Software Download from http://www.keele.ac.uk/music/people/rajmilfischman/ (click on ‘Free Software’ tab).

See MAES in action at  https://vimeo.com/55093629.

A two part seminar explaining MAES can be seen at https://vimeo.com/96700500 and https://vimeo.com/98197705

Manual Actions Expressive System (MAES) aims to enable music creation and performance using natural hand actions (e.g. hitting virtual objects, shaking them, etc.). Gestures are fully programmable and result from tracking and analysing hand motion and finger bend, potentially allowing performers to concentrate on natural actions from our daily use of the hands. It is designed to work with the P5 Glove and has been used to create music for this device (see https://vimeo.com/55093629). However, it can also be used without a controller, offering a standard graphic interface for real time control of synthesis and processing. Furthermore, the MAX external that communicates with the P5 glove can be easily replaced by any other external or subpatch that provides all or part of the corresponding data (position X,Y,Z; orientation X,Y,Z; velocity X,Y,Z and individual finger bend), with relatively little effort (see the Technical Appendix at the end of the user guide).

MAES is the first complete stage of a long term strategy for the realisation of Structured interactive immersive Multimedia experiences (SiiMe), in which performers are immersed in augmented reality involving all our senses. Performers/participants advance at their own pace, interacting with the environment and other participants: they choose individual trajectories through a multimedia artistic work but have to act within its rules and constraints towards a final goal – the realisation of the artwork itself.

Project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) UK. © Rajmil Fischman, 2012.

Fischman, R. 2013. A Manual Actions Expressive System (MAES). Organised Sound18(3): 328–345.

Fischman R. 2012. Expresión Musical Hecha a Mano. Arte & Ciencia. Revista para la divulgación artística y científica 1: 5-19, http://www.laboratorioklem.com/Publicaciones_files/revista_espacioklem_2012.pdf.

Fischman R. 2011. Back to the Parlour. Sonic Ideas – Ideas Sónicas3(2): 53-66.