Interactive Performance with Wireless PDAs Graham McAllister, Michael Alcorn and Philip Strain Sonic Arts Research Centre, Queen’s University of Belfast g.mcallister@qub.ac.uk m.alcorn@qub.ac.uk Abstract This paper describes a novel method of providing concert au- diences with the ability to interact with a live musical perfor- mance. It will detail a technique which uses wireless PDAs to capture and transmit gestures from individual audience mem- bers to live performers on-stage. The paper will discuss de- tails of the software and interface design as well as presenting a clear rationale for each component in the architecture. In addition to the technical issues, the paper will discuss the cre- ative implications of such technology and will conclude with future work in the area. 1 Introduction One area of interactive music that remains relatively un- explored is that of creating performance environments that enable members of the audience to participate in the music- making processes in real-time. The empowering of audiences with the ability to shape, influence and change the musical discourse is unusual in most cultures but finds most relevance in areas where improvisation plays a significant part in perfor- mance e.g. free jazz and experimental music. Currently, the role of the audience in interactive environments is typically concerned with the physical movement of all audience mem- bers (Maynes-Aminzade, Pausch, and Seitz 2002), (Winkler 2002). Such systems are mainly used to make binary ’on / off’ type decisions and therefore cannot be used for fine- grained gestures. The interactive relationship between live performers and computer-based systems has also been inves- tigated by (Jehan, Machover, and Fabio 2002), albeit, from the reverse perspective of acoustic instruments providing in- put to computer systems. Research has also been completed in group collaboration using wireless (Bryan-Kinns, Healey, and Thirlwell 2003), and Internet-based (Bargar et al. 1998) communications however these approaches are not aimed at audience involvement. One project which does involve both music performance and the audience is Dialtones (A Telesym- phony) (Levin 2001), which dials phones in the audience at specific times to create a musical performance. In this context however, the audio being generated is not involving the audi- ence directly and they cannot control the music being gener- ated. This paper will detail a system which allows for detailed gestural control data to be transmitted from individual audi- ence members to live performers. A live demonstration of the system was performed in November 2003 for BBC Television and is due to be broadcast in March 2004. 2 Rationale of System In most circumstances, audience feedback takes the form of applause at key moments (for example, the end of a work or after solos in jazz performance), or feedback in less tan- gible ways where musicians often have a sense of how well an audience is engaging with the performance through sub- tle cues in the body language of the audience. In the case of this experiment, the link is more direct and immediate. The audience member has the ability to suggest, guide and dictate the performance via real-time graphic communication with the performer. The procedure explores the basic corre- lation between graphic gestures and their possible interpre- tation as musical gestures and events. It also borrows ideas from graphic notation schemes in the 1950s and 60s (Pen- derecki 1959). For both the audience member and the per- former the screen is a blank canvas which both parties must explore together. A complex feedback loop of graphic ges- tures and sound gestures builds up over the duration of the performance. Gesture, tempo, tessitura, density of events, and performance techniques are all possible features which can be relayed in the 2-dimensional graphic space. 3 System Design Before finalizing the design of the system architecture and hardware platforms, several key constraints were imposed on the device used by the audience participants. Firstly, the de- Proceedings ICMC 2004