SpiralSet: A Sound Toy Utilising Game Engine Technologies

SpiralSet is a digital artefact and ‘open work’ Eco (1959) Aspects of the interactive piece are pre-composed, but a significant degree of influence over the sound world is allocated to the player. Controllable shifts in timbre, rate of modulation,combinations of sound types and overall sonic structure offer the player a ‘field of possibilities’, a term coined by Belgium composer Henri Pousseur (1929–2009). The shape and form of the virtual transparent pipeline, with its optional spiral pathways, is designed to encourage variable motion of the audiovisual objects. The patterns of motion and positions of each of the three balls within the pipeline are intimately linked with the progression and development of the sound materials. Whilst the player input controls are simple, the sound engine responds to even small movements of the balls, providing a responsive and dynamic sound output that relies on a degree of sensitivity from the player. This work has been presented as in interactive installation, a paper and most recently been published for the iOS platform.

http://www.nime.org/2009/