Report from WG3

Andy Hunt 5^th Jan 2004

A reminder that WG 3 is looking at integrated multiple media applications.

So far, Working Group 3 has had three events.

The latest was yesterday’s interactive sonification workshop- which sprang from a common interest by several members, and focussed on integrated applications using sound and tactile feedback. The Workshop has its own proceedings, and we have provisional acceptance to re-work the papers (and invite others) for a special issue of IEEE Multimedia.

You should have received minutes of our two WG3 meetings; if not, let me know.

Our first meeting (our ‘formation meeting’) was held in Genova last April. Here a few of us registered our interests, discussed the idea of a multimedia database, and looked forward to leveraging funding for a ConGAS-style conference or performance.

Our second meeting was a rather larger event in Stockholm at the SMAC conference in August. We had lots of guests and the discussions opened up on many topics which seemed rather bigger than WG3 alone – but worthwhile discussing.

We planned yesterday’s Interactive Sonification workshop, and discussed other possible publication routes.
The idea of the Multimedia Database was taken forward, as Thomas presented a S web interface which we agreed could act as a template. We plan to develop this further after this meeting. Kia offered to talk to Marcelo Wanderley about linking with (or developing) the current excellent on-line bibliography at www.igmusic.org.
We began to put together ideas for a workshop day in Leeds (hosted by Kia and WG2), and now set for March 30^th. Here we plan to bring along our software and hardware work-in-progress, to learn about what each of us is doing, in a series of talks, demonstrations and hands-on sessions. Thomas will be calling for contributions to a prototype database in advance of this meeting. This session will also be a chance to further discuss the practicalities of a future larger event, with external funding.

Minutes from the first WG3 meeting, Genova, 18th April 2003

WG3/1.1 Introduction

This report is the first summary of Working Group 3 “Applications and Integration”

It includes a short summary of the meeting in Genova, and a list of participants from Genova and Brussels.

Please let me know if the participants list needs updating.

WG3/1.2 Participants in WG3

Andy Hunt (chair)

Sergi Jorda

Thomas Hermann

Roberto Bresin

Klaus Scherer

Lauri Savioja

Kia Ng

Nicola Bernardini

Vesa Välimäki

Todor Todoroff

Names in blue attended the Genova group meeting; those in purple expressed an interest at the Brussels meeting.

WG3/1.3 Chair

Andy Hunt was elected Chair.

WG3/1.4 Topics of Interest for WG3

We listed our personal and group interests. The group discussed various ways of categorising its diverse interests, and settled on the following groups of subjects. The target areas of application are divided into Music/Arts, Science & Data, Social, and Technical. We added one final category where we try to understand complex systems by considering the integrated effect on human beings.

WG3: Applications & Integration:

Main areas of interest

· Music & Arts Applications:

o Interactive Multimedia Performances

o Interactive Audio/Multimedia Installations

o Musical instruments

· Science & Data Applications:

o Interactive Sonification

· Social Applications:

o Applications for people with disabilities

o Education

· Technical Applications:

o Systems architecture

o Compatibility

o Available software

o Latency, synchronization

· Understanding & meanings:

o Mapping strategies

o Cross-modal interaction & synchronization

The group then discussed possible actions for WG3, and began to discuss when to meet again. These discussions are summarised below.

WG3/1.4 Actions for Working Group 3

WG3/1.4.1 Multimedia Database

The group thinks a major contribution would be to pull together the many disparate research strands around the world that use human gestures to control electronic sound and multimedia. During the ConGAS meetings so far, delegates have shown fascinating videos of performance systems and scientific ideas, but these currently reside on individual laptops. The idea is to design a common format (e.g. short paper, video in a certain format etc.) that would be required for entry into the database. Invitations to submit could then be sent out as part of the ConGAS action. We clearly need to think of how the information is gathered and stored, and whether current media will be suitable for publication in its entirety. However, it will make an extremely useful database for researchers in the field, and for putting together other publications as part of this COST action. Thomas Hermann has offered to coordinate the first thoughts towards this goal.

WG3/1.4.2 Funding Leverage – ConGAS conference

The group decided that one of the best uses of our limited time/funding within ConGAS is to use our combined status as leverage to deliver much greater funding. The idea emerged of working towards funding for a ConGAS conference – including tutorials, performances and workshops. Clearly we would like to discuss this with the other WGs. Klaus Scherer offered to take this idea forward.

WG3/1.4.2 Special Issue Journal

The Conference (above) should be linked from the start to a special edition of a journal, which would give us all an opportunity to share our work, and meet another of our academic requirements.

WG3/1.5 Ideas for the future

We are awaiting budgets before we can really decide the following, but here are our initial plans.

a) Short-term scientific mission (STSM)

Andy Hunt and Thomas Herrmann are planning a STSM to exchange ideas and work towards a mini-conference in Interactive Sonification. Thomas & assistant are planning a trip to York in Autumn 2003, and initial plans are for the mini-conference to be held in February 2004 in Bielefeld. There is already substantial interest in this topic at York and Bielefeld, and Thomas is planning to mention this at ICAD.

b) Next Meeting possibilities

The group decided that it would have one WG3 meeting prior to the next ConGAS meeting in Barcelona (Feb 27^th / 28^th 2004). Some possibilities were:

i) SMAC (Stockholm) Meeting Tuesday 5^th August 2003, just before the conference.

ii) DAFx Friday 12^th Septermber 2003, just after the conference.

iii) Interactive Sonification mini-conference (see above), Bielefeld, Early February 2004, one day before of after. Although conveneient, this is rather close to the next ConGAS meeting in Barcelona.

