ANNOUNCEMENT - 07/07/09

In the context of the research in the field of new musical instruments and interfaces that is conducted jointly at the Music Conservatory of Geneva and the Institute of eMbedded Information Systems of the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO), a position is open for

Background:
Large size multi-touch displays are showing the way for radically new interaction paradigms since the striking demo of Jeff Han, using FTIR technology (http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/index.html). Though using a smaller screen, the Lemur controller (www.jazzmutant.com) has also shown that multi-touch has a great potential for innovative music applications, in particular to create virtual control interfaces that are fully reconfigurable by users. Our group is working on developing a multi-touch technology that can be used with any kind of flat surface, that is not only screens but also tables, walls, etc, up to quite large areas. In addition to fingers, our system can also detect objects striking the surface, like sticks and mallets, allowing to perform the interface like a percussion instrument.

Task:
The task will be to develop a performance-oriented software to:

a)      Design virtual control interfaces (that can be project on the surface, for instance).

b)      Record the actions of the performer, put them in loop, trigger sequences, etc.

The goal is thus to create a kind of live sequencer combined with a virtual controller that can use any flat surface as multi-touch input device.

Applicants will need to have a previous experience in writing music softwares, in particular with graphic user interfaces (GUI) and MIDI handling. Experience with OSC and XML is a plus. Applications must be sent by email to alain (dot) crevoisier (at) heig-vd (dot) ch, including references to self-made demos and softwares that are available online. Deadline is August 15th.

Job location: Geneva, Switzerland.

For more info: www.future-instruments.net

Please forward this message to any people or forum you may think it could be of interest.

I’m also available to answer any question privately.

Thank you very much for your attention and best greetings.

Alain Crevoisier