App Description :
The AlphaSphere IOS app uses an edit function to take sounds and loops from the iPhone’s memory and map them to one of the AlphaSphere’s 48 pads. These loops can also be edited to change the play style, volume, pan and channel selection. The project can be saved into memory and loaded again at another time to edit.
On the left the iOS Application developed during the project and on the right the
AlphaLive v.0.1, software developed by “nu design”.
As a standalone application the app uses a play function which is laid out similarly to the edit functionality. The onscreen pads can then be used to emulate those of the AlphaSphere, allowing the user to test their projects without needing access to the AlphaSphere hardware. This means that musicians can test, practise and compose music from any of their AlphaSphere projects on their IOS device
Alphasphere :
The AlphaSphere is a revolutionary electronic musical instrument that utilises computer software and the AlphaSphere hardware to allow the user to create and perform digital music in a visually stimulating way. The AlphaSphere is revolutionary in the way live music is presented to an audience or crowd due to the aesthetics of the instrument. A connection is established between hardware and software via an Ethernet cable so that instructions can be sent between them. The AlphaSphere itself is a haptic interface consists of 48 tactile pads that stretch and flex as they alter the dynamic, timbre or another parameter of the sounds played. The responsiveness and range of the interaction with the pads means performers can tailor their every musical requirement to their exact specification, producing a tangible sensation for performer and audience alike.
Alphasphere iOS App :
The AlphaSphere IOS app uses an edit function to take sounds and loops from the iPhone’s memory and map them to one of the AlphaSphere’s 48 pads. These loops can also be edited to change the play style, volume, pan and channel selection. The project can be saved into memory and loaded again at another time to edit.
The AlphaSphere app is designed to work as either a standalone application or alongside the AlphaSphere and while much of the functionality is the same there are some differences in the way that app works when receiving signals from the AlphaSphere.
Nu desine also requested the app to be capable of receiving an Open Sound Control (OSC) message over the network. It was specified that messages would be sent from the AlphaSphere to the IOS device and the message format would be constant (and as follows);
The app is also able to stream in and decode these messages, using the two integer values in real time.
Project Report : Click here to read the full report (pdf version)
Team Members :
- Thomas Butterworth
- Li Du
- Andreas Georgiou
- Andrew Haslam
- Robert Jones
- Vlad Otrocol