The fundamental principle of IRCAM is to encourage productive interaction among scientific research, technological developments, and contemporary music production. Since its establishment in 1977, this initiative has provided the foundation for the institute’s activities. One of the major issues is the importance of contributing to the renewal of musical expression through science and technology. Conversely, sp…
IRCAM is an internationally recognized research center dedicated to creating new technologies for music. The institute offers a unique experimental environment where composers strive to enlarge their musical experience through the concepts expressed in new technologies.
In parallel to its fundamental missions of research and creation, IRCAM is committed to sharing its knowledge and know-how, its technologies with the general public. Cutting-edge research and diffusion of innovations, an international reference for education and the democratization of artistic practices are the driving forces behind the institute’s educational activities.
At the center of societal and economic concerns combining culture and information technologies, the current research at IRCAM is seen by the international research community as a reference for interdisciplinary projects on the sciences and technologies for sound and music, constantly exposed to society’s new needs and uses.
The fundamental principle of IRCAM is to encourage productive interaction among scientific research, technological developments, and contemporary music production. Since its establishment in 1977, this initiative has provided the foundation for the institute’s activities. One of the major issues is the importance of contributing to the renewal of musical expression through science and technology. Conversely, sp…
IRCAM is an internationally recognized research center dedicated to creating new technologies for music. The institute offers a unique experimental environment where composers strive to enlarge their musical experience through the concepts expressed in new technologies.
In parallel to its fundamental missions of research and creation, IRCAM is committed to sharing its knowledge and know-how, its technologies with the general public. Cutting-edge research and diffusion of innovations, an international reference for education and the democratization of artistic practices are the driving forces behind the institute’s educational activities.
At the center of societal and economic concerns combining culture and information technologies, the current research at IRCAM is seen by the international research community as a reference for interdisciplinary projects on the sciences and technologies for sound and music, constantly exposed to society’s new needs and uses.
On March 23rd, Maxime Mantovani offered the public of the IRCAM's Forum Workshops their first glimpse of his work on his interface for real-time control of synthesis models generated by artificial intelligence, in a performance with Victor Auffray on flugabone (and voice) and Henri-Charles Caget on percussion. A "restitution" of which we offer here a striking representation.
Behind the technological prowess - which relies on a neural network called RAVE, the sound generation being carried out using nn~ in Max, all developed by Antoine Caillon of the Musical Representations team - we discover a new musical instrument, in the true sense of the word. That is to say, "an object entirely constructed or prepared from another natural or artificial object, designed to produce sounds and to serve as a means of expression for the composer and performer", according to the definition of the Trésor de la langue française. A sentiment shared by the musicians who participated in its development and consider it a full partner.
"The artificial intelligence," says Henri-Charles Caget, "responds instantly to the instrumental gesture and questions the performer in real-time, which is quite innovative in terms of acoustic playing sensations. It takes the expressiveness of each performer into a new dimension. With AI, we are, in all modesty, witnessing the beginnings of tomorrow's writing. It is time to start creating an organology of AI."