again. For this blog post, I'll be discussing a musical innovation called the Reactable. A Reactable in essence is a "musical instrument with tangible user interface," as seen in the video below:
Pretty neat, huh? Well follow along with the questions below to see what I have to say!
Pretty neat, huh? Well follow along with the questions below to see what I have to say!
1. Choose a composer, technical innovation or artist from the electronic music playlist to profile in this blog entry.
Although it hasn't reached mainstream popularity and is not often made mention of in music, the Reactable provides a simple yet significant tool at the hands of anyone who can actually obtain one.
2. Discuss what impact the composer, artist or technical innovation has had on electronic music.
While it may look complicated, the way it functions is actually quite simple - place blocks on the table, and move them around until you like what you hear. What makes this so special? This puts an amazing tool at the disposal of those who want to make music, but are intimidated or lack the understanding of today's complex programs or instruments. In its simplest form, the Reactable allows for easy, interactive composition of music. Individuals no longer have to have a degree in music theory with an extensive background in sound design and synthesis to create music (although it certainly helps). Since its birth, the Reactable has appeared all over the world, from Olympics festivals and science museums to technology demonstrations and electronic music shows.
3. Discuss a minimum of two characteristics of the composer, artist or innovation that you have chosen e.g. the composer or artist’s works, influences of the artist or composer, who the artist or composer has influenced, creator of the innovation, uses of the innovation, examples of the innovation in music.
The Reactable was created by members of the Music Technology Group at the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. The members credited towards this creation are Sergi Jordà, Marcos Alonso, Martin Kaltenbrunner and Günter Geige. The project began in February of 2003, and is under constant engineering and improvement today. It's open source-platform makes it easy for anyone with basic programming knowledge to get a hold of it and discover new methods or ways to interact with a Reactable. We can be sure of one thing, however - it's not undergoing improvement because our technology keeps advancing, but rather technology is finally catching up to this concept!
The main use of the Reactable is for creating music without the complications of a digital audio workstation with hundreds of buttons, knobs, faders and windows. As the Reactable not only gathers but can display information, the uses of this machine can be infinite. Aside from being a simple yet technologically advanced musical instrument, the display allows for a visual feedback or representation of the audio with which you are interacting with.
The Reactable was created by members of the Music Technology Group at the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. The members credited towards this creation are Sergi Jordà, Marcos Alonso, Martin Kaltenbrunner and Günter Geige. The project began in February of 2003, and is under constant engineering and improvement today. It's open source-platform makes it easy for anyone with basic programming knowledge to get a hold of it and discover new methods or ways to interact with a Reactable. We can be sure of one thing, however - it's not undergoing improvement because our technology keeps advancing, but rather technology is finally catching up to this concept!
The main use of the Reactable is for creating music without the complications of a digital audio workstation with hundreds of buttons, knobs, faders and windows. As the Reactable not only gathers but can display information, the uses of this machine can be infinite. Aside from being a simple yet technologically advanced musical instrument, the display allows for a visual feedback or representation of the audio with which you are interacting with.
4. What impression does composer, technical innovation or artist leave with you as a listener and as an industry professional?
I am still as amazed as when I first saw the video above. Though I have witnessed several attempts at interactive audio before, nothing impressed me quite as much as the Reactable. Not only does it react to produce sounds determined by user input, but it displays visuals according to what you're telling it to do - AND it's tangible! I've seen some great software applications and ideas, but the fact that the Reactable is a physical device really inspires me. Perhaps this will one day be migrated for interactivity not only to produce music, but for workplace efficiency?
-Matthew Morrison
I am still as amazed as when I first saw the video above. Though I have witnessed several attempts at interactive audio before, nothing impressed me quite as much as the Reactable. Not only does it react to produce sounds determined by user input, but it displays visuals according to what you're telling it to do - AND it's tangible! I've seen some great software applications and ideas, but the fact that the Reactable is a physical device really inspires me. Perhaps this will one day be migrated for interactivity not only to produce music, but for workplace efficiency?
-Matthew Morrison
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