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Abstract:

Digital Musical Instruments (DMIs) often lack the rich haptic feedback that defines the experience of playing acoustic instruments, therefore creating an experiential gap for performers. This thesis investigates how vibrotactile feedback can be strategically designed to bridge this gap, exploring how the fundamental characteristics of a DMI influence the conceptualization and implementation of haptic feedback. To address this question, the Sonic Touch Toolkit was developed as a flexible platform for rapid vibrotactile prototyping within Max/MSP. A series of exploratory workshops were conducted where musicians and designers used this toolkit to add haptic feedback to three structurally diverse DMIs: the AKAI MPK Mini (discrete, keyboard-style controls), the Linnstrument (a grid-based multidimensional polyphonic controller), and the T-Stick (a sensor-rich gestural controller). These workshops revealed a common design pattern: for DMIs characterized by discrete controls and separable interaction dynamics, such as the AKAI keyboard, participants predominantly designed inherent feedback to enhance the physical feel of the gesture and create a more embodied connection. In contrast, for DMIs with multi-dimensional, integrated controls like the Linnstrument and T-Stick, participants strongly favored augmented feedback, using informational cues to aid sensor navigation, improve gestural accuracy, and provide awareness of the system’s internal state. This research contributes a framework that links DMI interaction paradigms to specific vibrotactile design strategies, offering insights for the future design of more expressive and engaging digital musical instruments.

Publication Details:

IDMIL Participants:

• Oren Ronen

Additional Information:

RONEN_Oren_Music_Technology_thesis