Push My Buttons

Using 6 buttons connected to an Arduino's analogue pins, interactors become members of an at-hoc electroacoustic orchestra. Through the simple action of pushing a button, software behaviours are triggered. Like performers playing their instrument, six participants begin by experimenting with their button. Eventually, it becomes clear that each user's action influences the piece's flow as well as affects the functions of other buttons. The director of this ensemble may adjust volume levels as deemed necessary to provide engaging sound.

The Max patch is programmed to generate audio through the buffer and groove objects as well as through synthesised oscillator tones. These emerge as brief sustained frequencies and can be panned through the stereo space based on user input. The instantaneous composition is also spacialized through the use of a reverb filter. A series of voice mail greetings are sampled as vocal and gestural elements of the piece. Sample sizes are determined through a combination of three buttons. The clip plays forwards and backwards at various rates from very slow to high speed. The sound of a sharp hit is used to add rhythm as one of the buttons is pressed. Time between this button’s clicks is stored as intervals for the beats. Sounds generated through software harmonize together while fluctuating between a specified range of frequencies. They melt through the layers of sounds changing infinitely as this audio work has no set time to end.