Creative Tech Week

Kinefy is a software framework designed for enhancing conventional musical instruments through the body movements and gestures of the performer. It provides tools for using widely available wearable sensors to extend the expressive possibilities of existing musical instruments. Through Machine Learning technologies, Kinefy can adapt its algorithms to the various movements and postures required for playing different musical instruments, thus allowing control of live electronics and sound processing in an organic and intuitive way. Kinefy expands and alters the sound of a conventional instrument using complex techniques such as physical modelling and granular synthesis, thus allowing the musician to explore new sonic territories using movements that merge with -- or complement -- techniques with which he or she is already familiar with. The motivations behind Kinefy arise from studies of embodiment in music performance, which suggest that movement is an essential component of music cognition, and that the gestures of a musician are an expressive feature that contribute to the overall musical experience. Kinefy also aims at redefining the ways motion sensors are used in musical performance. By allowing a for quick and intuitive control, Kinefy enables musicians to experiment with new ways of playing their instrument, without having to modify it the instrument or to manually tweak complex software parameters. During the workshop, the participants will learn and share techniques for interactive music performance using wearable motion sensors. A performance night will follow, where Federico Visi and Andrew Telichan Phillips will perform pieces involving motion sensors, live electronics and acoustic instruments.