Focal : An Eye-Tracking Musical Expression Controller

Stewart Greenhill, and Cathie Travers

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract:

We present Focal, an eye-tracking musical expression controller which allows hands-free control over audio effects and synthesis parameters during peformance. A see-through head-mounted display projects virtual dials and switches into the visual field. The performer controls these with a single expression pedal, switching context by glancing at the object they wish to control. This simple interface allows for minimal physical disturbance to the instrumental musician, whilst enabling the control of many parameters otherwise only achievable with multiple foot pedalboards. We describe the development of the system, including the construction of the eye-tracking display, and the design of the musical interface. We also present a comparison of a performance between Focal and conventional controllers.

Citation:

Stewart Greenhill, and Cathie Travers. 2016. Focal : An Eye-Tracking Musical Expression Controller. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1176022

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{Greenhill2016,
 abstract = {We present Focal, an eye-tracking musical expression controller
which allows
hands-free control over audio effects and synthesis parameters during
peformance. A see-through head-mounted display projects virtual dials and
switches into the visual field. The performer controls these with a single
expression pedal, switching context by glancing at the object they wish to
control. This simple interface allows for minimal physical disturbance to the
instrumental musician, whilst enabling the control of many parameters otherwise
only achievable with multiple foot pedalboards. We describe the development of
the system, including the construction of the eye-tracking display, and the
design of the musical interface. We also present a comparison of a performance
between Focal and conventional controllers. },
 address = {Brisbane, Australia},
 author = {Stewart Greenhill and Cathie Travers},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.1176022},
 isbn = {978-1-925455-13-7},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 pages = {230--235},
 publisher = {Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University},
 title = {Focal : An Eye-Tracking Musical Expression Controller},
 track = {Papers},
 url = {http://www.nime.org/proceedings/2016/nime2016_paper0046.pdf},
 year = {2016}
}