The Meta-Instrument

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Source: Computer Music Journal, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Spring, 1998), pp. 25-29
Published by: The MIT Press
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Sergede Laubier The Meta-Instrument
Espace Musical
3 rue Piver
91260 Juvisy/Orge, France

The Meta-Instrument is a musician-machine inter- cr'te music, as invented by Pierre Schaeffer,not

face and a gesture transducerintended for electro- only in recordedform, but also in live concert per-
acoustic music, multimedia work, and, more gener- formance. The goal was to try to associate the
ally, for controlling algorithms in real time. change brought about by magnetic recordings,
which allow the musician to work with "all"
sounds, with the ephemeral beauty of instrumental
Origins of theMeta-Instrument Project performance and concert situations.
Towardthis end, we designed and constructed var-
To understand the Meta-Instrument, it is important ious kinds of apparatus.These included the Sound
to understand its history. I am both a musician and TransducerModeling Filter-a flexible, 2-m long
an engineer, having studied music at the Conserva- metallic ruler with a contact microphone at one
toire National Superieurede Musique and sound end, a contact speaker at the other, and signal proc-
engineering at the Ecole Nationale Louis Lumiere. essors between the two. In this instrument, the mu-
From 1983-1988, our group worked on simulating sician controls feedback in the ruler by changing
the movement of sound in three dimensions. This its form and the way it is handled. Another experi-
led to the creation of the Octophonic Spatial Proc- mental instrument was the Sonocanne: a long rod
essor, a system of 16 voltage-controlled amplifiers made of carbon fiber, to which a directional
(VCAs)controlled by a dedicated processor.The dif- tweeter is attached. The Sonocanne is a very light
ferent kinds of music composed on this system led instrument, which lets the musician move sound
to an immediate observation:it is more interesting through space with virtuosity. After these experi-
to move a sound around in space if this movement ments we turned toward the project of creating an
is connected to its spectral evolution. The nature of interface that could control virtual arrangements:
this connection may be one of three types: (1) realis- the Meta-Instrument.
tic-center/exterior Doppler effect, with the direct
signal below and the reverberationsignal above; (2)
speculative-the sharperthe notes, the more they Meta-Instrument Specifications
seem to be on the right; the longer they are, the
more they are positioned behind the listeners; and Our experiences have led us to work out a number
(3) dramatic-the sound of steps comes in from the of specifications, among which the main ones are
right rear and goes around us, running away toward the following:
the left rear,and so on.
The musical pathways opened up by this kind of 1. The Meta-Instrument should be able to con-
research were quite stimulating, but they con- trol a maximum number of simultaneous inde-
a
fronted problem of interface. Although space is pendent variables. It can simultaneously and
metaphorically omnipresent music, in traditional independently control 32 continuous vari-
instruments have not been designed to shift sounds ables. Because each variable is 7-bit quantized,
around in space. the number of possibilities equals 27+32 or
The second reason for creating the Meta- 549,755,813,888.
Instrument was linked to the demand of the musi- 2. Its mechanical structure should complement
cians at the Espace Musical to be able to play con- the way the body works, so as to allow for anal-
ogies between gestures and sound movements.
Computer Music Journal,22:1, pp. 25-29, Spring 1998 3. It should be easily portable, and its digital
O 1998 Massachusetts Institute of Technology data should be transmitted using the MIDI

Laubier 25

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 Figure 1. Overview of the
Meta-Instrument and its
external components.

standard,so that it may facilitate numerous

experiments. Apple PowerMacintosh
4. It should be fun and pleasant to play and to computerrunningthe
Max program
look at; it is an instrument and not a ma-
chine. (Currentlythe Meta-Instrument has a
gold-plated appearance.) MIDI

