Ephemeral Gumboots is a combination of hardware and software tools. Each Wellington boot has three touch sensors. One is attached to the outside of the leg, one to the inside, and one under the sole. For one dancer there are six sensors, for two there are twelve sensors each running on an individual MIDI channels (1 –12).
These are connected to a voltage-to-MIDI converter, which is in turn connected to the computer's soundcard. The voltage-to-MIDI converter converts electrical signals caused by stomps and slaps on the sensors and outputs them as MIDI numbers. These MIDI numbers are note-on messages and velocity (1 – 127) messages. Each sensor is linked to an individual MIDI channel . Inside the computer, Max accesses the soundcard's MIDI port and reads this incoming data. As long as contact is made between hand and sensor or heel on sensor, the note will be sustained. A note-off message is sent when the foot lifts off the ground or when the hand leaves the pad. Inside Max these numbers are in turn sent to router objects which route the data to trigger new MIDI note and MIDI controller numbers which are then sent to corresponding tracks and effect parameters in a software groove sampler program, called Ableton Live 4.0 [6] . Some effects integral to the character of the music are: granular synthesis, granular delay, DFX Buffer Override, time-stretching, Doppler effects, delays, reverbs, pitch shift, ring modulators, filters, resonators, distortions, arpeggiators, compressors and gates. Many processes have also gone into the recording, capturing, plundering, cutting up and preparation of the sonic fragments that were loaded into Ableton Live4.0.
Illustration of sensor positioning on boot
This is what the Ephemeral Gumboots 12 Sensor Looper Patch in Max look like:
Tempo Extractor object
This system has two basic software components. The first one is a router object called stepping thru in Max and the second one is a combination of lists with MIDI numbers inside the router that are linked to corresponding samples and effect s parameters in Ableton Live4.0:
• 1. The router matrix that routes the incoming sensor data to lists according to a switch setting called leader switch . The switch setting functions as a way to control the structure of the piece. Each time the switch is hit, the matrix jumps to the next row. Each row can be seen as a different section, i.e. A, B, C, D and E. A row represents a group of collects. (There can be any number of switches and any number of rows and collects can have any number of values - it is up to the composer to decide). The leader switch can be assigned to any sensor or sensors. I have decided to make the Left Inside Pad on MIDI c hannel 2 the ‘leader' switch because my dancer normally hits this sensor kicking his leg to the back and hitting it from behind. This movement stands out from his other stomps and slaps. So in this case, data on MIDI c hannel 2 will both make structural switches (cause the rows to step between A, B, C, D and E) as well as send data to c ollects 2, 8, 14, 20 and 26.
Channel 1 is Left Sole , channel 2 is Left Inside Pad , channel 3 is Left Outside Pad, Channel 4 is Right Sole , channel 5 is Right Inside Pad and channel 6 is Right Outside Pad. When the switch on channel 2 opens row three, for example, the data from Left Sole is sent to collect 13 and so on. |
• 2. Lists are called collects, containing numbers for corresponding samples, chords, notes and effects parameters.
Each individual collect list in a section can also be a different length. This can create interesting cyclic rhythms.
The controller data represent values that are sent to different effects in Ableton Live4.0 [7] . In other words a sample is triggered and values are sent to the effects that are connected to the track on which this sample play
