Integra Project - Fusing music and technology

Integra Live, Harvey, BBC Symphony Orchestra

Tom — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:26:37 +0000

Great news for the Integra team: Integra Live will be used in a performance of Jonathan Harvey’s Madonna of Winter and Spring in a concert delivered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre, London, as part of the Total Immersion: Jonathan Harvey series. The concert begins at 8pm on Saturday 28 January 2012 - if you’re in the capital of the UK, why not pop along and see what we’ve been up to?

Click here for tickets and more information.

If you can’t make the concert, excerpts will be broadcast as part of BBC Radio 3′s Hear and Now at 10:30pm on Saturday 28 January.

Click here for further information.

New Photos Now Uploaded To Flickr

Tom — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:10:41 +0000

New photos have now been uploaded to Flickr from the following concerts

BIT20 Concert 4, Bergen

GIV Concert 4, Valencia

BCU Workshop 2 and Concert, Birmingham

BIT20 IEM Graz - Peter Plessas

BCU Additional Concert

Tom — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:23:16 +0000

Title: BCU Additional Concert
Location: Barbican Theatre, London
Link out: Click here
Description: Integra Live will be used in a performance of Jonathan Harvey’s Madonna of Winter and Spring in a concert performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra as part of the Harvey Total Immersion series.
Start Time: 20.00
Date: 2012-01-28

Austro by Giorgio Tedde

Tom — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:24:55 +0000

On Monday 17 October, renowned recorder player Chris Orton performed Giorgio Tedde’s Austro for alto recorder and live electronics at Birmingham Conservatoire’s Recital Hall. Software Development Manager Jamie Bullock was on hand to run the electronics using our new software, Integra Live. Another successful outing for the program!

From left to right, Chris Orton and Jamie Bullock.

EarZoom 2011

Tom — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:20:11 +0000

As a result of Miha Ciglar’s involvement with the Integra Outreach Programme, we were invited to participate in the EarZoom Sonic Arts Festival 2011, where Jamie Bullock delivered a workshop to an interested audience.

EarZoom Festival 2011, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Other photos from the event are available on our Flickr account here.

Integra Live Swedish National Workshop – Nov 2011

Tom — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:25:58 +0000

Researchers from Malmö Academy Of Music led a free, two-day Integra Live workshop in Malmö from 16 – 17 November 2011, as part of Connect Festival. The event was open to students and members of the public, with the aim of widening knowledge about live electronics in general and Integra Live in particular. Previous national workshops have been held in Austria, Norway, Poland and Spain, with a further workshop planned on 20th January 2012 in Birmingham, UK.

Henrik Frisk of Malmö Academy of Music delivers a workshop session.

AEC Congress 2011

Tom — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:19:52 +0000

A party from Birmingham Conservatoire presented the outcomes of the Integra Curriculum Pilot to delegates at the prestigious AEC Congress in Valencia on 12 November 2011. Lamberto Coccioli (Project Manager), James Dooley (Phd Student), Katherine Lam (Piano Tutor) and Juliet Jeffries (Piano Student) spoke about how our new software, Integra Live, has been incorporated in their lessons over the past year. This was followed by a performance of Monody for piano and live electronics by Roger Smalley featuring Dooley and Jeffries. Our presence at the Congress emphasised our commitment to sharing best practice in the field of live electronic music education.

James Dooley (l), Katherine Lam (m) and Lamberto Coccioli (r)

Integra Live UK National Workshop – January 2012

Tom — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:22:49 +0000

We would like to invite you to one of three FREE WORKSHOPS AND A CONCERT on Friday 20 January 2012 at Birmingham Conservatoire. You’ll learn about Integra Live, our new software for intuitive interaction with live electronics, and work with it first-hand. The event will appeal to musicians or developers looking to delve into live electronics, refresh their skills, or further an interest in the intersection of art and science.

WORKSHOP PLACES
24, spread over three sessions (all sessions will contain the same content and have space for eight people)

WORKSHOPS – MFM LAB
Workshop 1, 10am – 11.30am
Workshop 2, 11.30am – 1pm
Workshop 3, 2.30pm – 4pm

CONCERT – RECITAL HALL
5pm – 6pm (open to all members of the public, no need to reserve a place)
The concert will feature Integra Live pieces written by Conservatoire composers.

LOCATION
Birmingham Conservatoire, Paradise Place, Birmingham, B3 3HG

A reservation must be made to secure entry to the workshops – to book a place please contact tom.cahill-jones@bcu.ac.uk (T 0121 331 5913).

Link to Integra Live UK National Workshop – January 2012

Images from the Integra Festival 2011

Tom — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:06:43 +0000

The Integra Festival 2011, which took place in Copenhagen this Autumn, staged an exciting programme of events.

Integra software was used at an additional concert performed by Court-Circuit and Grup Instrumental. Photos from the concert are published on our Flickr account, which can be viewed here.

BCU also hosted an additional concert entitled On The Verge. The photos can be accessed at this link.

Pictures from the BCU Integra Workshop are also available on Flickr. Click here to take a look at the event.

And finally, a variety of images from the Integra Festival 2011 can be viewed on our Flickr account here.

Photograph by Christoffer Regild, Integra Festival 2011

Images from BIT20 Concert 3

Tom — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:40:54 +0000

The Integra Festival 2011 played host to another world premiere, that of Iris Ter Schiphorst’s piece, AUNG, at BIT20 Concert 3. The image below shows Integra software in action at the concert. Take a look at the other pictures here.

Integra Software, BIT20 Concert 3, Integra Festival 2011

Images From Athelas Concert 4

Tom — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:26:34 +0000

The Danish premiere of Le nubi non scoppiano per il peso by Mauro Lanza was performed by Athelas at the ensemble’s fourth Integra project concert. New images have recently been uploaded to Flickr – click here to see them.

