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Reactive Environment for Network Music Performance

For a number of years, musicians in different locations have been able to perform with one another over a network as though present on the same stage. However, rather than attempt to re-create an environment for Network Music Performance (NMP) that mimics co-present performance as closely as possible, we propose focusing on providing musicians with novel controls that can help increase the level of interaction between them. To this end, we have developed a reactive environment for distributed performance that provides participants with dynamic, real-time control over several aspects of their performance, enabling them to change volume levels and experience exaggerated stereo panning. In addition, our reactive environment reinforces a feeling of a “shared space” between musicians. Our system—intended for use in more relaxed, informal settings, such as loose rehearsals and jam sessions, rather than live performances before an audience—differs most notably from standard ventures into the design of novel musical interfaces and installations in its reliance on user-centric methodologies borrowed from the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Not only does this research enable us to closely examine the communicative aspects of performance, it also allows us to explore new interpretations of the network as a performance space. This paper describes the motivation and background behind our project, the work that has been undertaken towards its realization and the future steps that have yet to be explored.