,MIDI
The first Meta-Instrument, which is still working L

today,was built in 1989. A second-generation Meta-instruncnt

MIDI interface
Meta-Instrument, compatible with the first, has ex-
isted since October 1995. The repertoireof the first
generation can be played on the second.
synthesizers
Sound MIDI-to-DMX512

of theMeta-Instrument
Overview
anplifiers synthesizer
The new Meta-Instrument is connected to an inter-
face (see Figure 1) that converts the analog informa-
tion coming from the instrument into digital MIDI SScan light projector

codes. All the analog variables are calibrated in

gain and offset before being digitized. The parame-
ters of the MIDI information flow and the transmis-
sion channels can also be adjusted.
This interface is then connected to an Apple Pow-
erBook (Macintosh) computer, which runs pro-
grams developed under the well-known Max envi-
ronment (de Laubier 1997; Opcode 1997). Today,
there are 60 different instruments or software pro-
grams that have been developed for various compo-
sitions. Each instrument has its own built-in docu-
mentation. Each instrument inserts itself into a
standardizedarchitecture in which each parameter
is adjustable, so that the instrument can be adapted
to diverse composition projects and concert situa-
tions.
of theHuman
Description Interface
Let us examine the human interface itself. The
Meta-Instrument is symmetrical between the left
and right parts of the body (see Figure 2). The vari-
ables are arrangedas follows. There are ten keys for
the fingers (excluding the thumbs), which are ar-
ranged in two rows of five keys each. These keys
can be pressed down to a depth of 3 mm, with pres-
sure varying from 1-300 g. The minimum pressure
Scan light
projector
can be adjusted electronically. There is a physical
block to each key. This arrangementwas chosen be-
cause a finger should be able to play on four keys si-
multaneously, using pressure exerted by longitudi-
nal and lateral movements. This capability attains
a high degree of independence when only one fin-
ger is at play; it decreases as a proportion of the
number of fingers playing. Because the keys trigger
from the instant they are touched, the keyboardat-
tains a highly sensitive quality,almost like skin.
Each key makes two types of measurements: attack
speed is measured when the key is depressed, fol-
lowed by a key-position measurement. The sensors
used are Hall-effect sensors, which eliminate all
friction between the key and the sensor, reducing
measurement errorand mechanical wearing-out
problems tied to friction.
There are two keys for the thumb. These keys
work in the same way as the previous keys. They
are limited to two because the thumbs occasionally
provide supplementary support for the handle,
should the first keyboardcome to depend heavily
on attack speed.

26 Computer Music Journal

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Figure2. The Meta- Figure3. Complete setup
Instrument. of a Meta-Instrument,
with two foot pedals and
an Apple Powerbook com-
puter on a pedestal in
front of the performer,
Serge de Laubier.

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The handle articulates around an axis that is an generates two additional variables, w and y. A sys-
extension of the forearm. It is possible to modify tem of counterweights behind the elbow makes it
the position of the handle with the palm of the possible to keep the system in balance. The fore-
hand, without using the fingers. A recoil spring arm's horizontal and vertical movements are mea-
brings the handle back to the central position. The sured on a maximum angle section of 90 degrees; a
handle's rotation axis is slightly bent, so that the block to further movement is found at each end.
hand at rest may find itself in the "hand-shaking" The sensors for all of the rotations are of the
position. It is very important that this axis be cor- Hall-effect type, to eliminate mechanical hystere-
rectly positioned, so that the instrumentalist does sis. It thus becomes possible to deduce the speed of
not modify the other parameterswhen he or she arm and hand movements with high precision.
changes the handle position. This handle is con- Finally, a simple pedal of the Yamaha FC7 type is
nected to an elbow resting on a swivel joint. It is used for the feet (see Figure 3). We plan to replace
possible to move the handle without using one's the original potentiometer with Hall-effect
hands by using only the forearm, a movement that sensors.