Athelas Concert 4, Integra Festival 2011

Images From Athelas Concert 3

Tom — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:11:57 +0000

Athelas Concert 3, held in Elsinore, presented the world premiere of Extended Apocalypsis by Philippe Leroux. Photographs of the concert are available to view here on our Flickr account.

Athelas Concert 3, Elsinore, Denmark

Images From Ars Nova Concert 3

Tom — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:37:17 +0000

Images from Ars Nova Concert 3, which featured the world premiere of Alvin Curran’s Integra commission Circus Maximus, are now published on Flickr. Click the link to view! CLICK HERE

Ars Nova Concert 3, Integra Festival 2011

Video – 29th Sept

Tom — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:28:34 +0000

Big Crunch is piece for solo clarinet and live electronics by Birmingham Conservatoire PhD student Tychonas Michailidis. The work was performed in the concert “On The Verge” at the Royal Danish Academy Of Music on Wednesday 29th September as part of the Integra Festival, and was written and performed using Integra Live. A video of the performance is available via the link below.

CLICK HERE

Video – 28th September

Tom — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:47:39 +0000

It has now been over a week since the Integra Festival came to an end. For those of you suffering from withdrawal symptoms, below you will find a link to a video of highlights from the concert which took place on Wednesday 28th September, featuring performers from Grup Instrumental and Court-Circuit with Birmingham Conservatoire’s Tychonas Michailidis on live electronics. Despite the fact that events in Copenhagen have finished, we still have lots of activities planned and we will continue to post information here and on our twitter account @integraproject – keep following!

CLICK HERE

Festival Report – Sat 01 Oct

Tom — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:40:17 +0000

The Integra Festival was brought to an end in style on Saturday 01 Oct with the world premiere performance of Iris Ter Schiphorst’s new Integra commission, AUNG. The piece – a theatrical work for ensemble, live electronics and two actors – took as its thematic focus the plight of Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi, and was performed with suitable intelligence by Bergen’s BIT20 ensemble. Research Centre, NOTAM, was responsible for building and delivering the electronic component, which used Integra Live in a fundamental way. The concert was completed with the Danish premiere of Knut Vaage’s multiMORF 3 for trombone, video and live electronics, and an Integra Live version of Kaija Saariaho’s classic work Lichtbogen. We would like to extend our thanks to all those who made the Festival a reality: funders, composers, artists, conductors, performers, producers, administrators and our Integra partners.

John-Arils Suther performs multiMORF 3 by Knut Vaage

Festival Report – Fri 30 Sept

Tom — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:21:19 +0000

Friday 30 September saw a focus on student pieces at the Integra Festival. Works from Birmingham Conservatoire (UK), Malmö Academy Of Music (Sweden) and The Royal Danish Academy of Music (Denmark) were performed, including new creations from Olla Abrahamsson and Ylva Lund Bergener. Also featured were Monster by BCU tutor Ed Bennet – a work which was commission during the first phase of Integra – and The Physical Impossibility Of Love In The Mind Of The Pleasure Seeker by James Dooley – an installation piece for voice and live electronics which was composed and realised using Integra Live.

Festival Report – Thurs 29 Sept

Tom — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:02:35 +0000

It was a day packed full of activity at the Integra Festival on Thursday 29 September. Events got under way with an Integra Live workshop held in the Studio Hall of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, led by Software Development Manager Jamie Bullock and Integra Project Manager Lamberto Coccioli. The session provided participants with the opportunity to learn about the genesis of our software and see its unique features demonstrated. This was followed by an open rehearsal and subsequent concert of works by students from Birmingham Conservatoire and The RDAM. Activities were completed by an outstanding performance from Ensemble Ars Nova in the Main Hall, in which works by Frisk and Olofsson were played alongside the world premiere of Alvin Curran’s Integra commission Circus Maximus.

Ensemble Ars Nova play Circus Maximus by Alvin Curran

Festival Report – Weds 28 Sept

Tom — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:24:35 +0000

Wednesday 28 September saw superb performances from members of Court-Circuit, Grup Instrumental de València and The Royal Danish Academy of Music in a concert of works for live electronics and solo instrumentalist. Highlights of the programme included an Integra Live version of Boulez’s Dialogue de l’ombre double and Integra migrations Ricercare una melodia by Harvey and Partita für Paul by Nordheim. Providing a fitting contrast to the previous night’s more technologically complex works, the programme demonstrated the versatility of our software and confirmed it’s suitability for chamber music.

The Integra Live patch for Boulez's Dialogue de l'ombre double

Integra Festival Begins!

Tom — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:28:06 +0000

The Integra Festival was launched last night (27 September) to great acclaim. Athelas Sinfonietta produced a stunning performance comprising two Integra commissions, Extended Apocalypsis by Philippe Leroux and Le nubi non scoppiano per il peso by Mauro Lanza. A full house was in attendance, including critic Christine Christiansen, who gave the concert a five star review: CLICK HERE. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all who have helped make the Festival possible, especially our funders, The European Commission, Nordic Culture Fund and Nordic Culture Point. The event continues over the next four days with more extraordinary music involving live electronics. Below you will find a picture of Peter Plessas, IEM, and Philippe Leroux rehearsing the latter’s piece using Integra Live.

Peter Plessas of IEM and Philippe Leroux rehearse Extended Apocalypsis using Integra Live

Mauro Lanza Premiere

Tom — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:05:35 +0000

It was an important time for the Integra Project this past weekend as the second of our commissions was premiered at the world-renowned Ultima Festival in Oslo. The work in question, entitled Le nubi non scoppiano per il peso and written by Mauro Lanza, is the result of months of development between the composer, Malmö Academy Of Music and Ensemble Court-Circuit. Featuring a ‘rain machine’, which drops water onto various sounding objects, the piece makes use of Integra Live to control the rate of fall of those drops and also to process the resulting sounds.