WG3/1.6 Suggestions requested from people

Any factual corrections to (or omissions from) these minutes
A ‘vote’ on when would be the most convenient time/place to have the next WG3 meeting
Any other ideas that WG3 should be focussing on

WG3 COST-287: ConGAS

Minutes from the meeting of WG3 on August 6th 2003 in Stockholm

Participants:

Andy Hunt (chair)
Thomas Hermann (secretary)
Kia Ng
Vesa Valimaki
Rolf Inge Godoy
Klaus Scherer
Gunter Geiger
Sergi Jorda
Roberto Bresin
Nicola Bernadini
Marc Leman
Gualtiero Volpe
Jan Tro
Gary Scavone
Georg Essl
Stefania Serafin
Diana Young
Sile O'Modrain
Gerald Bennett
Giovanni De Poli
Johan Sundberg
Kristoffer Jensen

WG3/2.1: Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the first WG3 meeting, April 18th, Genova were approved with no corrections necessary.

WG3/2.2 Matters arising from those minutes

Matters arising are all included in the minutes below.

WG3/2.3 International Workshop on Interactive Sonification, Jan 2004

Andy distributed printed copies of www.sonification.de/WS-ISon2004.html which outlines this ConGAS-related workshop, organised by Thomas Hermann and Andy Hunt, and to be held on January 8th in Bielefeld, Germany. A ConGAS management meeting will take place on the following day.

WG3/2.4 Future Special Editions of Journals

The above workshop has provisional acceptance for a special issue of IEEE Multimedia, but this cannot be confirmed until Jan 2004. Other possible contacts for special issues (and general single-article publications related to ConGAS) were:

The ConGAS web-site: http://www.cost287-congas.org/ - with Nicola Bernadini recommending on-line publications where possible.
Journal of New Music Research (contact Marc Leman, current editor) http://www.swets.nl/jnmr/
Emotion (contact Klaus Scherer) http://www.apa.org/journals/emo.html
Computer Music Journal (contact Kia Ng, editorial consultant) http://mitpress.mit.edu/CMJ

WG3/2.5 Multimedia Database

Summary:

We agreed to Thomas Hermann's idea of a S web-database (see below), and Thomas is asked to pursue this and let ConGAS people know details of URLs etc, and to put out a call for project information. Action: T. Hermann
Kia Ng offered to contact Marcelo Wanderley regarding a possible integration of the http://www.igmusic.org site and this new Database. Action: K. Ng

Discussion:
At the previous meeting we had said:

Thomas Hermann presented a S based web-database to meet this need. The site can be hosted in Bielefeld, and ConGAS delegates will be given access to project site. Projects and authors can be added very easily and interactively using web forms. The project pages may include small pictures, any larger material like animations, presentations, online-papers, etc. These shall be made available on the individual servers of the people associated with each project and linked from the ConGAS database project page. The access shall be limited only to delegates, project pages being made accessible to the project authors so that the update effort is distributed. We thought the database could be something for all working groups rather than just WG3. Andy thanked Thomas on behalf of ConGAS for the efforts he has put into this so far.

Roberto noted the importance for ConGAS to have visible results, and supported s as a good way to do this.

Nicola noted that it should be that each country's delegates forward the call to the contributing researchers in the countries.

WG3/2.6 ConGAS Conference / Performance

Summary:

We support the idea of looking into external funding for a large-scale performance event (see discussion below) and Klaus is asked to look into this over the coming year. Action K. Scherer
In the short-term we plan to hold a smaller-scale "ConGAS Work-in-progress Workshop" in Leeds in April 2004. Kia to circulate more details when they are available. Action: K. Ng
The format of this Workshop is likely to be:

- Demonstrations & short talks
- Hands-on sessions (where we get to try out each others' systems)
- Discussion about future directions, collaborations and events.

In advance of this workshop, Thomas will coordinate a call for contributions to the database (see WG3/2.5 above), which would contain at least the systems to be shown at the workshop, and ideally a lot more.

Discussion:
Throughout the day various WG3 members discussed ideas for a large-scale event.
Klaus gave a short talk on the idea of a ConGAS performance as a means to get more funding (national and industrial) to increase our research possibilities. This performance would bring together approaches from art and science. Various topics were discussed , but three common themes emerged - 1. gestural control, 2. audio systems, 3. emotion. There was much discussion about the pros and cons of involving professional (big-name) performers or conductors to work with some interactive technology, and also whether the music should be more pop-based rather than contemporary classical (as this might allow the integration of the several systems related to DJ-ing or club music). During the afternoon sessions, a few people had given simple demonstrations of their current work (or a video), and we thought it would be great to allow everyone in ConGAS to see (and have a go on) other systems. This might even allow the connection of different systems together, or some real-time 'jamming' or interaction. These could be the seeds of a larger-scale performance further in the future. Kia offered to host such an event at the Leeds Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Research in music in April 2004.

WG3/2.7 Future ideas for WG3

We agreed to focus on the pulling together of the Database (see WG3/2.5 above) and working towards the interactive workshop in April (see WG3/2.6 above). In the meantime we have the Sonifcation workshop (and the next MC meeting) in Bielefeld in January, and another MC meeting later in the year (June, Barcelona?).