Project: SoundWaves – Wearable wireless instrument enabling user to synthesis rhythmic sounds through dance.

Milestone 1 Goal:
Decide on Sensors and music playing software.

Sensors:
Decided to use: Conductive Rubber, Accelerometers, and homemade force-sensative resistors.

Video:

Prototyping:

Prototype 1:
Bread Board

Perf Board

Prototype 2:
Used CNC router to cut boards

Fail. CNC router is not precise enough to cut traces of 24 mils with clearance from each other. Easier to make perf boards(I am considering print PCB’s from commercial Board maker.)

Hardware: Mounting upon Shinguards. Force sensitive resistors in Shoes. Dance is more about Lower body movement than upper body movement

Music Playing Software:
Choices
Synthesised Audio: Max_instruments_PeRcolate_06 – traditional instruments artificially reproduced in max, with a level of sensitivity to adjust elements such as pitch, Hardness, Reed stiffness, etc. Denied due to lack of quick adjustablilty to changes in values, still under consideration.

Samplers: Investigated use of free samplers such as Independence and SampleTank, but samplers became to convoluted to setup and the trail for free use expires after 10 days. Denied

Insystem Samplers: Audio DSL synth using midi-out Function in Max. over complicated. Denied.

Resonator/Wikonator: Still under consideration.

Simple Hardcoded Max mapping of gestures to sounds and sound files of 808 drum machine: Accepted.

Wireless:
Wixel are useful, but can only hook up one channel to system, can not read multiple channels on same line, or else getting confusing serial readings.
Bluetooth, Personalize channels but expensive.
Bluetooth and Wixel combination, under consideration.