Congratulations to all involved, and let’s hope for another successful performance on 27 September as part of the Integra Festival!

For more information about Ultima 2011, please click here: Ultima 2011.

New Outreach Reports

Tom — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:01:18 +0000

Read the latest Outreach reports from Andrea Szigetvari, Lecturer of Electroacoustic Music, Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest (report 1) and Balazs Kovacs, Assisant Professor University of Pecs, Institute for Media and Applied Arts, Pecs, Hungary (report 2).

Outreach Report 1

Outreach Report 2

Flickr Update

Tom — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:48:55 +0000

We’ve uploaded some new photo sets to our Flickr account which show happenings from our meetings hosted by BIT20 and NOTAM earlier this year, the first BCU Curriculum Pilot session, and a recent composer support event with Hilda Paredes and Ana Lujan Sanchez. Click on the links below to see the images!

Steering Group Meeting 5, Oslo

Artistic and Scientific Meeting 3, Bergen

BCU Curriculum Pilot Session, Birmingham

Hilda Paredes and Ana Lujan Sanchez, Birmingham

NOTAM Integra Paper, May 2011

Tom — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:47:17 +0000

In May 2011, Kjetil Mathuessen, a developer from project partner NOTAM, delivered an Integra-related paper at the Linux Audio Conference in Maynooth, Ireland. Entitled Poing Impératif: Compiling Imperative and Object Oriented Code to Faust, it can be read here: Poing Impérative.

This paper continued our commitment to disseminating our research through presentations at conferences, with our next scheduled appearance being at ICMC 2011, this August.

IEM Curriculum Pilot

Tom — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:42:53 +0000

In the period April 2010 – January 2011, IEM Graz ran an educational pilot with the aim of embedding the Integra Live software into the teaching of live-electronic music. Devised by Gerhard Eckel and Peter Plessas, the pilot was implemented in the course “Live Elektronik”, which was included as part of the Master’s programme “Performance Practice in Contemporary Music-PPCM”, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. Below is an image taken from one of the sessions, showing cellist Myriam García-Fidalgo using the software with Zinajda Kodric on live-electronics.

Funding Partners

Tom — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:31:43 +0000

We are pleased to announce that the Integra Festival 2011 will be funded, in part, through grants from Kulturkontakt Nord and Nordisk Kulturfond. Click on the links below for more details about these supportive organisations.

Kulturkontakt Nord

Nordisk Kulturfond

Kulturkontakt Nord

Nordisk Kulturfond

Flickr Update: Artistic and Scientific Meeting 2

Tom — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:16:40 +0000

In September 2010 we held a joint artistic and scientific meeting in Copenhagen. Whilst there, we viewed a couple of the venues that will be used for the Integra Festival 2011: the main and studio halls in the beautiful Royal Danish Academy Of Music. Visit our Flickr site for a collection of images taken during our visit.

Royal Danish Academy Of Music on Flickr

Studio Hall, Royal Danish Academy Of Music

festival test

admin — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:10:18 +0000

some text

Festival Sponsors

admin — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:45:26 +0000

Flickr Update: BIT20 and Court-Circuit

Tom — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:22:48 +0000

Images from BIT20′s performers’ training session in Oslo have been added to Flickr, along with photos from both of Court-Circuit’s training sessions, the first being held in Malmö and the second in Paris. NOTAM were responsible for delivering the training to BIT20 with Malmö Academy of Music training the musicians from Court-Circuit. Click the links below for more:

BIT20 Training 1.

Court-Circuit Training 1. Court Circuit Training 2.

Court-Circuit Training, Phase 1

Grup Instrumental Concert 1 – Images

Tom — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:59:24 +0000

Hello blog followers, news just in is that images from Grup Instrumental’s first Integra concert, which took place at Kings Place, London, in March 2010, have now been added to Flickr. Click on the following link for more:

Grup Instrumental, Concert 1

Joan Cervero, Grup Instrumental, Concert 1

Integra at Athelas New Music Festival

Tom — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:23:53 +0000

Today, Thursday 02 June, is an exciting day in the project, seeing two events at the Athelas New Music Festival. First off is a presentation from Jamie Bullock (BCU) and Peter Plessas (IEM) on the capabilities of Integra Live, taking place at 5:30pm in the Festival Café. This will be followed by a concert given by Athelas and Peter Plessas which puts the theory into practice, at 10:15pm also in the Festival Café. Both events are free, so if you are in Copenhagen, hope to see you there!

Integra At NIME 2011

Tom — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:13:02 +0000

Yesterday, Wednesday 01 June, Software Development Manager Jamie Bullock presented the Integra Live software at NIME 2011. We were very pleased to be part of this prestigious event and received some great feedback. Also included was a presentation from development community member Miguel, who spoke about his multitouch implementation of our environment.

Click here for the NIME 2011 website (Integra presented in Paper Session K).

Click here for information about multitouch.

Artistic Meeting 4

Tom — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:39:37 +0000

Representatives from Birmingham Conservatoire, Ars Nova, Athelas Sinfonietta, Bit20, Court-Circuit and Grup Instrumental will meet at CDMC in Paris from 9 – 10 June 2011 to discuss and plan the upcoming Integra Festival.

Integra Live Workshop Photos

Tom — Wed, 18 May 2011 12:39:00 +0000

Photos from the recent Integra Live Workshop, which was held in Valencia on Friday 13th May, are now available to view on our Flickr account. Click here to see the images.

Integra Workshop, Valencia, 13 May 2011

Integra Project On Flickr

Tom — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:13:05 +0000

Hello, we’ll be adding photos of all our activities to our new Flickr account, so keep checking for the full visual record of the Integra Project. Currently uploaded are images from our successful appearance at the ENSEMS festival in Valencia, 12 – 14 May.

