reactable summary

1. The Reactable: Tangible and
Tabletop Music Performance

2. • Reactable, a new electronic musical instrument with a simple
and intuitive tabletop interface that turns music into a
tangible and visual experience
= interface for music
TUI (Tangible User Interfaces) : combine control and
representation within a physical artifact. digital information can
become graspable with the direct manipulation of simple
objects

3. • MIDI, NIME…many interfaces for music controller existed
However, do not pursue ‘multithreaded and shared control’
approach
-performer no longer needs to control directly and
permanently all the aspects of the sound production
-musician performs control strategies instead of performing
data

4. • Not multi-threaded
• designed to be ‘worn’ and played all the time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgy1S8qymx0
‘ready-at-hand vs. present-to-hand’

5. • Visual feedback:
- ‘communicate’ the states and the behaviors of their musical
processes.
- solves the perception difficulties and the lack of
understanding these type of concerts provoke in the audience

6. Hardware
: round interactive surface + tracking system + projector inside
the table
Software
: reacTIVision

7. • -rotating
• -connecting
• -combine different elements like synthesizers, effects, sample
• -interact with the other neighboring pucks, according to their
positions and proximity
• -instant feedback (turning music into something visible and
tangible)
• Multi-user collaboration

8. • Critique
-It was interesting that line that connects each puck also gave visual
sense of the music.
- Accuracy of rotating (2 types of rotating controller: some were
controlled within preprogramed stage like stair and some were
controlled by rotating angle)  why not give haptic feedback on
the pucks that have stair like stage? Visual feedback might be too
weak for multi-threaded controlling.
- Since there are so many pucks and interactive table is 90cm big,
wouldn’t it be hard for users to go around and the pucks they
exactly need at the moment?