WEEK 10
Testing the Standard
Connected an AKAI MIDI controller to Resolume Arena. The hypothesis was that industry-standard hardware is sufficient. The result proved otherwise.
The Attention Deficit
The system works, but places a huge cognitive load on the user. They have to stare at the screen, taking attention away from the audience and the instrument.
Note On / Note Off
Standard MIDI buttons are binary. They capture the moment of the hit but miss the quality, timbre, and resonance of the drum skin.
I dedicated this week to testing the status quo by working with local practitioners and using industry-standard tools. I conducted Experiment 3.2 by connecting an AKAI MIDI controller to Resolume Arena.
This is the standard setup for live visual performance. Using it clarified exactly why my target audience avoids it. The interface is a cockpit of knobs, layers, and faders.
It requires a lot of thinking to operate. You have to think like a technician and not a musician.
The experiment showed that while the system works it places a huge cognitive load on the user. I watched how they had to look at the screen constantly to know what was happening. This takes their attention away from the audience and the instrument.
My goal is to remove the screen from the equation so they can focus on the performance.
Furthermore, the hardware itself revealed a critical limitation. A standard MIDI button is binary. It is either "Note On" or "Note Off."
It captures the moment of the hit but it misses the quality of the hit. A drum has timbre and skin stretch and resonance. The AKAI pad flattens all of that nuance into a single digital signal.
This confirmed that I cannot simply map a MIDI controller to my visuals. I need to capture the analog data of the performance.
The current standard is reliable but it is also limiting. It lacks the specificity needed for cultural performances where the subtlety of the hit matters as much as the timing.
