ABOUT IXI : ixi workshops :

Over the years, we have been giving workshops where we explore the creation of musical instruments on the computer and their relationships to acoustic instruments. We explore how graphical visualisation can help to control musical patterns, but also physical controllers and sensors.

We give three different types of workshops:

Creative Software

In this workshop we are interested in creating our own creative software. Instead of working within the limits of commercial software, we encourage participants to create their own environments for their own personal expression.

With this in mind, we go through open source sound programming environments such as Pure Data and Supercollider and visual environments such as Python, Processing/Java, Flash and Director. To communicate between the different platforms we use the new and fantastic Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol. These programming languages make everything possible and it the question becomes: what do we do with them?

We present the participants with other works in this field, theoretical texts and have discussions about the aesthetics and theory of generative audio, visuals and creative software. The participants create a project of their own choice individually or in groups, trying to use some of the technologies discussed.

Extended Instruments

Here we deal with the question how new digital technologies can help and inspire us when working with music. We are investigating how open source software (such as Pure Data and Supercollider) can extend our acoustic instruments and become part of their being. The computer can perform much more functions than just being an audio effect. It can learn about the musician, respond and improvise with the musician, and inspire him or her to take new turns into unknown territories through new musical environments.

This workshop is for less technically oriented people but more aimed at musicians interested in the relationship between technology and expression and how technology can be utilised in musical improvisation. The idea is that each participant brings along an instrument of choice (more than one is welcome) and explores how that instrument can take on new musical meanings in new this new context. Improvisation is a strong part of this workshop.

ixiQuarks, SuperCollider and synthesis

In this workshop we introduce the ixiQuarks: an improvisation environment built as an extension of SuperCollider. As such, it contains all the expressive power of SuperCollider, but provides users with many helpful tools, such as wavescopes, equalizers, filters, effects, spectral effects and last but not least the instruments which makes it easy to improvise in live situation with other musicians.

We will go into the basics of SuperCollider and introduce digital audio and audio synthesis according to the knowledge level of the participants. We cover the themes of digital vs. analog audio, digital signal processing, audio synthesis, design of audio effects, free and open source tools, the philosophy behind ixiQuarks, technology and expression, phenomenology of musical instruments, the culture of music technology

Some selected ixi workshops so far:

March, 2008: Audio-Visuals with Pd at the University of Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
April, 2008: ixiQuarks workshop in Arteleku, Bilbao, Spain.
March, 2008: UIAH MediaLab, Helsinki, Finland.
July, 2007: ixi audio workshop in the Digital Research Unit, Huddersfield, UK.
April, 2007: UIAH MediaLab, Helsinki, Finland.
June, 2006: EHU workshop, College of Fine Arts, Bilbao, Spain.
June, 2006: Folly Media Centre, Lancaster, UK.
March, 2006: Sibelius Academy and UIAH MediaLab, Helsinki, Finland.
October, 2005: BigBlip Festival of New Media Art, Brighton, UK.
April, 2005: Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, UK. ("Extended Instruments")
March, 2005: Media Lab UIAH, Helsinki, Finland.
November, 2004: Ultrasound Festival, Huddersfield, UK.
May, 2004 : The RAM5 conference in Riga, Latvia.
April, 2004: Buchsenhausen, Innsbruck Austria.
February, 2004: Rovaniemi University, Lapland, Finland.
November, 2003: Ultrasound Festival, UK.
May, 2003: Arteleku, San Sebastian, Basque Country.
February, 2003: Media Lab UIAH, Helsinki, Finland.
November, 2002: Huddersfield University, U.K.

+ Several lectures about music software and interfaces as well as ixi software presentations in universities and institutions around Europe: Art Academy in Vienna; Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona; Faculty of Art and Design of Hull; Cybersonica, London; PixelAche Festival, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Electroacoustic Music at the University of Huddersfield; ICA in London; MIT-Media Lab in Dublin; IT-University of Copenhagen; Piknik Frequency in Helsinki; Lansdown Centre for Electronic Arts, Middlesex University; The Hypermedia Centre of Westminster University in London; Goldsmiths University, London; Universidad Europea de Madrid; University of Sussex; The Big Blip Festival in Brighton; Sonar Festival in Barcelona; Dorkbots London; The Danish School of Design; Garage Festival, Stralsund, Germany; The Digital Research Unit, Huddersfield, UK; Sonic Arts Department, Centre for Electronic Arts, Middlesex University, London, UK; STEIM (Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music) Amsterdam, Holland; Dorkbot Eindhoven, Eindhoven, Holland; Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab, School of Music at McGill University, Montreal, Canada; MakeArt, Poitiers, France; IRCAM, Paris, France.

Email us to infoixi-software.net if you are interested on getting more detailed information about our workshops or you want to organise an ixi worksop at your institution.