Workshops

Please note that the same workshop will be delivered online in collaboration with 3 different organisations: IKLECTIK (London), L'Ull Cec (Barcelona) and Leicester Hackspace (Leicester). Due to the pandemic, we have adapted the workshop to online delivery and not only welcome local participants but also international participants. See below to find out more about dates.

London (IKLECTIK) 7/9/11.12.2020 - 19:00-21:00 (GMT): Closed.
Barcelona (L'Ull Cec) 11/13/15.1.2021- 19:00-21:00 (CET): Closed.
A translation of this text to Catalan and Spanish can be found here: Catalan | Spanish
Leicester (Leicester Hackspace) 25/27/29.1.2021 - 19:00-21.00 (GMT):
Closed.

Online Workshop: "Performing with a virtual agent: machine learning for live coding" #

In this hands-on online workshop, you will explore MIRLC, an easy live coding environment built in SuperCollider to query sounds from Freesound.org, and will be introduced to how machine learning can be useful to improve the live coding experience. The workshop is designed to accommodate both beginners and experts in programming using a team-based learning approach.

Schedule #

Day 1 (2h):
- An introdution to MIRLC: an easy live coding language to query sounds from Freesound.org
Day 2 (2h):
- An introduction to machine learning in live coding and task 1: Train an agent to assist meaningful querying to Freesound.org
Day 3 (2h):
- A follow-up to machine learning in live coding and invent your own problem for machine learning (IKLECTIK) // A follow-up to machine learning in live coding and task 2: Explore an agent that reacts to the live coder inputs when querying to Freesound.org (L'Ull Cec and Leicester Hackspace).

Learning Outcomes #

The learning outcomes of the workshop are:

Get a sense of the practice of live coding (music live performance using code) by manipulating online crowdsourced sounds and the automatic use of feature descriptors obtained from Freesound.org.
Get familiar with the application of neural networks, in particular a multilayer perceptron used as a classifier, to improve the practice of live coding with crowdsourced sounds.
Be exposed to the main steps to solve a problem using machine learning techniques: the creation of a dataset, training a model, testing the model, and performing with / evaluating the model in an iterative cycle.
Understand how to combine different technologies in SuperCollider to build a prototype for live coding performance.
Get insight on a participatory design approach to designing a prototype for live coding performance.

At the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

Use SuperCollider and the MIRLC2 library to retrieve sounds from Freesound.org based on a live coding approach.
Use a trained model using the FluCoMa library to retrieve sounds that are based on personal musical taste.
Train your own model using the FluCoMa library to retrieve sounds that are based on your personal musical taste.
Analyse how to define a virtual agent that can react to the live coder inputs using the FluCoMa library.
Explore creative strategies to perform with a virtual agent using machine learning for live coding.

Language #

This workshop will be in English.

Requirements #

A previous experience with SuperCollider will be helpful but beginners are also welcomed to apply.
Each participant will need a laptop and internet connection to follow the online workshop sessions.
Workshop attendees will receive instructions to install: SuperCollider, Freesound quark, MIRLC and FluCoMa tools.

Registration #

This workshop is free, but pre-registration is required. All participants are welcome to register to our forthcoming workshop completing the online registration at the following link:

Dates / Duration #

The same workshop will be delivered online in collaboration with 3 different organisations: IKLECTIK (London), L'Ull Cec (Barcelona) and Leicester Hackspace (Leicester). Due to the pandemic, we have adapted the workshop to online delivery and welcome not only local participants but also international participants.

Each workshop will happen in 3 sessions of 2h each session throughout a week:

IKLECTIC (London) in December 2020: Monday 7, Wednesday 9, and Friday 11 December 2020, 19:00-21:00 (GMT).
L'Ull Cec (Barcelona) in January 2021: Monday 11, Wednesday 13, and Friday 15 January, 19:00-21:00 (CET).
Leicester Hackspace (Leicester) in January 2021: Monday 25, Wednesday 27, and Friday 29 January 2021 19:00-21.00 (GMT).

Number of Participants #

The number of participants is limited to 20 participants for each workshop. Please fill in the online registration form (link provided at the top of this page) to book your place.

Prior to the workshop #

Instructions will be sent to the workshop attendees prior to the start of the workshop with setup instructions in the form of a text or video (mainly installing SuperCollider, Freesound quark, MIRLC and FluCoMa tools). An invitation to the Zoom meeting will be also sent. The participants will be working in teams (via Zoom Breakout rooms).

Code of Conduct #

Please be reminded that all participants are expected to follow the Berlin Code of Conduct. If you think you have an incidence to report, please contact the workshop organisers.

Instructors #

Sam Roig
Anna Xambó

Contact #

Anna Xambó: anna.xambo@dmu.ac.uk

Website #

https://mirlca.dmu.ac.uk/workshops

Flyer #

You can download the flyer from here.

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