CLICK HERE FOR INTEGRA ON FLICKR

Hilda Paredes – Revelación

Tom — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:53:36 +0000

Today is an exciting day in the history of Integra: Hilda Paredes’ piece Revelación will be premiered at the spectacular Palau de les Arts in Valencia. The work, which has been commissioned by Integra/Grup Instrumental, is the first to be written using our new software environment, Integra Live. With support from researchers at Birmingham Conservatoire and performers from Grup Instrumental, Paredes has written an engaging work for ensemble and live electronics, complemented by a choreographic element devised by Ana Lujan Sanchez. The performance, which is to be delivered by Grup Instrumental and live electronic musicians from BCU, starts at 20:30 and is sure to be a success. Well done to all those involved! Click here for more information.

Palau de les Arts, Valencia. Photo Credit: Wikipedia.

Ars Nova Perform at ENSEMS

Tom — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:57:51 +0000

Ars Nova will perform an Integra-themed concert as part of the ENSEMS festival in Valencia on Saturday 14th May. The performance, which will see Kent Olofsson directing the live electronics, will featuring a number of works which have become established as Integra favourites, including Crack by Natasha Barrett and Traces by Roger Reynolds. The event begins at 20:30 at the Palau de les Arts and is a great chance to experience the range of pieces supported by the project.

Link out: Click here

Integra Live Workshop

Tom — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:47:06 +0000

On Friday 13th May, Jamie Bullock, Tychonas Michailidis, James Dooley and Lamberto Coccioli of Birmingham Conservatoire will lead an Integra Live workshop at the ENSEMS Festival Of Contemporary Music in Valencia. The event will take place from 09:30 – 14:00 and will allow participants to explore the capabilities of our new software as well as learn about live electronic music practice in general. The venue for the workshop is the Conservatorio Superior De Música Joaquín Rodrigo, Cineasta Ricardo, Munoz Suay, S/N * 46013, Valencia.

Link out: Click here

Court Circuit, Concert 4

Tom — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:40:34 +0000

Court Circuit will perform their final Integra concert on Friday 19th September at the beautiful Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris. Featuring the French premiere of Hilda Paredes’ Integra commission, Revelación, and with electronic expertise provided by Birmingham Conservatoire, this concert will form a fitting end to the ensemble’s participation in the project.

Click here for more information.

Music With Power, The Art Of Fusing Music and Technology

Tom — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:06:19 +0000

Members of Athelas Sinfonietta and IEM will play in a concert featuring works that use the Integra Live software at the Festival Café, Copenhagen, on Thursday 02 June. This free event begins at 10:15pm and includes three world premieres, so if you are in Copenhagen then please do pop along to experience what Integra is all about!

Click here for more information.

Athelas Perfomers’ Training – Phase 2

Tom — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:54:36 +0000

Peter Plessas of IEM, Graz, will be leading a performers’ training session for musicians from Athelas Sinfonietta in Copenhagen from 31 May to 01 June. The participants will delve further into the workings of the Integra Live software, building on the work completed during the first phase of the training, which took place in Graz earlier this year.

Duelling Zombies and Noise Machine

Tom — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:21:55 +0000

Integra Commissions Duelling Zombies (Cera) and Noise Machine (Bennett) will be performed by the Thallein Ensemble conducted by Edwin Roxburgh at the Frontiers Festival in Birmingham, UK. The performances will take place on Friday 8th April at Birmingham Conservatoire, B3 3HG.

Images From Bit20/IEM Performance

Tom — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:56:09 +0000

Hot on the heels of the images from the Ars Nova/IEM performance, here are some photos of the space where Bit20/IEM performed Jodlowski’s Respire at the Håkkonshallen Bergen, on Wednesday 23rd March. Thanks once again to all the performers, technicians and administrators who made this an excellent event.

Bit20/IEM, Respire. Copyright Peter Plessas.

Images From Ars Nova/IEM Performance

Tom — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:33:08 +0000

Here are a couple of images from Ars Nova and IEM’s performance of Malin Bång’s Sparkling Box, which took place on Sunday March 6th at the Inter Arts Centre/ Academy of Music Malmö. Thanks to all who made the concert such a success!

Ars Nova/IEM - Sparkling Box. Copyright Peter Plessas.

Court-Circuit, Performers’ Training Phase 2

Tom — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:20:54 +0000

Students from the Paris Conservatory and members of Court-Circuit will participate in the second phase of the performers’ training strand. Kent Olofsson, from Malmö Academy of Music, will lead a full-day session, which will provide practical guidance on the use of the Integra Live environment. The training will take place at the Paris Conservatory on Monday 4th April.

BCU Curriculum Pilot Session

Tom — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:00:05 +0000

Birmingham Conservatoire will hold a curriculum pilot session on Tuesday 29th March, at which students and teachers will be able to learn about our new software environment. Results from the pilot will be presented at the AEC Conference in Valencia later this year.

Integra Live 1.2 released!

Jamie — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:49:34 +0000

This is a massive release and includes a complete rewrite of various core parts of the software. We will be blogging soon on some of the changes we made and how we solved some of the key problems.

As usual, the software can be downloaded directly:

http://download.integralive.org

This release includes the following changes since 1.0.9 (beta):

Assignable MIDI note or MIDI CC number to each scene
Scene prev/next shortcuts with assignable MIDI note/CC
Range scaling in the routing panel with transparent auto-scaling
Scenes boundaries snap to block boundaries
Tooltip for envelope controlpoint position giving value/position
MIDI settings in Preferences dialog
Cookie crumb navigation on arrange view properties title bar

New modules:

Soundfiler/StereoSoundfiler (will replace SoundfilePlayer/StereoSoundfilePlayer)
Spectral Freeze
Stereo Convolution
Sampler (*)
Additive Synthesis (*)
Flute Synthesis (*)
Plucked-String Synthesis (*)

(*) All modules dealing with MIDI do so directly. There currently isn’t a system for routable note events although may be planned for the future.