Laubier 27

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of Meta-Instrument
Examples Use
This section presents three examples of using the
Meta-Instrument to solve performanceproblems.
Musical Example
In a 31-variable instrument, the gestures of the
right forearm define the temporal cadence of the
score (the rhythm of the orchestra director'sbaton).
The position of the left forearm selects the score
movements. The right foot determines the general
level of intensity. The fingers independently in-
crease or diminish 14 musical parameters.The ori-
entation of the right wrist increases or diminishes
the brilliance of the sound, and the left wrist con-
trols the amplitude of the vibrato.
Graphics Example
This is a simple instrument with 13 variables. The
positions of the right and left forearms determine
the two ends of a straight-line segment on the
screen. The segment is shown 50 times per second,
which creates a chrono-photographiceffect of move-
ment of the line segment. The right foot controls
the time of projection on the screen. Rotation of
the right wrist increases the line's thickness. Three
keys for the right hand control the red, green, and
blue intensity of the line segments, and three keys
for the left hand control the intensity for the screen
background.The left wrist controls the angle of cur-
vature of the line segment, and so on.
Audiovisual Example
The screen is replaced by the nave of a cathedral,
and the pixels of the cathode-raytube are replaced
by motorized computer-controlled light projectors.
The speed of the forearm determines the launch
speed of the projector bundles that are chosen by
the fingers. The bundles bounce against the ends of
the nave while making sounds. The right foot deter-
28
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Figure4. h7WoMeta-
Instruments in concert.
Serge de Laubier (left), and
Remy Dury (right),per-
formers.
.:AP'
: .p:
Oak.. ?:
mines the soundandlight intensity.The left foot
controlsthe switch-offtime of the projectorsand
the sounds.Therightwristcontrolsthe amplitude
of soundvibrationandlight. The positionof the
left armcontrolsthe colorof the light beamsand
the pitcheswith which they areassociated.
Future
Development
This article has presented a quick look at the tech-
nology of the Meta-Instrument. However, even the
most beautiful and advancedinstrument in the
world still has to have a repertoire,which must be
played for the instrument to survive. The violin
would not have the same success today if it did not
have a sufficient number of compositions dedicated
to it. We are thus developing a repertoirefor the
Meta-Instrument with, at present, 35 different in-
strument configurations, 11 styles of music, and 5
composers in the catalog, including R6my Dury,
Francis Faber,Gyorgy Kurtag,Serge de Laubier,and
BernardParmegiani (see Figure 4).
We are also researching technical solutions that
would permit us to produce the Meta-Instrument
at a cost of around US$ 1,500, to meet the needs of
several musicians who wish to become Meta-
Instrumentalists.
We are creating many new instruments. One
such group are audiovisual instruments whose vis-
Computer Music Journal
ual design, created as a digital image calculated in
real time on a Macintosh computer or with the
help of automated light projectors, represents the
"instrumental body,"and thus the display monitor
of the audio instrument. The visual side supple-
ments the sound, allowing the musician to better
foresee and follow the instrument's behavior, while
also allowing the public to better follow the musi-
cian's playing.
Toward
a Conclusion
It is difficult to come to a conclusion, since the
Meta-Instrument is still young. But here are some
points for further thought. Various composers have
used the Meta-Instrument, but all have wished to
develop their own software instruments. It appears
that the act of instrument-making has once again
become connected to composition, in a manner
similar to that of the 19th century.
There are two ways to create an instrument: one
either seeks to transform a sound or audiovisual al-
gorithm into a musical gesture, or one seeks to ren-
der a gesture into sound. The most successful in-
struments are probably at the crossroads of these
two approaches.
We hear the gesture. The same parametermanip-
ulated by a heavy but slow and precise forearm, or
by a quick but much more unstable finger, radi-
cally transforms the resulting sound and the sound
of the algorithm.
The Meta-Instrument does not replace the syn-
thesizer keyboard.The Meta-Instrument works con-
tinuously, the keyboarddiscretely. The former is
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skillful at sliding, evolving, manipulating; the lat-
ter juxtaposes with precision. The former generates
roundness, while the latter designs angles.
As much as the representation of form in three
dimensions can be complicated, the manipulation
of a ten-dimensional algorithm is relatively simple!
It seems that the virtuosity of the Meta-Instrument
resides more in its capacity to instantly link up
two separateinstruments than in playing the instru-
ments themselves.
Acknowledgments
The Meta-Instrument was developed by Serge de
Laubier,coordinator;Yvon Alopeau, designer;Jean
Loup Dierstein, electronics; and Dominique
Br6geard,mechanical design. It was supportedby
ANVAR and by the French Ministry of Culture.
Espace Musical, where the Meta-Instrumentwas de-
veloped, is a multidisciplinary team of about a
dozen people-including musicians, composers,
lighting specialists, special-effects experts, an archi-
tect, an administrator,an electronics technician, a
director, a mechanic, a designer, a costume de-
signer, and computer specialists-who are brought
together for specific projects.
References
de Laubier,S. 1997. "MIAIFormers."Computer Music
Journal21(1):39-40.
Opcode Systems. 1997. Max programminglanguage.
MenloPark,California:OpcodeSystems.
Laubier 29