MUSICAL BRANCHES
The Musical Branches was one part university module and one part passion project due to a deep affiliation with music I have had since the age of 12. My aim was to combine interaction design with my passion for music to create a unique, atmospheric and immersive musical experience.
THE PROJECT
My initial goal for the project was to create an interactive musical experience akin to similar existing products found in research but with a greater emphasis on tangible feedback and keeping a mystical vibe to the design while being as original a concept as possible. It needed to have the ability to draw in a crowd as an exhibit piece that might be found in shows or out in public for special occasions. This was done through sounds, unique interactions and changing light displays. A feature focus of the device was the ability to hide how it operates, meaning no obvious clue as to how the piece works, to me this meant keeping the design as open as possible and making it appear far more complex and integrated than it actually is.
Through research into existing devices and user testing the tree has proven to be an engaging and individual design/music piece as well as a device that can help with development in small children with sensory impairment through a combination of touch, lights and sound.
VISUAL INSPIRATION
The design inspiration of the Music Tree was based strongly on the "Tree of Life" from James Cameron's Avatar (movie from 2012).
Mainly the mystical nature of the tree and the use of lighting with purples and blues which fade in and out slowly. The design feature of long colorful strands that hang down from the branches which the characters in the film interact with. This is very similar to the final design of the Music Tree which invites a similar interaction. In the film, the tree itself emits a low hum among other more mystical sounds which also influenced the audio aspect of my project.
EXISTING DEVICES
Several existing devices were investigated during the research section for this project. A few amongst them were very influential to my project such as "Reactable", "Cave of Sounds" & "Interactive Soundscape", all seen above.
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I was able to seek out and investigate these musical experiences in person. One trait they all possessed was the ability to be Multi-collaborative, meaning many people can interact with these devices at once without affecting anyone else's experience negatively, but always aiding to develop and change the music that is produced.
DESIGN SKETCHING
Construction sketches were produced to map out the tree design. The main interaction for the tree was the ability to activate set tracks of music via simple interactions, I chose to go with touch. This required touch sensors which would hang down from the branches of the music tree similarly to the lumens threads from the Tree in James Cameron's Avatar.
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Metal leaves would be created to encompass each sensor and hide the interaction element and the cables that connected the sensor to the control box at the bottom were hidden within copper pipes which were braided together to make up the main body of the tree.
DESIGN SKETCHES
As mentioned, the main body of the tree was comprised of copper pipes of varying length that would hide the jack to jack cables that connected to the sensors which hung from the artificial canopy.
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The cables would connect up to a control box located at the base of the tree which would receive the touch signals and translate them into MIDI signals which in turn would communicate with a laptop running the music software.
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Cost estimations were made to account for the materials used and tools required but no one material was particularly expensive and all technology could be locally sourced.
MUSIC GALLERY
All the music for the Musical Branches was created/imported post-recording, and ran through Ableton Live. A professional Music/Audio software, used by composers, sound artists, and DJs.
The tree has the ability to perform many different tracks, which can be switched out with other music files to generate a different performance. The main theme of the experience piece is to create a feeling of relaxation (or Zen) Â with gentle melodies and natural sounds of the Northumberland countryside. However other genres of music such as jazz, rock, and techno were also created to show off the versatility of the Musical Branches.
INTERACTION ASPECTS
The assembled design features 6 hanging sensors which correlate to an individual column of music in the music software.
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Each touch sensor (the hanging leaves), that suspends from an individual branch of the tree, is programmed to play a specific section of music; brass, keys, bass, natural sounds .e.t.c, at random. Encouraging users to experiment with different combinations of sound files to create a unique piece of music every time.
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Musical Branches can account for more than one operator at a time as triggering one sensor will not affect the result of another but instead affect the overall sound produced when these audio clips are combined and play layered.
MAINTAINING IMMERSION
The grass for the base plate hides the vast majority of the cables which all feed into an electronic drum control, this was an idea I came up with thanks to my affiliation with drumming. This is where the response to the touch sensors are passed on to a MIDI controller and by extension a computer running the required music software.
Almost all the technology is hidden away within the tree structure with the exception of the main controllers which are kept on the ground, away from eye level. When in dimmed lighting and with lights on these objects become near negligible to users which aids in maintaining an atmosphere, further inforced by the music performance.
STYLISE
The Musical Branches project maintains ties with its inspiration while still being original in design.
The goal for the project was to be engaging with its interactions, and hold an element of mystery about how it functions due to the fact the vast amount of wiring is hidden such as the touch sensors.
The project is able to create an atmosphere with a mixture of immersion, mood lighting and most of all its music.
It can function as a solo exhibition piece that would be at home at technology or music demos, or interactive museums. But simultaneously works as a multi-collaborative piece, allowing for multiples to operate the device at the same time, encouraging teamwork and experimentation.
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The lights on the project can also change depending on the music that is being performed which helps build the atmosphere.
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DEMONSTRATION VIDEO
In this brief video demonstration, you can see the Musical Branches Project being used by single and multiple people with a mixture of results. The video also shows two different genres of music that can be played. The main music theme, zen/relaxation, and a more involved, fast-paced techno composition.