Improvements:

Updated GUI codebase to Flex 4.6
New installer system with robust versioning
Massively improved round-trip latency for setting/getting attributes
Push updates from server to client via OSC
Highly optimised control loading (now very fast)
Faster project load time (but still slow)
Simplified PhaseVocoder, SpectralVocoder and GranularSynthesizer layouts
Control improvements (including jumps on mousedown and improved text-entry)
Full server functionality now available from script including creation of new modules
Duplicate block names now handled by transparently appending underscore
GUI now completely separate from backend, project can be used without GUI

Fixes:

Block and Track import now work
VU meters for track and block now working (currently channel 1 only)
Track and Project level routing now works
Module attributes can now be addressed in script from the track and project level
Many other fixes too boring to mention!

Requests for features and bug fixes:

http://request.integralive.org

Enjoy!

Bit20 and IEM at Borealis

Tom — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:45:10 +0000

Just a quick note to say that you can click here for information about today’s performance of Respire in Bergen (23 March): BOREALIS.

BIT20 and IEM perform Respire

Tom — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:18:22 +0000

On Wednesday 23rd March, Bit20 and IEM will perform the Integra commission Respire by Pierre Jodlowski at the Borealis festival in Bergen. Respire is the first piece in the cycle Breathes/Eats/Sleeps, a collection of audiovisual compositions which examines the place of the body in our world. It has received a number of European performances since its creation and continues to excite audience members and producers alike. For more information about the Borealis festival, please click on the following link: Borealis.

Plenary Meeting

Tom — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:13:45 +0000

Title: Plenary Meeting
Location: Bergen, Norway
Description: Representatives from all of the Integra partners will meet in Bergen to discuss the final phase of the project and plan the Integra Festival. The meeting will be hosted by Bit20 Ensemble.
Start Date: 2011-03-14
End Date: 2011-03-15

World Premiere of Hilda Paredes’ Revelación

Tom — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:25:13 +0000

Title: World Premiere of Hilda Paredes’ Revelación
Location: Sala Martín i Soler at Palau de les Arts, Valencia
Link out: Click here
Description: We are pleased to announce that the world premiere of Hilda Paredes’ Revelación, will take place at the Sala Martín i Soler at Palau de les Arts, Valencia, on Thursday 12th May 2011. Paredes’ piece is written for ensemble plus live electronics, with the latter being composed and controlled using Integra Live. The work also includes a choreographic element devised by Ana Lujan Sanchez. Revelación has been commissioned by Grup Instrumental de València on behalf of Integra, with support for the live electronics being supplied by Birmingham Conservatoire.
Date: 2011-05-12

Ars Nova And IEM Perform Sparkling Box

Tom — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:00:14 +0000

On Sunday 6th March, Ensemble Ars Nova will perform Malin Bang’s Integra Commission Sparkling Box in a concert alongside Peter Plessas from IEM. Details of the performance can be found here: SparklingBox.

Alvin Curran Composer’s Support Visit

Tom — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:40:54 +0000

Title: Alvin Curran Composer’s Support Visit
Description: Integra-commissioned composer, Alvin Curran, will attend his first IntegraLive training session, led by Muzyka Centrum researchers, from February 23rd – 26th. Alvin will have the opportunity to learn about our software environment and test out ideas for his upcoming work, Circus Maximus.
Start Date: 2011-02-23
End Date: 2011-02-26

Bit20 Performers’ Training

Tom — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:50:33 +0000

Title: Bit20 Performers’ Training
Location: Oslo
Description: Six performers from Bit20 will attend a training session at NOTAM, Oslo, where they will investigate the capabilities of the IntegraLive software environment. The training aims to help establish a European tradition of live electronic music practice and embed IntegraLive in the working methods of professional musicians.
Start Date: 2011-02-24
End Date: 2011-02-25

Community Page Update

Tom — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:26:54 +0000

The bookshelf on our Community Page has now been updated with scientific papers from the Project Wiki and reports written by the participants in our first outreach event, which took place in November 2010. Take a look here to learn more: Community Page.

Athelas Performers’ Training

Tom — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:23:40 +0000

Athelas Sinfonietta have written a post about their experiences on the recent performers’ training session in Graz. Read it here: AthelasPTPost.

IEM Migrations Completed

Tom — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:35:49 +0000

We are pleased to announce that the team from IEM (Graz, Austria) have successfully completed the migration of three important works for live electronics and instrument(s) to the IntegraLive environment. This is a milestone in the project, proving that our software supports the sustainability of the live electronics repertoire. Materials relating to the pieces in question – Nono’s Omaggio a György Kurtàg, Boulez’s Dialogue De l’ombre Double and Dahinden’s Lichtweiss – will be published on our website soon. Congratulations to Gerhard Eckel, Peter Plessas, Thomas Musil and Iohannes Zmoelnig, the hard-working developers!

Performers’ Training Audio Clips

Tom — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:24:20 +0000

Following the successful visit of performers from Ars Nova (Malmö) to Muzyka Centrum (Krakow) in January 2011, we are pleased to provide links to recordings of improvisations made during their training sessions. Directed by Marek Choloniewski and Marcin Wierzbicki, the improvisations involved using the IntegraLive software to manipulate the sounds of the instrumentalists in real time.

Improvisation 1

Improvisation 2

Improvisation 3

Ars Nova Performers’ Training at Muzyka Centrum

Tom — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:19:15 +0000

Title: Ars Nova Performers’ Training at Muzyka Centrum
Location: Krakow, Poland
Description: Instrumentalists from Sweden’s Ars Nova Ensemble undertake two days of training in live-electronic music techniques using IntegraLive, led by Marcin Wierzbicki of Muzyka Centrum (Poland).
Start Date: 2011-01-21
End Date: 2011-01-22

Court-Circuit Performers’ Training at Malmö Academy of Music

Tom — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:10:57 +0000

Performers from Court-Circuit receive training in live-electronic music practice using the Integra Live environment, in a session at Malmö Academy of Music led by Kent Olofsson. The session runs from 11 - 13 February 2011.

