Performance Technologies Lab

Research in live acoustic and electronic performance techniques and technologies

The IU Indianapolis Music Performance Technologies Lab is a consortium of work by faculty members Robin Cox, Jason Palamara, and Jordan Munson. Research involves performance practice in acoustic and electronic techniques and technologies. These efforts are housed within the Department of Music and Arts Technology at Herron School of Art and Design.

The research of this group, led by faculty members Robin Cox, Jason Palamara, and Jordan Munson, investigates cross-sections of live acoustic and electronic performance techniques and technologies. In any given semester, upwards of 50 students are involved with these efforts. The work is primarily driven by experimentation within four units, the Electro-Acoustic Ensemble (E/A), the Destructive and Inventive Systems Ensemble (DISEnsemble), the Electronic Music Ensemble (ExME), and the BIG TENT multimedia project. Areas of investigation include on-stage monitoring technology, digital signal methodology, live mix techniques in combination with acoustic and electronic sources, hardware interface design, DAW integration with large ensemble performance, and multichannel audio production. The consortium also extends its work into assimilation of visual mediums with the performance practices above.

Electro-Acoustic Ensemble (E/A)

Electronic Music Ensemble (ExME)

Destructive and Inventive Systems Ensemble (DISEnsemble)

Big Tent

BIG TENT is a uniquely portable and immersive space designed for multi-media performance art using the latest in audio and visual technologies. Development began in 2014 by Robin Cox and Benjamin Smith with the purpose of inspiring creative explorations of artists across many mediums of expression. Now with realization of numerous public events, directly engaging with over 6000 community members, success may be claimed in its flexibility to a multitude of immersive audio/video needs, while in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor settings.

Publications

Cox, R., Smith, B., (2018) Big Tent -Field Testing a Portable Venue for Multimedia Performing Arts, Proceedings of the Ammerman Center for Arts & Technology 16th Biennial Symposium, New London, Connecticut, 2018, pp. 14-18. 

Cox, R., Smith, B., (2017) To the People, Community Engagement with Multimedia Performing Arts Through Portability and Interactivity, United States Institute of Theater Technology, USITT Current Research in Sound, http://usitt-sound.org/publications, Mar 9 2017 

Cox, R. (2017) Electro-Acoustic Music and the Live Performance Click Track, Journal SEAMUS vol. 27, Number 1-2, pp. 36-40 

Smith, B., Cox, R. (2016) Big Tent: A Portable Immersive Intermedia Environment, Proceedings of the 2016 International Computer Music Conference, Utrecht, Netherlands 2016, pp. 333-336.