This thesis traces the development of a number of mobile computer music systems and their use in ensemble percussion performances. The results of the most recent studies assure us that the intelligent agent interaction does enhance improvised performances. Informed by the results of lab and field studies using quantitative and qualitative methods, four generations of ensemble-focussed interface have been developed and refined. Overall, this research examined ensemble DMI performance in unprecedented scope and detail, with more than 150 interaction sessions recorded. This interface is shown to produce performances that are longer, as well as demonstrate improved perceptions of musical structure, group interaction, enjoyment and overall quality. In the final interface, each performer freely improvised with a limited number of notes at moments of peak gestural change, the agent presented users with the opportunity to try different notes. The most successful interface was redesigned and investigated further in a second study with 16 non-expert participants. The first, with three expert performers, informed refinements for a set of apps. Two formal studies are described where participants rate their perceptions of improvised performances with a variety of designs for agent-app interaction. The hypothesis is that the agent interaction and UI response can enhance improvised performances, allowing performers to better explore creative interactions with each other, produce better music, and have a more enjoyable experience. The tracking system is posed as an intelligent agent that can continually analyse the gestural states of performers, and trigger a response in the performers' user interfaces at appropriate moments. A series of improvised rehearsals and performances leads to the identification of a vocabulary of continuous performative touch-gestures and a system for tracking these collaborative performances in real time using tools from machine learning. Throughout this thesis, six ensemble-focussed DMIs are introduced for mobile touch-screen computers. These instruments have also been evaluated to find out whether, and if so how, they affect the ensembles and music that is made with them. In this research, new ensemble-focussed instruments have been designed and deployed in an ongoing artistic practice. Interaction models that map individual gestures to sound have been previously studied, but the interactions of ensembles within these models are not well understood. While computer music has advanced to the point where a huge variety of digital instruments are common in educational, recreational, and professional music-making, these instruments rarely seek to enhance the ensemble context in which they are used. This thesis concerns the making and performing of music with new digital musical instruments (DMIs) designed for ensemble performance. Results indicated that, rather than only recording their performance at the end of semester, the devices were a pivotal part of the rehearsal process from the beginning and influenced the ways in which students created a performance. The ways the students used these devices was much broader than anticipated and fell into five categories: notetaking and organization, social media and sharing, research and practice, recording and editing and music creation. iPhones, android phones and iPods were also used. Students also used their laptops, often to sync data from iPad to laptop which made the use of apps that worked across multiple platforms essential. Of the devices used, the iPad was chosen by a majority of students (29 out of 40 participants) because it was easy to use although some students found its storage limiting. This project investigates the devices used to video student rehearsals or performances, the ways that the devices were used, and the reasons that students selected their device of choice. This paper presents the findings of a study delving into the use of tablets, smart phones and laptops in creating ePortfolios for a 2nd year Bachelor of Music performance unit.
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