Grup Instrumental Performers’ Training at BCU

Tom — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:07:18 +0000

Title: Grup Instrumental Performers’ Training at BCU
Location: Birmingham
Description: Six members of Grup Instrumental de València attend a training event at Birmingham Conservatoire. During the three day period, one day is spent on preparations for Hilda Paredes’ upcoming Integra commission, with two days investigating the capabilities of the IntegraLive environment.
Start Date: 2011-01-31
End Date: 2011-02-2

Athelas Performers’ Training at IEM

Tom — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:03:04 +0000

Performers associated with Integra ensemble, Athelas, undertake the first phase of their training in the use of Integra Live, at a two-day session in Graz, Austria, organised by Peter Plessas of IEM. The session runs from 24 – 25 January 2011.

Mauro Lanza, Composer’s Support Visit

Tom — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:58:46 +0000

Integra-commissioned composer, Mauro Lanza, undertakes his first tranche of training on the new Integra Live environment at Malmö Academy of Music, supervised by Kent Olofsson. Mauro’ training will last from 12 – 15 February.

Performers’ Training Meeting

Tom — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:55:34 +0000

Title: Performers’ Training Meeting
Location: Birmingham
Description: Researchers from BCU, IEM, Malmö, Muzyka Centrum and NOTAM meet to discuss the format of the performers’ training sessions, the first phase of which will be rolled out over the next two months.
Start Date: 2011-01-09
End Date: 2011-01-11

Integra Live 1.0.6 (beta) released!

Jamie — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:28:57 +0000

Integra Live 1.0.6 (beta) is now available for official download:

http://download.integralive.org

This includes the following changes since 1.0.5 (beta):

New modules:
- QuadXYPanner
- PianoReverbStrings
- PianoReverbMSP
- Limiter
Dropping Integra document (.ixd) in application icon opens document
Double-clicking document (.ixd) opens document in Integra Live

Requests for features and bug fixes:

http://request.integralive.org

Enjoy!

Performer training meeting

Jamie — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:22:09 +0000

Representatives from research centres at IEM, NoTAM, Muzyka Centrum and Malmö Academy met at Birmingham Conservatoire this week to discuss the Integra performer training programme. The performer training will initially comprise a 2-day workshop intended to give performers from the Integra new music ensembles hands-on tuition in live electronics practice.

The meeting was lively, with some interesting discussion about the nature of live electronic music. All researchers are looking forward to sharing their experiences in the training workshops and a short photo-blog will be posted when each workshop is complete.

Integra Live 1.0.5 (beta) released!

Jamie — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:20:45 +0000

Integra Live 1.0.5 (beta) is now available for official download:

http://download.integralive.org

This is primarily a bug fix release, but also includes the following changes since 1.0.4 (beta):

New modules:
- Chorus/Vibrato
Integra document (.ixd) file association and icon

Requests for features and bug fixes:

http://request.integralive.org

Enjoy!

Ars Nova and IEM perform Sparkling Box

Tom — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:41:59 +0000

Title: Ars Nova and IEM perform Sparkling Box
Location: Inter Arts Centre in Malmö
Description: Integra commission Spakling Box by Malin Bång will be performed at the Inter Arts Centre in Malmö on 6th March 2011. Integra partner Ars Nova will provide the instrumental players with IEM overseeing the live electronic component.
Date: 2011-03-05

IEM Integra Workshop

Tom — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:54:48 +0000

Title: IEM Integra Workshop
Location: Graz, Austria
Description: IEM hold an Integra workshop on 4th Dec where they will present IEM’s work in live electronics and discuss their involvement with the Integra project. The event, called Studiogespräch, will feature input from Peter Böhm and Wolfgang Musil, who will join talks about sustainability in live-electronics and software.
Date: 2010-12-04

Integra Live 1.0.4 (beta) released!

Jamie — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:29:35 +0000

Integra Live 1.0.4 (beta) is now available for official download:

http://download.integralive.org

Changes since 1.0.3 (beta) include:

New modules:
- Scaler - attribute scaling
- Limiter - signal limiting
Number of channels per device now settable in Preferences
Audio latency now settable in Preferences
Added Open Sound Control interface. All attributes now addressable via OSC e.g.
- /MyProject/Track1/Block3/TapDelay1/delayTime 20
- /MyProject/Track1/Block1/active 1
- /MyProject/Player1/play 1
DSP now switches off when loading projects and importing blocks (faster load time)
Debug console automatically closes when application quits

Enjoy!

Integra Live 1.0.3 (beta) released!

Jamie — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:51:55 +0000

Integra Live 1.0.3 (beta) is now available for official download:

http://download.integralive.org

Changes since 1.0.2 (beta) include:

New modules:
- Pitch Detector
- Onset Detector
- Percussive Onset Detector
Audio preferences panel now works
Sharper font
Fixed various bugs in Player module
Fixed limitation to 100 instances bug

Grup Instrumental and Malmö Academy of Music Perform Lichtbogen, Duelling Zombies and Ça Tourne Ça Bloque

Tom — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:31:11 +0000

Location: Auditorio, IVAM, Valemcia
Link out: Click here
Description: Grup Instrumental de Valencia will perform together with the Malmö Academy of Music their second of four Integra concerts at the Auditorio IVAM, Valencia, at 20:00 on Saturday 11 Dec 2010. The programme features Integra pieces by Kaija Saariaho, Andrea Cera and Ondrej Adamek.
Start Time: 20:00
Date: 2010-12-11

