DIVA meeting July 16, 2009

Sid, Meryn, Karl, Cam, Marguerite, Adriano, Johnty, Allison, Bob

Currently making the transition from the Max/MSP system to the articulatory system. Currently the training system is still on Max/MSP and the performance system on the C++ performance version. Eventually we will leave Max/MSP and everything will be done on C++.

Hiring: Bob needs to put together a new advertisement to hire a new DIVA. Holding off on performances until system is robust.

Data collection: system is working. We need to do a “training session” with Marguerite with data, audio, and video. Marguerite to coordinate with Adriano for a data recording session.

Meryn: Marguerite, Bob and Meryn will be getting together to workshop. Discussion followed on how to approach the new piece and how to prepare. Suggested by Sid that now that we have some experience with performance, we come up with a set of exercises for speech and song to help train the DIVAs. The linguistics group could provide the set of speech exercises based on known materials.

Meryn raised the issue of having a timeline to work from. Sid suggested that we use the linguistics lab recordings as deadline. We will know times and materials and the experimental structure for doing recordings.David Litke to provide short musical phrases for this part of the training. David to coordinate with Meryn and Marguerite regarding phrase content.

Karl and group have been refining the intersection between training and performance – making it seamless so that there is no change of quality between the two modes of operation. Dealing with dropout in the C++ synthesis right now – close, but now quite there. A question of threading right now to solve some issues. Issue right now with the white noise source – need to check the differences.

Marguerite to get together with Allison et al to work with the new system. Discussion about on- and off-body equipment, now that wireless modules have developed so much.

Johnty suggested a wireless audio interface to have a speaker back on the performer. Is starting to work with force-sensitive resistors to see if we can have volume control. Starting to look at the minimotors to create idents for the tracking through the vowel space.

Allison working on the Burkholtz – received an email from him to be able to download the access to his online software. Bob suggested we run Parallel on Allison’s machine so she can test this. Sid received email from Bernd Kröger (Burkholtz’s supervisor) and he is enthusiastic about getting a real time version of the articulatory synthesizer going.

Order a new Pelican case (that can still be carried on board for air travel).

Allison mentioned some concerns about crashing in the practice, but the system is stable in performance.

Bob mentioned the need for a “lite” set for touring for future performances. Discussion followed about ways of presenting.

Sid mentioned that we will be organizing an international workshop for gesture-controlled synthesis. We will be putting that together for the end of this year and then possibly submit a special session to NIME.