WiFi TeleMusik is an open work. Every performance of the piece creates a unique sound-environment. The realisation of the piece relies on a computing system that was developed by the composer at the university of York. There are sonic elements that remain constant among the various realisations while others change each time.

Musician(s) are either aware of the changes in advance either not.

The computer system includes four software packages. The software aims to the creation of an interactive environment into which one can drive the musicians of an ensemble in real time by means of transmitting information to them in real time. This procedure transforms the ensemble in a Meta-instrument at the disposal of the composer. The composer composes his piece in real time [RT Work - Synthesis]

The piece requires —depending on the ensemble’s lineup—, 9 portable computers [cross platform], wireless routers, 7 foot-switch controllers, 7 microphones and 8 Loudspeakers. Transmission of text, photos, video, metronome indications, blinking lights, chronometers etc is performed in real time. Data travel from the composer’s computer to computers placed on stands in front of the musicians and control both the micro-structural and the macro-structural elements of the piece.

New “performance” types arise since the use of technology enables the creation of new forms and facilitates the execution of super-complex structures. Also, new weird psychological states can be created within the ensemble since the composer can route his commands to specific members of the ensemble and creating independent groups in it. The teams can have either symbiotic targets or they might behave like enemies! Very interesting musical-sociological aspects can be discovered through each performance.

The electronic part is divided into two parts: The interactive tape [hexaphonic diffusion] and the live electronics [Stereophonic diffusion]. The tape consists approximately of 4.000 processed sound-files. The musicians use foot-switch controllers in order to trigger consecutive sound-files, so they have precise time control, but also the flexibility to control the density of the tape since they can trigger more than one files at each time. Because of the vast amount of soundfiles, a specialised software developed and used in order for the musicians to sort the soundfiles according to their aesthetic preferences.

The piece was commissioned and premiered by dissonArt ensemble (http://dissonart.gr/) at Milano Incontra la Grecia festival in Italy.

How did this project use Max?

The whole project was built using the Max/MSP programming language.