Ars Nova and Muzyka Centrum Perform Traces By Roger Reynolds

Tom — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:29:22 +0000

Location: Inter Arts Centre, Malmö, Sweden
Link out: Click here
Description: Ars Nova and Muzyka Centrum art Society from Krakow will perform the Integra migration ‘Traces’ by Roger Reynolds in a concert at the Inter Arts Centre, Malmö on Saturday 4th Dec 2010. This will be the first of four concerts delivered by the ensemble featuring Integra works.
Start Time: 19:30
Date: 2010-12-04

BIT20 – Winter Fragments, Rescheduled Performance

Tom — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:49:50 +0000

Location: Sardinen Og Studio USF Verftet, Bergen
Link out: Click here
Description: BIT20 and NOTAM perform together in a rescheduled concert featuring Tristan Murail’s Winter Fragments. The performance is part of the Avgarde10 Festival in Bergen, Norway.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2010-10-09

Integra Live 1.0.2 (beta) released!

Jamie — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:42:45 +0000

We are delighted to announce Integra Live 1.0.2 (beta) is now available for official download:

http://download.integralive.org

Changes since 1.0.1 (beta) include:

New modules (Thomas Musil, IEM)
- OctoPanner
- OctoSoundFilePlayer
- QuadAudioIn
- QuadAutoPanner
- QuadGranularSynthesiser
- QuadPanner
- SimpleSampler
Improved scripting syntax (Kjetil Mattheussen, Notam)
Improved module control layouts (Krzysztof Trzewiczek, Muzyka Centrum)
Connection handling optimisation (quadratic to constant time) (Jamie Bullock, BCU)
OS X 10.4 now supported
Improved documentation
Fixed scene triggering bugs
Fixed sound quality bug in TapDelay
More robust startup script

Thanks all the developers for their input so far. Please test and report any bugs or missing features via the request tracker:

http://request.integralive.org

Bit20 and IEM Perform Second Concert of Integra 2

Tom — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:10:31 +0000

Location: Bergen
Description: Bit20 Ensemble, together with IEM of Graz, Austria, will perform their second concert of the second phase of the Integra project at the Borealis Festival 2011 in Bergen, Norway. Please click the following link for more information: Bit20_Borealis
Date: 2011-03-23

Hilda Paredes – Commission News

Tom — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:31:21 +0000

Hilda Paredes, the Mexican/UK composer commissioned by Integra to write a new large-scale piece for dancers, ensemble and live electronics will be coming to Birmingham Conservatoire from 11-12 October for the first of a series of visits to work with Jamie Bullock and research student Tychonas Michailidis on the electronics of her new piece, inspired by the paintings of the Spanish surrealist Remedios Varo.

Athelas Performs Strange News

Tom — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:41:16 +0000

Location: Tage Für Neue Musik, Zürich, Switzerland
Link out: Click here
Description: Athelas Sinfonietta continue their involvement with the Integra repertoire with a performance of Rolf Wallin’s Strange News, which was commissioned by the project during the first phase of activities.
Date: 2010-11-14

Integra Live 1.0.1 (beta) released!

Jamie — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:08:05 +0000

This release fixes the following bugs:

audio now works after a file is loaded
renaming no longer corrupts project

Integra Live 1.0.0 (beta) released!

Jamie — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:04:39 +0000

After 12 months of intensive development Integra Live is finally here! This is our first public beta release, so there are sure to be many bugs and omissions, however we believe that in its fundamental design Integra Live marks a significant step forwards in the usability of live electronics software.

Try it and let us know your views via our online forum!

The development of Integra Live has been a team effort. Many thanks to:

Dan Beattie – Interaction Design
Henrik Frisk – Information architecture
Leighton Hargreaves – GUI development
Lessrain.com – Graphic Design
Kjetil Matheussen – Scripting development
Thomas Musil – Module development
Krzysztof Trzewiczek – Controls development

We will be releasing many updates and improvements over the coming weeks and months, so please check this site for news, or follow us on Twitter.

Philippe Leroux Awarded Commission

Tom — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:50:46 +0000

Philippe Leroux, one of Europe’s most highly regarded composers, has been awarded an Integra commission. His work, which is due for completion in June 2011, will be premiered by Athelas Sinfonietta and IEM. Fundamental to its creation will be the capabilities of the Integra software.. We look forward to this exciting project!

For more information about Philippe Leroux please click on the following link: Philippe Leroux Billaudot.

Alvin Curran Commissioned By Integra

Tom — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:38:08 +0000

With a musical style described as ‘a volatile mix of lyricism and chaos, structure and indeterminacy, fog horns, fiddles and fiddle heads’, internationally renowned composer Alvin Curran has been awarded one of Integra’s five new commissions. His work will utilise the Integra software and will be supported by Muzyka Centrum. The premiere, which will be given by Ars Nova, will take place in September 2011.

For more information about Alvin Curran, please click on the following link: Alvin Curran Website.

Grind Show at the Proms

Tom — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:06:40 +0000

Link out: Click here
Description: Tansy Davies’ Integra Commission Grind Show will be featured in the Composer Portrait series at this year’s Proms. Including a chance to hear Tansy talk about the piece and a performance by players from the Royal Northern College of Music, the event will take place at the Royal College of Music at 5:15pm on Wednesday 8th September.
Start Time: 17:15
Date: 2010-09-08

Birmingham Coding Sprint

Jamie — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:29:44 +0000

This week we were delighted to host another coding spring at our lab in Birmingham Conservatoire. In attendance were Kjetil Matheussen (Notam), Krzysztof Trzewiczek (Muzyka Centrum), Thomas Musil (IEM), Henrik Frisk (Malmö Academy of Music) and Leighton Hargreaves (Birmingham Conservatoire). It was an intense and enjoyable week with significant gains in development momentum.

