Oscilla: The Score as Performable Interface

Rob Canning

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

Oscilla is a free and open source, browser-based system in which the score functions as an interactive interface and instrument. Rather than serving solely as a representational artefact, the score becomes a performable surface: visual elements operate as controls, spatial regions define sonic and structural conditions, and navigation constitutes a primary performance gesture. Notation, interaction, and audio behaviour coexist within a unified environment that runs entirely in the browser and synchronises across networked clients.This paper focuses on Oscilla's interaction design and its implications for performed music. Spatial traversal and page-based navigation function as control structures, allowing the score to operate simultaneously as map, instrument, and controller. Path-constrained touch interactions emit high-resolution OSC data, positioning drawn curves as score-native gestural interfaces. A contribution surface enables performers to add and modify material during performance, blurring the boundary between authoring and execution. Across these modes, performers exercise selective agency — choosing when to engage and withdraw from active control within a shared musical structure.

Citation

Rob Canning. 2026. Oscilla: The Score as Performable Interface. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20784238 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_77,
 abstract = {Oscilla is a free and open source, browser-based system in which the score functions as an interactive interface and instrument. Rather than serving solely as a representational artefact, the score becomes a performable surface: visual elements operate as controls, spatial regions define sonic and structural conditions, and navigation constitutes a primary performance gesture. Notation, interaction, and audio behaviour coexist within a unified environment that runs entirely in the browser and synchronises across networked clients.This paper focuses on Oscilla's interaction design and its implications for performed music. Spatial traversal and page-based navigation function as control structures, allowing the score to operate simultaneously as map, instrument, and controller. Path-constrained touch interactions emit high-resolution OSC data, positioning drawn curves as score-native gestural interfaces. A contribution surface enables performers to add and modify material during performance, blurring the boundary between authoring and execution. Across these modes, performers exercise selective agency — choosing when to engage and withdraw from active control within a shared musical structure.},
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {77},
 author = {Rob Canning},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20784238},
 editor = {Benedict Gaster and João Tragtenberg and Anna Xambó and Tom Mitchell},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {},
 numpages = {8},
 pages = {652--659},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/x4xwvHnNtNk},
 title = {Oscilla: The Score as Performable Interface},
 track = {Paper},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_77.pdf},
 year = {2026}
}