Dimi-H v2 at Institut Finlandais' exhibition in Paris in 2006
Initial development and NoiseCity 2005
Mr Erkki Kurenniemi is a researcher perhaps best known for his pioneering synthesizer work 40 years ago. Erkki has recently been developing a new tonal space theory which is tightly connected to computer generated soundscapes.
I took a slightly longer vacation around the new year 2005, and as Erkki was invited to perform with some of his older instruments at NoiseCity Helsinki, participation with a prototype instrument which incorporated the new theory of tonal harmony seemed worth a shot. After sourcing some temporary camera hardware, and combining a sound pipeline with 3D tracking algorithms, the new instrument was ready for the concert with a good 7 hours to spare.
Apart from the new instrument's sound channel having been switched off by one of the preceding live acts, once we had the sound switched back on it worked beautifully!
Dimi-H Prototype v2
Since the concert a more robust version of the instrument was put together, featuring a few playability adjustments and improved hardware.
So, how does it work? Two or more standard analog cameras are placed and calibrated around an area which will form the three dimensional tonal space. Certain locations in the three dimensional tonal space corresponds with a note/frequency (see Erkki's pdf for more details on the mathematics of the spatial location-to-frequency conversion).
The 'musician' can then enter the tonal space and pick one or more notes literally out of thin air by using a predefined marker (not unlike a conductor's baton) to activate the trigger points. The system uses triangulation between the different cameras to determine where the marker is at any given time. The instrument then updates an interactive video display to highlight triggered locations and the corresponding frequencies.
Dimi-H v2 was featured at Institut Finlandais' exhibition in Paris in 2006.
 The interactive display shows the virtual note locations in 3D space. |
 As the operator moves a marker through 3D space, corresponding notes flare up and play. |
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References NoiseCity Helsinki (15 Jan 2005) "Une histoire saccadée" (Institut Finlandais, Paris, 09 Mar - 28 Apr 2006) |