New Interfaces for Musical Expression (UISA 190)
Fall 2021
Midterm

Read these instructions carefully. If something is not clear, ask.

❖・Before You Begin・❖

1. Log in to GitHub.
2. Fork this repo(sitory). See this video on how to carry out this step and step 3.
3. Clone your fork, using either the GitHub web site or the GitHub Desktop client.
4. Checkout your personalized branch, the one with your name and GitHub handle.

❖・Introduction・❖

The midterm assignment for this course is a conceptual and technical pitch for your final NIME projects. You will use graphics and plain English to take the class and the professors through your NIME idea. Once approved, your midterms will serve as a roadmap toward completing your final NIME projects.

❖・Overview・❖

The midterm assignment will consist of three parts:

1. Broad concept, including a rough sketch of your NIME
2. A detailed technical description of your proposed NIMEs, including the exact software and hardware you’ll be using for sound creation, and the mapping that will influence your sound
3. In-class feedback and revisions of the concept. More on each of these points below...

1. Concept

The first requirement for the midterm is to convey the overall concept of your NIME through visuals and a basic description. Think of this as a pitch. You are on Shark Tank and you are trying to “sell” the class on your idea for a NIME as if we were all investors. The description must convey the basics of what your NIME is, how it makes sound, and why it is unique and worthy of exploration. The N in NIME stands for New after all, so this idea should be novel and exciting.

You should also include a drawing or graphical representation of what your NIME will look like when it is finished. This visual should create some sense of scale so that we can evaluate how best to video your performance. Also keep in mind that the ME in NIME stands for musically expressive, so you should be able to give us a clear sense that this is an interface capable of not just creating sound but also of creating expressive music.

2. Technical Description

The technical description will make up the majority of content. This description needs to include as many details as possible to give us an exact idea of the following:

1. What software/hardware components you will need
2. How these components will “talk” to each other and synchronize
3. The logical structures that your NIME will make use of (ie, programming logic behind the sound)
4. What actions/data will be triggering the sound
5. General aesthetic characteristics of the sound
6. A detailed graphical representation of your strategies for mapping parameters (ie, when the temperature in the room goes up, the volume goes up, etc)
7. A general plan of action (ie, how will you approach the creation of this NIME, and will it fit into our class schedule?)
8. Anything else that you can possibly think of that will affect the planning, execution, and performance/recording of your NIME. You should consider including videos or audio as sound and visual references if your NIME contains qualities comparable to other instruments

3. Presentation

Finally, you will present your midterm NIME proposals in class on 6 October. These proposals should be in the form of a slide deck as a PDF, PowerPoint, or Keynote file that you can share with the class. (Only PDF, PowerPoint, or Keynote files will be accepted.) The deck, regardless of format, must be 5MB or smaller. Audio and video is encouraged as well as graphics and visual models. Each presentation should last no more than 10 minutes, and there will be about 10 minutes of feedback given to each presentation.

You will receive feedback on:

1. How realistic your plan of action is based on the complexity of your NIME
2. How well your presentation reflects the spirit of NIME (ie, is this interface new? Is it musically expressive?)
3. How effectively you were able to communicate the conceptual and technical details of your proposed NIME

❖・Grading・❖

Your grade is based on the quality of your deck, how your present it, and the inventiveness of your NIME. How well you follow these instructions is also calculated into your grade.

❖・Due・❖

Wednesday, 6 October 2020, at 1:00 PM.

❖・Submission・❖

1. Name your deck midterm-presentation.pdf if you’re using Adobe Acrobat, midterm-presentation.ppt if you’re using Microsoft PowerPoint, or midterm-presentation.key if you’re using Apple Keynote. You may not compose your deck using a software package that is not one of the aforementioned. Do not submit multiple files; only one of type .pdf, .ppt, or .key will be accepted.
2. Add your deck into your named branch in this repo, then commit and push it.
3. Issue a pull request back into the original repo, the one from which your fork was created for this project. See the Issuing Pull Requests section of this site for help on how to submit your assignment.

Note: This assignment may only be submitted via GitHub. No other form of submission will be accepted.