Laptop Orchestras - Making Music With Unusual Inputs

By Ricky Buchanan • November 17, 2008

In the Apple Pro Profiles section there’s a great article about a group called the Stanford Laptop Orchestra (SLOrk) who use MacBooks and a variety of unusual input techniques and devices to make computer music.

‘We use the MacBook itself as an instrument,’ says Wang. ‘We tilt the notebook and use its built-in accelerometer to expressively control sound. We use the trackpad as a kind of violin bow. We use peripherals like USB game pads and even Nintendo Wii Remotes. Sometimes we modify code directly to generate sound and musical gestures. You can make some wild, diverse music with the MacBook.’

The people involved with SLOrk are obviously musical and computer geeks, but the article shows the range of input devices that can be used for making music. As well as SLOrk there is a similar group from Princeton (PLOrk, of course!) and a mobile phone orchestra known as MoPhO.

Wang, who leads the SLOrk group, is also developing consumer level musical applications for the iPhone. His company, Smule, has developed an Ocarina application which is sensitive to breath (via the microphone), fingering (on the multi-touch screen), and movement of the iPhone itself. I can imagine how somebody this creative could do wonders for unusual input devices for people with assistive technology needs.

Website: Apple Profiles: SLOrk

- Ricky Buchanan

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Categories: Developers, Information, Mac Laptops, Supporters, Users
Tags: apple, mac, os x, unusual input devices

About the Author

Ricky Buchanan

Ricky Buchanan is 33 years old and the founder and main writer for ATMac. She's bedridden with severe CFS/ME or perhaps a primary mitochondrial disorder - the doctors are not sure. When she's not working on ATMac or her other websitse she composes music, listens to audio books, does other disability advocacy, watches TV with her flatmate, and enjoys her cat.

One Response to “ Laptop Orchestras - Making Music With Unusual Inputs ”

Gitarre Dec 7th, 2008 at 6:25 am

Hey, very nice and informative Article. Appreciated thanks alot.

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