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		final project proposal
		by Kevin Cox
		kevin.cox@nyu.edu
		for Digital Signal Theory, spring '06
		professor Kevin Larke
		this came from http://www.jibberia.com/
soundberg 2000 kevin cox's final project proposal

opportunity. i'm taking two classes this semester that use c/c++ - this and 'interactive computer graphics.' this seems like a perfect opportunity for some fusion.

inspiration. essentially, what i plan to create is interactive animusic. it will be a performable instrument that produces amazing sounds and stellar visuals.

idea. specifically, i envision a rube goldberg-type machine (hence the name) comprised of a system of movable tracks and guides, ball-droppers, and a floor made of various surfaces. when started, the ball-droppers will begin to emit balls that fall onto the tracks. the user can move the tracks around, and even set them in motion, so the balls will be guided down a complex path to the floor. they will produce different timbres, frequencies, and amplitudes depending on the physics of their fall (detailed below).

caveat. this is iteration 1. a rhythm machine is interesting, but not quite enough to perform solo (probably), so i will hopefully be adding more "instruments" to the live mix.

signal theory specifics. so what am i actually doing with digital signals? i'm creating little instruments that produce strange sounds. the main method of synthesis will be physical modeling, but i'm not going to rule out traditional additive/subtractive/fm/etc/etc techniques, because the desired result is cool sound that is fun to play and listen to.


specifics of ball/floor interaction.

inspiration.