Auralis

Auralis is a musical instrument constructed from a multitouch table and custom software ported from my earlier touch wall Touch #2. Merging sound, interactivity, and sequencing, Auralis is simultaneously engaging, meditative and soothing. I created the work for youth ages 8-14.

A virtual world of suns, stars and planets interact with each other. Participants run their fingers across the display to create new forces. As each planet has its own pitch, a series of planets encircling a virtual sun can be played as a musical sequence.

Auralis. Please play video with sound on.

Auralis was built from a hacked SmartTable 442i with upgraded OPS i7 11th generation computer module running Windows 10.

Software is written in Pure Data (Pd) and makes heavy use of Pd library pmpd. Multitouch support was created with a custom C# application which sends OSC messages to Pd using sockets. The C# application captured touch events using SmartTech’s multitouch SDK.

Auralis is a portable installation that is currently available to any organizations that might be interested.

Similar Posts

  • Assembly Language Programming

    In the Spring of 2008 I taught Wichita State University’s Assembly Language Programming for Engineers course. As explained in the syllabus, the course used the Z80 microprocessor and the GameBoy platform to introduce general concepts of computer architecture, machine and assembly language programming. Students practiced the ideas and concepts introduced in the course with programming…

  • Still Life

    In 2011, as part of Hack.Art.Lab, I collaborated with composer Mary Ellen Childs and percussionist Michael Holland to create live animation triggered by live performance of Mary Ellen Childs’ composition “Still Life.” We analyzed the piece into 11 sections and created algorithmic video triggered by sound and motion to match each of the 11 sections. The video was projected…

  • Contrapuntal Composer

    Contrapuntal Composer is Prolog code which writes music for three simultaneous voices. Depending on initial parameters, it can write a fugue, a rondo, or any other contrapuntal form. Contrapuntal Composer obeys the rules of good voice leading within each voice and between the voices.

  • Be The Shortstop!

    Be The Shortstop! is a permanent public indoor installation at The Baseball Museum in Riverfront Stadium, Wichita KS. Players hit a large button on a kiosk to start the game. After a few seconds the game starts as they race to hit the correct button on a large wall. A crowd cheers on speakers as…

  • Touch #2

    Touch #2 is a playful virtual environment and an interactive, musical instrument. Viewers become participants through play. The work transforms any flat wall into a touch-sensitive surface. A projector and infrared camera mount on the ceiling and infrared emitters mount on top of the wall, allowing the work to detect as many as 10 touches…

  • TechArtICT: Whispering Woodlands

    Whispering Woodlands was an outdoor installation created by TechArtICT. It was installed at Exploration Place in Wichita, Kansas from November 2023 through January 2024. The work featured 24 independently controlled sets of speakers and LEDs, all synchronized to create an immersive sound and lightscape. Using eclectic audio ranging from thunder and rain to spaceships and…