Soundspade
Sound Spade is a software and hardware tool, enabling musicians to search, upload, play and compose, using a network repository of sound samples. The sound files are contributed to the repository from the members of the musician community. The software analyzes the sound files for different musical qualities when they are uploaded. The user searches the repository based on musical qualities, and selected samples can then be downloaded.
The Sound Spade hardware is an embedded Linux music workstation designed to be portable and easy for musicians to use. It incorporates touch sensitive technology. The main premise behind the music workstation is to provide an integration of an audio and MIDI enabled computer and MIDI controller. The hardware supports Open Source
MIDI and audio software making it a versatile workstation for any musician. With the addition of the Sound Spade client software, the
musician can upload, search and download samples from the Sound Spade repository.
My intent is that Sound Spade software be released as an Open Source project for musicians to share sound files. The Sound Spade hardware will be developed for commercial use. Both the Sound Spade software and hardware are prototypes in development. As a proof of concept of the Sound Spade software, I created a program that downloads songs from shared iTunes playlists, and then analyzes, slices and ingests them into the repository for use in the hardware. This is a snapshot of the capabilities of both the software and hardware.
Artist: Benjamin Bacon
Exhibitions:
MFADT Thesis Show, New York, NY, May 2006
TASIE, Beijing, China, November 2006
