Pitch fork: a novel tactile digital musical instrument
Pitch Fork is a prototype of an alternate, actuated digital musical instrument (DMI). It uses 5 infra-red and 4 piezoelectric sensors to control an additive synthesis engine. Iron bars are used as the physical point of contact in interaction with the aim of using this materials natural acoustic properties as a control signal for aspects of the digitally produced sound. This choice of material was also chosen to affect player experience. Sensor readings are relayed to a Macbook via an Arduino Mega. Mappings and audio output signal is carried out with Pure Data Extended.
Musical interface technology: multimodal control of multidimensional parameter spaces for electroacoustic music performance
This dissertation studies the art and technology of performing music with digital computers. The primary aim of this research is to construct a theoretical framework that enlightens the approach to designing, implementing, evaluating, and iteratively refining new families of digital musical instruments for the real-time expressive control of digital signal processing algorithms. The core of this framework, the Musical Interface Technology Design Space, MITDS, is revealed in chapter four. It is specifically focused on the design of tools that facilitate enhanced performance techniques through the use of multimodal human-computer interfaces in conjunction with algorithmic generation and processing of sound. Musical interface technology is a broad field that encompasses both technological and artistic areas, such as sensor electronics, human-computer interaction, digital signal processing, and software engineering, alongside music performance, composition, and theory. It also involves disciplines such as psychology, ergonomics, physiology, and human cognition and behavior. The first section (chapters 1-2) of this dissertation covers the history of technological developments in the field of computer music, with attention to the human-computer interfaces and what effects they have had on music composition and performance. The second section (chapters 3-4) develops the foundation of a theoretical framework for developing new digital instruments, focusing on both philosophical and pragmatic concepts within musical, technological, and humanistic areas that can be used to guide and inform future directions for research in the field. The third section (chapter 5) incorporates the author's own digital musical instruments, describes their implementations and performance techniques in detail, and uses them as examples to clarify and understand the theoretical framework previously introduced. Finally, the conclusion includes a brief review of the research and developments of new musical interface technologies, the exploration of new performance techniques they bring about, and the teachings and lessons learned during this evolutionary journey into a modern perspective on one of mankind's oldest forms of art - music.
New Alumosilicate Fillers Based on Sedimentary Rocks for Asphalt Concrete
Asphalt concrete is the most common material for highway and motorway construction. The quality of asphalt is determined, to a large extent, by properties of asphalt binder. Fillers, which are mineral powders from carbonate rocks and aggregates fines, such as limestone and dolomite, are often used in the composition of bitumen mastics affecting the performance of asphalt. This article explores the feasibility of using the fines of aluminosilicate sedimentary rocks as fillers. These materials are composed of clay minerals, which change their properties upon the contact with water. Normally, the use of such fillers is restricted because of poor water resistance and swelling of asphalt concrete. In order to improve the performance of these fillers, the thermal modification at moderate temperatures of 500–600 C has been proposed. Such treatment provides sufficient structural stability of obtained materials and results in the reduction of water absorption of asphalt, improved water resistance (up to 2.5 times) and also, in reduced swelling (up to 9 times). It has been demonstrated that improvement in the filler performance can be achieved by a heat treatment. Such treatment induces changes in the mineral composition and converts the structure of clay minerals into the frame structure of zeolite, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Due to thermal treatment, there is a change in the acid-base properties of the surface of the filler, which is reflected in the profiles of the main adsorption centers. As a result, due to chemisorption, the modified aluminosilicate fillers are able to interact with bitumen. The application of new filler materials in asphalt concrete enables to enhance the performance.