Last weekend my multitouch table and Audiotouch software were on display at UCSD’s Music Center Openening. The turnout was good and it was great meeting the enthusiastic crowd that took the time to try out the table.

The majority really liked the simplicity of the new ‘Bloom‘ application that acts as a screen-saver type application when no other application is loaded. The kids really liked the ‘Wall Pong’ game and it was fascinating watching them take part in the interaction.

Several people asked if the installation was permanent and  based on that, I think UCSD should commission a new permanent table for the new center, what do you think (hehe)?

Below is a series of photos taken at the event. Hopefully I’ll get some extra time to do a fuller and more sophisticated writeup about the event. The age variety and technological diversity of the users that stopped by really taught me a lot about user interaction.

note: If you’re wondering why some of the images look more artistic or dramatic, it’s because I tried applying a pseudo HDR effect that I’ve been practicing. Let me know what you think.

Well, it’s about time I released another application right? If anyone has ever played Bloom on the iphone, I’m sure you’ll recognize my port from iphone to table.

If you’re not familiar with bloom, it’s a very simple music creation application. Press anywhere on the screen to create circles that grow and ‘bloom.’ As they fade out and re-appear, they play a note. The note is based on the x-axis. As you move right, the notes go higher.

Click the above image to play

How to use:

-Press on screen (mouse, touch, multi-touch)
-Rollover/touch/click already created circles to remove them and their sound
-Press the upper left ‘clear’ button to clear all circles and sounds on screen.

Downloads:

Source Code: 

Bloom Source Code bloom_src.zip Version: 1

Author:	Seth Sandler
Date:	November 18, 2009
MD5 Hash:	37030ba99feb9663b98f0c755061bcca

1.2 MiB 21862 Downloads Details...

Binary Application:

Bloom Application bloom.zip Version: 1

Author:	Seth Sandler
Date:	November 18, 2009
MD5 Hash:	d4302be06f674dd3f68b7d38c52256d6

1.9 MiB 21022 Downloads Details...

The source folder should include everything you need to run the application. You don’t need to copy anything into your current AS3 directory. I’ve commented the Main.as file very well and it should give a good look into making simple applications with the AS3 Touch API.

Thanks to Christian for the background color tweening effect.

Check out my Bloom thread I started here: http://nuigroup.com/forums/viewthread/3867/

Check out olo:idea video below that shows the Bloom running on a large multitouch display.

Check out bassmang5 video below that shows the Bloom and my other applications running on his MTmini! You can see his post on NUIGroup here: http://nuigroup.com/forums/viewthread/3911/

New video of the new system that loads and unloads applications. Also, the desktop is now sending out OSC message to PureData to create some sounds based on finger number and position on screen.

New video showcasing the final table at work. The software is all a work in progress and new releases will be coming soon of all applications as well as new ones. If you like the video, please pass it on. If you don’t like the video, please pass it on anyway. Enjoy!

No, I haven’t forgotten about the other programs that I first started on. I’m still developing Audioshape Sequencer as well as Musical Squares, but recently I have made some big changes/additions to the MuliKey application. I think all of the changes are great improvements and will allows for much more functionality and experimentation within a simple application like MultiKey.

First, if you’ve seen the first versions, you’ll notice that the look has changed slightly. I’ve gotten rid of the background (for now) to allow for best performance. Also the border of the keyboard has changed a bit so that it is easier to resize the keyboard. Previously the border width made it somewhat hard to select the keyboard for moving, rotating and scaling. I think the little circle ends will help with selection.

You’ll also notice a tab on top of the keyboard that didn’t used to be there. This tab is a control unit. Click on the tab and controls will pop out. On previous versions, when a key was pressed the note would play until it hit the end of the sound file. Now, when a note is pressed, the note will end when the key is released. With the control center, you can control how notes start (Attack time), how they are released (Release time) , and their sustain amplitude (Volume). It is similar to an ASR or ADSR without the Decay (for those that are familiar with audio envelopes). There is also a control for switching between a few different sound libraries (synth keyboard, violin, overdrive guitar, and percussion) .

Also, now you can move, scale, and rotate the canvas (black space).

For those that don’t have a multitouch table, this application, for the most part, will now work with a mouse! It’s single “touch” this way, but you can get a general idea of how everything works, although it will be much more natural with multitouch interaction.

I feel these are some really great improvements, but I welcome any suggestions or ideas you may have. Feel free to throw out any ideas in the comment box and comment how you feel about the application.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/CBGTY4lteto]

Quick demo video using a mouse and the Multitouch TUIO Simulator. This is just a quick look at the different sounds you can get by changing around the new controls.

Download Link here:

MultiKey MultiKeyV2.zip Version: 2

MultiKey musical keyboard application

Author:	Seth Sandler
Date:	November 18, 2009
MD5 Hash:	ead8e4e76e66da3f024606cc0bf9856a

12.4 MiB 108222 Downloads Details...

*Note: I’m including a .swf, .exe (for windows), and .app (for mac). Make sure to set the security settings so you’re able to connect to FLOSC if you’re using this with a multitouch table.

Audioshape Sequencer is modeled after Tangible Sequencer and originally inspired by Nicolas Clavaud.This application works with a mouse and/or multitouch table (touchlib/tuio simulator or other TUIO program). =)

There are three main things to know about the program.

1. There is the shape (square),
2. signal (transparent orange shape),
3. and sensor (Blue dot on square. Pink when activated).

How it works/How to use:

When a signal comes in contact with a sensor on another shape (square), it creates a “connection.” Move around the squares (by dragging or clicking/pressing) to create different connections. Same colored squares have the same sounds. Double click a square to play itself and it’s connected shapes. To rotate using the mouse, click and hold a square while using the “up/down” arrows on the keyboard. To rotate on a touch table, use two fingers. To make the signal bigger or smaller, click/press and drag the signal (orange shape).

Currently you can switch between two instrument groups (percussion and piano). The bpm slider controls the speed of playback.

Here’s a video of an older version:

Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions and/or problems. I welcome any feature requests!

Here’s some thoughts on future features:

• More sounds library/multiple instruments at once on stage
• Add/remove more shapes
• Shape for rests so you can insert “rests” into the music
• More shapes that perform different functions or have different signals
• Sync On/Off toggle
• Quantization
• Volume Control

Currently, I’m only releasing the software. No source yet since there’s a couple things that needs to be fixed first. I am all still working on all my other software so expect updates soon!

Download here:

Audioshape Sequencer AudioShapeSequencerv1.zip Version: 1

Audioshape Sequencer application

Author:	Seth Sandler
Date:	November 18, 2009
MD5 Hash:	7cef0be5fedcbcbd32b84c8f0c7b9bf8

2.0 MiB 14211 Downloads Details...

*Note: I’m including only the swf. Make sure to set the security settings so you’re able to connect to FLOSC.

I finally have everything up and running decently enough to make some videos. So here’s a couple videos of the software I’m currently working on. I combined both the multiKey and Musical Squares applications into one canvas. A user can move the canvas, or the individual applications around, rotate, resize them as well as some subtle extras.

Enjoy! Hopefully I’ll have some better quality videos up soon.

Thanks to Adi, Deej, and Muhneer I now have video footage of my current applications running on a finished multi-touch display. Now I have an idea how the applications look on a finished display and what kind of changes may be needed.