Web Audio Conference @ Purdue University
Overview
In 2024 I attended the Web Audio Conference @ Purdue University. My main contribution was doing a workshop about RNBO and how to integrate it with both vanilla web audio as well as other frameworks. Particle Music was also presented as a concert screening and installation.
There were several other interesting ideas and experiments explored around networked performance and body gesture tracking.
Particle Music, concert and installation
The generative piece was screened live at the Hansen Theatre @ Purdue University on March 17th. The installation ran throughout the conference in a dark acting classroom, part of the Yue-Kong Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts.
RNBO and p5.js Workshop
I held a workshop around RNBO and Max where I used p5.js for the graphical part. Since there was a mixed group, we started with the basics of each framework and gradually stepped towards the final project: a Mouse Theremin - to interact with the piece, start the sketch and move the mouse on the screen.
A large focus of the session was using multiple RNBO devices, especially existing plugins, which seemed to be valuable to people that were less familiar with Max. The final project featured a reverberation effect based on the RNBO Guitar Pedals plugins.
We also touched on several examples related to:
- MIDI OUT and dependencies in RNBO, see Piano Beat
- using shaders in p5.js, see Glitch Beat
For both of the above, start the sketches and press keys on your keyboard to play. Keys 1-8 play a drum kit, the other keys play a pitch shifted piano sample.
The full code for the workshop is on Github, and the presentation can be read here.
Hand Theremin
Hans Lindetorp held a workshop around WebAudio XML and MediaPipe, that inspired me to port the Mouse Theremin sketch described above to use hand gesture tracking. This resulted in Hand Theremin, which uses the webcam’s hand position to control the sound.
WebAudioXML x RNBO
A sketch around how WebAudio XML and RBNO could be integrated. Made with Hans Lindetorp, code is on Github.