We kick started our project with a research trip to SynthFest UK at the Octagon in Sheffield. Organised by Sound on Sound; it was a great event showcasing a wide range of synth producers from both DIY and hobbyist communities, modular enthusiasts to major players in the electronic music world such as Korg, Yamaha and Moog. Of particular interest were some of the talks and demos inluding was a presentation on performance and gesture from the developers behind the Mi.Mu gloves; which is both a software platform and physical wearable gloves that enable gestural music performance through wifi. The gloves contain bend sensors for individual fingers and gyroscope sensors/accelerometers that patch programmable sounds to the very nuanced gestures of the performer. The response seemed to have very ow latency and were intuitive such as capturing a sound by making a fist, amplitude up and down with vertical arm movements and gestures that reflected instruments such as vibrato for violins and harder punches for drum hits.
