Physical Computing, Circuit Bending, and Alternative Controllers

Department - ELPD
Offered - Fall, Spring, Summer
Course number - EP-391

Using Ableton Live, Reaktor, Max, Jitter, OSC, Csound, and C, students design and program their own interactive games and audio/video remixers. These systems use the department's cutting edge collection of MIDI and wireless controllers: the Mathews Radio Baton, Buchla Lightning, Haiken Continuum, Lemur, AudioCubes, Monome, and the iPhone; sensor systems such as the iCube, MIDItron, and IBVA BrainWave-to-MIDI Interface; and game controllers such as the P5 DataGlove and the Nintendo wiiMote. This class also focuses on electronics and circuit-bending. Students breadboard and build a custom analog synth; they modify and extend several sound-making toys; and they add photocells to their Oxygen8 keyboards. The class culminates in a public interactive audio installation and circuit-bent jam session using the original software, synths, controllers, and systems designed by the students.

Credits: 2
Course Chair: Michael Bierylo
Prerequisites: EP-321
Required of: None
Electable by: ELPD majors