You are required to propose and implement a project using ideas and resources that you have developed during the course, if appropriate performing it live during a specially arranged event at the end of the semester.
Some Ideas
Throughout the course you'll be provided with basic ideas and templates that you can use to develop your own material. You'll be expected to propose ideas and projects to be considered for the Individual Project. If you cannot do this, tasks can be provided for you.
You may undertake one or more projects. One common approach is to develop two instruments each of which will play a specific role within your final performance, so rather than squandering marks using a pre-recorded backing track, you might develop you own instrument that provides suitable backing material for your performance and many more marks for your submission.
You may choose to work with other people to form a group. Consult your tutor about this possibility.
Your project(s) might be primarily performance based - some sort of 'instrument' which you control, in one way or another, in real time. Or it might be some sort of installation - a piece of work which is stand-alone and which reacts to events that 'happen' to it.
Go through the examples and tutorials, and choose something that appeals and/or interests you. Use this as a template for developing your own project. You'll also be provided with a number of templates for you to use if you wish.
Consider ways in which you control software and 'real' musical instruments and plan to replicate some of the features of these systems.
Take an idea that you've heard or seen elsewhere and try to replicate it or some part of it.
Take a more complex idea and develop a scheme to show 'proof of concept'.
Remember that you're unlikely to come up with something that's fully and flawlessly functional in every respect at this stage, although you'll get many extra marks if you do!
You'll need to outline each of these projects in words, and we'll compare each one to see how well they fit together and whether any overlaps between different projects are acceptable, desirable or undesirable. This is especially true of the performance project as we may well use the instruments together in an ensemble.
Finally, you'll need to prepare a programme note for the performance, and submit as full documentation as you think necessary, including photography, planning, development and construction. You need to do this as you are not required to submit your hacks themselves. It would be in your interests to prepare a 'demo' audio file/video in case some tragedy befalls your project, or if you, for whatever reason, fail to perform on the day. The formal submission of all materials will by the date and time indicated in the Module Guide, to the location indicated in the Module Guide.
The Performance
Bring a recorded version of your piece should there be an irredeemable technical failure on the day. Please ensure that you have tested your equipment sufficiently so that should problems arise you will be able to solve them quickly and efficiently.
The Documentation
All assessment items should be accompanied by brief but comprehensive documentation. This should include photographs and videos of each task. You should use in the order of 500 words.
There is an absolute limit of 700MB data per submission. Submissions which include more than this amount of data will lost 5% of marks per 100MB exceeded. So, a 750MB submission would lose 5%, an 850MB submission 10%;
A recorded version of your composition/performance;
Written description of aims, intentions and outcomes;
Critical evaluation of composition and patch. You should reference other examples and practitioners in the field and attempt to contextualise your work in the light of others' work.
Guidelines on how to use the itme (these should be checked with a colleague to ensure that they are properly usable). Please include photographs/videos of the item in operation, including any software or firmware developed.
Deductions
The 60% weighting for the Individual Project includes the following potential deductions:
10% for non-performance without good reason (so, should your submission receive 60% you will receive a mark of 50%.
10% for non-submission of a recorded version of your performance
10% for submission of poorly presented documentation.
Failure to submit either of the above will result in failure of the module
You should investigate other recent developments in interface design. New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) is one of the most interesting sources for this. Look at the internet site, noting that the proceedings of the last three or four years' conferences are on-line. Look through these papers (there are many of them) and choose one that appeals to you. Prepare a short presentation on why the approach you've chosen appeals to you. Although you don't have to prepare a formal presentation, making sure you can display the paper (via the data projector provided) in addition to any images, videos or recordings normally makes things much more interesting. Try to have a look at what others are going to talk about if you can. NIME is a good place to look, but you don't have to use one of those papers. However, if you don't please clear the paper/subject you choose with your tutor to begin with.
The presentation itself will not receive a mark, but you will receive a 5% penalty from the entire module should you not present, (so, if you end up with 58%, you will actually get 53%).