Noisegate 67 for Metasaxophone: Composition and Performance Considerations of a New Computer Music Controller

Matthew Burtner

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract:

Noisegate 67 was the first fully interactive composition written for the Computer Metasaxophone, a new computer controller interface for electroacoustic music. The Metasaxophone is an acoustic tenor saxophone retrofitted with an onboard computer microprocessor and an array of sensors that convert performance data into MIDI control messages. While maintaining full acoustic functionality the Metasaxophone is a versatile MIDI controller. This paper discusses the compositionally driven technical and aesthetic concerns that went into building the Metasaxophone, and the resulting aesthetic implementations in Noisegate 67. By juxtaposing the compositional approach to the saxophone before and after the electronic enhancements an attempt is made to expose working paradigms of composition for metainstruments.

Citation:

Matthew Burtner. 2002. Noisegate 67 for Metasaxophone: Composition and Performance Considerations of a New Computer Music Controller. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1176398

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{Burtner2002,
 abstract = {Noisegate 67 was the first fully interactive composition written for the Computer Metasaxophone, a new computer controller interface for electroacoustic music. The Metasaxophone is an acoustic tenor saxophone retrofitted with an onboard computer microprocessor and an array of sensors that convert performance data into MIDI control messages. While maintaining full acoustic functionality the Metasaxophone is a versatile MIDI controller. This paper discusses the compositionally driven technical and aesthetic concerns that went into building the Metasaxophone, and the resulting aesthetic implementations in Noisegate 67. By juxtaposing the compositional approach to the saxophone before and after the electronic enhancements an attempt is made to expose working paradigms of composition for metainstruments.},
 address = {Dublin, Ireland},
 author = {Burtner, Matthew},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 date = {24-26 May, 2002},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.1176398},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 pages = {24--29},
 title = {Noisegate 67 for Metasaxophone: Composition and Performance Considerations of a New Computer Music Controller},
 url = {http://www.nime.org/proceedings/2002/nime2002_024.pdf},
 year = {2002}
}