Contemporary approaches to live computer music : the evolution of the performer composer : a thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington [i.e. New Zealand School of Music] in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis examines contemporary approaches to live computer music, and the \nimpact they have on the evolution of the composer performer. How do online \nresources and communities impact the design and creation of new musical \ninterfaces used for live computer music? Can we use machine learning to \naugment and extend the expressive potential of a single live musician? How can \nthese tools be integrated into ensembles of computer musicians? Given these \ntools, can we understand the computer musician within the traditional context of \nacoustic instrumentalists, or do we require new concepts and taxonomies? Lastly, \nhow do audiences perceive and understand these new technologies, and what \ndoes this mean for the connection between musician and audience? \nThe focus of the research presented in this dissertation examines the application \nof current computing technology towards furthering the field of live computer \nmusic. This field is diverse and rich, with individual live computer musicians \ndeveloping custom instruments and unique modes of performance. This \ndiversity leads to the development of new models of performance, and the \nevolution of established approaches to live instrumental music. \nThis research was conducted in several parts. The first section examines how \nonline communities are iteratively developing interfaces for computer music. \nSeveral case studies are presented as examples of how online communities are \nhelping to drive new developments in musical interface design. \nThis thesis also presents research into designing real-time interactive systems \ncapable of creating a virtual model of an existing performer, that then allows the \nmodel’s output to be contextualized by a second performer’s live input. These \nsystems allow for a solo live musician’s single action to be multiplied into many \ndifferent, but contextually dependent, actions. \nv \nAdditionally, this thesis looks at contemporary approaches to local networked \nensembles, the concept of shared social instruments, and the ways in which the \npreviously described research can be used in these ensembles. \nThe primary contributions of these efforts include (1) the development of \nseveral new open-source interfaces for live computer music, and the examination \nof the effect that online communities have on the evolution of musical \ninterfaces; (2) the development of a novel approach to search based interactive \nmusical agents; (3) examining how networked music ensembles can provided \nnew forms of shared social instruments.