| ∴
navigation |
|
Brain is Buzzing, ouch.
For the past several weeks I haven't been able to get much sleep... It's odd how inspiration is very closely related to insomnia.
What has inspired me? Well, a few things, but specifically interactive media. What is interactive media? Well, it's a lot of things really, but I'm specifically talking about audio/visual interactivity with a live performance. Who's interacting? Well, it'd be you silly. Quit asking so many questions!
So here's the basic run down:
I've been thinking about different ways to represent the audio of a live performance in a visual medium. The simplest analogy I can think of is the WinAmp/Windows Media Player Visualizations that occur when you listen to mp3's on your computer. Think of something similar to that being projected on a stage while a band is playing. Except, that's easy, cliche, and not very interesting. Lets get creative here, lets dig deeper.
Think about this, the deaf. Why is it that for so long we've ignored this market as a potential to reach out to during a live music performance. Are we stupid enough to believe that we've nothing to offer someone who is deaf in a concert medium? I think that notion is silly. I think if we create a sophisticated enough visual representation of the music, based off the frequencies, tempo, and dynamic structure of the music, we can effectively paint an audioscape via a projector, laptop and a lot of creativity, that will satisfy not only a deaf audience, but add a very rich element to the live show in general.
Now think about the idea of dance and how it is represented. It's a very selfish act if you think about it. Don't get me wrong, I love dancing, I think indie/emo was the worst thing to ever happen to music because it killed dance (I don't really think it's the worst... this is just for emphasis.) Anyway... what if we were to create some way of creating a visual representation of an audiences movements, dance, in realtime to the music. I think this would be fun and there's a lot of ways to approach this. A few basic concepts include dance pads (think DDR), motion sensors, and video cameras. Throw all this into a laptop that is setup as a VJ (Video Jocky, like a DJ, but they mix live video streams, it's a 21st century thang,) and BAM! you've got one groovy video representation to accompany the music.
Now think live streaming webcast. I think you're starting to get the picture and I'll go ahead and leave it at that.
Anyway, I think this is a noble cause, and if you've ever thought about this, I think we need to start getting together and hammer out how exactly this can be done.
5.14.2005
(0) comments
My own very personal, public space
I've recently become strangely fascinated with the public forum/posting/messaging system that is MySpace.com. It's basic design is actually pretty frustrating, and the search capabilities are horrific. But it's really the idea/concept that attract me, and I'm sure the other million or so people that regular the site on a daily basis. The idea being the immediate and open exchange of ideas and information, on a platform that potentially limitless amounts people could encounter on a given session.
One other cool aspect: Networking. This is an idea that normally strikes fear into the heart of undergrads and yuppies alike. This is the ability that appears to be our only option for success in America, and without it we could potentially live the rest of our lives stuck in middle management retail/service industry. Well, MySpace has Networking, and it's easy, not fearsome, therefore good. The ability to search for people interested in "doing" things similar to you, who will generate some type of personal wealth from "doing" such an action is an interesting concept.
MySpace has a long way to go, namely in it's search capabilities, which may or may not ever be addressed, but I'm sure some new platform will come strolling along, offering this and that better, and the cycle will continue. We'll extend our digital selfs that much more into the fold. There just may be a point we may never need to leave, I'm not sure I'm willing to find it.
The Wanderer - @ MySpace
5.4.2005
(0) comments
The Status of Things
So my buds from Pedestrian Status (riverside crew!) dropped me off a demo of their new full length, scheduled for release as soon as I give him my two cents on the record... yea right. Anyway, sweet stuff, ya'll should check out some of the mp3's on their website.
Anyway... They're about as close as anyone that I know personally has come to achieving musically what this town is capable of giving. They solicited the help of some star studded players (mostly fellow wanderers from the north, they being from canada,) including a kickass pedal steel player from The Cowboy Junkies.
Well... I guess all I'm saying is that Austin is the goddamn Nashville one-up and that means country. Country, Folk, Americana whatever, it doesn't matter, it's just there's a redankulous amount of talent in this town, and the vast majority of them play in a traditional sense. They're songwritters, not experimenters. They work with what has/does work: Verses, Chorus, Bridges etc...
Lets play music people. Music is love and love is a song. People sing it. Dance to it. They don't stare at it waiting for it to do something completely and utterly unique, something that's never been done before, we don't need that. We've found something good, let's keep it going.
4.26.2005
(0) comments
My Valentine
I know this is a little off season... but these are amazing prints from a friend of a friend type person. Check em out:
Funlap dot com / Valentine
4.20.2005
(0) comments
v. 2.1
Well, after spending more hours than I'd ever care to admit in public... I believe I'm done with my new web site's template. The finishing touch was a flash mp3 player that is nothing near what I had originally wanted it to be. The cool things about this one: To change the content in the player all I have to do is upload files to the server then make simple changes to a .txt file. So it's dynamic in it's ability to load a playlist, which is cool and fun.
What I absolutely hate is the fact that I'm not able to take advantage of Flash's streaming audio capabilities, which would make the load times about 3 seconds whether you were on the worlds fastest internet connection or dialup. Now as it stands the dial-up folk could wait as long as 20 minutes before a song begins to play... Oh well... I will eventually design my own embedded streaming mp3 player (more accurately I'll finish the one I'm currently working on, based off an I-Pod.)
4.17.2005
(2) comments
04.2005
05.2005
|
|