The focus of the sprint was to prepare the software for our upcoming beta release, now available for download via the Integra site. We instigated a feature freeze in the main application at the beginning of the week, and focused on bug fixes, stability and improvements to module usability. Work will now continue at individual research centres with regular updates and documentation to be released in the coming weeks.

Comments and criticism welcome via our online feedback forum.

Athelas Sinfonietta Performs Lichtbogen

Tom — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:47:58 +0000

Leading Danish new music ensemble, Athelas Sinfonietta, conducted by Pierre-André Valade, performs a migrated version of Kaija Saariaho’s Lichtbogen in the opening concert of the Nordic Music Days Festival 2010. The live electronic part will be completed by Kent Olofsson at Malmö Academy of Music.

Wednesday 8 September, 6pm, Den Grå Hal, Christiania, Copenhagen.

Athelas Website
Nordic Music Days Website

Bit20 Performs Winter Fragments

Tom — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:00:40 +0000

Description: Bit20 will perform a migrated version of Tristan Murail’s Winter Fragments in the Avgarde Festival on 11 September 2010. The live electronic part will be completed by NOTAM.
Date: 2010-09-11

Avgarde Website

From Bit20 Ensemble to Munch Museum!

Lamberto — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:12:44 +0000

Our warmest congratulations to Stein Olav Henrichsen, Artistic Director of Bit20 Ensemble. Stein has just been nominated Director of the New Munch Museum in Oslo.

Migrations Knittel

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:15:56 +0000

Still from Points and Lines

Krzysztof Knittel, Poland
Points and Lines
Migration by Muzyka Centrum, Krakow

Notam

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:40:17 +0000

NOTAM is the Norwegian center for technology and music and the arts. In Integra they have been responsible for developing the scripting engine and various modules for Integra Live as well as contributing to the overall system architecture.

Muzyka Centrum Art Society

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:39:39 +0000

Muzyka Centrum is a society of performers of contemporary music, founded in June 1977. In Integra, they have been responsible for developing graphical controls for Integra modules, with a strong focus on usability.

Malmö Academy of Music

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:37:11 +0000

Malmö Academy of Music is a music conservatory located in Malmö in southern Sweden, and is a part of Lund University. In Integra, they have been responsible for developing a sustainable file format for storage of live electronics data, and co-developing the system architecture and APIs with Birmingham Conservatoire.

CIRMMT

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:36:25 +0000

CIRMMT is an interdisciplinary research centre located in Montréal, Canada. Not being part of the EU, they are included in Integra as a valued external partner. They developed the Integra GUI prototype in Integra 1, which later served as an inspiration for Integra Live. They have also developed an SDK for developing Integra modules in Max.

Grup Instrumental de València

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:34:07 +0000

Grup Instrumental de València is a musical ensemble dedicated to the interpretation of XXth and XXIst century music. Through an enduring commitment to this goal, the quality of their performances, and collaboration with artists of international standing, the Grup has become established as a leader in the promotion and dissemination of Spanish New Music.

Grup Instrumental – Website

Ensemble Court-Circuit

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:33:01 +0000

Ensemble Court-Circuit was founded in 1991 by Philippe Hurel and Pierre-André Valade. Through the quality of its musicianship, it quickly became established as one of the outstanding new music ensembles in Europe. The group has premiered and recorded many important works by international composers; is committed to interdisciplinary working through, for example, ballets, ciné-concerts and music theatre; and is also heavily involved in devising and running pedagogical projects with conservatoires.

Ensemble Court-Circuit, France – Website

Athelas Sinfonietta

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:32:20 +0000

Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen has long been established as Denmark’s leading ensemble for New Music. Pierre-André Valade is the chief conductor of Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen from 2009 to 2012.

Athelas Sinfonietta, Denmark – Website

Bit20 Ensemble

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:31:21 +0000

Bit20 Ensemble was founded in Bergen, Norway, in 1989 and has established itself as one of the leading contemporary music ensembles in the Nordic countries. The ensemble takes a particular responsibility for the development and promotion of Norwegian and Nordic art and has commissioned and premiered nearly 100 works, both nationally and internationally.

Bit20 – Website

Ensemble Ars Nova

Tom — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:29:02 +0000

Ensemble Ars Nova is a Swedish new music group founded in 1986. Specialising in music for instruments with electronics, the ensemble has also developed several long-term multi-media collaborations, including a series of music theatre projects with Teatr Weimar. At its largest a sinfonietta, the ensemble also contains several chamber music ‘constellations’, among them the digital ensemble Switched On, a number of multi-cultural groups containing performers from different parts of the world, and the Ars Nova String Quartet.

Get Involved!

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:13:31 +0000

Get involved!

Developers from all backgrounds can get involved in writing code for the project. For initial discussion and svn access contact jamie@integralive.org. For a technical overview of the Integra Framework see the project wiki.

Users can help with software development by contributing bugs and feature requests via the online Integra Live feedback system

Pure Data and Max/MSP users can get involved by contributing your patches to Integra! Integra Modules can be simple or complex; they can be unusual and musically interesting! To get started contact us.

The project mailing list is the place to start for Integra-related discussion and community.

Comments, suggestions and contributions are welcome from all!

Music

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:33:08 +0000

Integra is running a Europe-wide programme of live electronic music activities. We have commissioned composers, organised more than 30 performances and transferred classic pieces from their original technology to more modern platforms. In doing this we aim to inspire people to become involved in live electronic music and demonstrate the vitality of the art form.

2011 will see the realisation of five major new works using Integra Live, our software environment. We have commissioned internationally recognised composers to deliver these pieces – Alvin Curran, Mauro Lanza, Philippe Leroux, Hilda Paredes & Iris Ter Schiphorst – each of whom will create a work for ensemble, live electronics and ‘other media’. The pieces will be premiered by our partner ensembles, with second performances, also delivered by our partners, taking place before the end of the year.

Click on the buttons above to learn more about Integra Composers, Performances and Migrations.