Two Highly Integrated Real-Time Music and Graphics Performance Systems

We describe two systems couphng animated grapliic displays witli real-time music analysis. One of tliese systems is for stage performance involving an ensemble of six instrumentahsts and live video projection. Tlie otlier allows users to perform witli members of an animated virtual jazz band. A Flock of Words is a collaboration of composer Robert Rowe and video artist/liolograplier Doris Vila, witli programming and animation design by Eric Singer. The irmovations of tliis apphcation are rcal-time animation of grapliic objects in response to analysis of musical input, coupled witli tlie simultaneous presentation of video, hgliting, large-scale holograms, and algoritluiiically generated computer music. Tlie Interactive Virtual Musicians project presents animated jazz musicians tliat can improvise witli users performing on instruments or interacting via tlie mouse, video input, sensors and speech recognition. Interactive Virtual Musicians are artificially inteUigent, autonomous animated characters wliich crcate a grapliical and musical performance in rcal-time.