“If you don’t give thought to design, users will not take to the technical tools you’ve created.”
In my view, the main challenges to confront in the near future, if we really want the technical devices in the artistic field to move on, lies in the creation of small cross-disciplinary collaborative structures. These structures would bring together designers, engineers and creative professionals or artists. As far as computer music is concerned, for instance, we will imperatively have to work in collaboration with composers who, being the primary users of the devices we will be designing will be in a position to tell us more about their current and future needs. Indeed, the aim is not only to identify and satisfy a need, we must also anticipate potential needs and innovate. Innovation is a very complex factor that proves extremely hard to define because it lies at the junction between the work of practitioners, technicians and designers; it is a very versatile phenomenon lying at the crossroads of all these approaches to production.
CADI: It seems like musicians who use computer-aided composition tools simply accept their fate. Designers – whose role also implies making users aware of their discomfort – could encourage those who are fond of these types of software to revise their standards upwards.
T.B: Most users simply take what is already there and try to make the best of it because they know they’re lucky enough to have access to those devices. As a researcher, I am always looking for something new and always seeking a better solution. But we should not overlook the fact that the already existing tools are quite formative and make it possible to develop uses which were totally unheard of ten years ago. At some point you get lost and confused with these technologies. Sometimes we spend more time looking for the perfect tool than using the one we have.
Interview conducted by Morgane SAYSANA, Editorial Coordinator.
More about Aurélien Pasquier’s project – MUE
Dematerialization triggered by the advent of digital production tools has greatly modified the way we perceive and play music. No matter how hard the, sometimes amateur, musical software industry has endeavored to devise the right metaphors for composition and sound cutting/ editing, it has more than often failed in the process. In a field of activity where amateurs and professionals work in the same technological environments, Aurélien took a clever stance by guiding users according to their level of expertise, using an innovative crystal-clear interface.
To complete his project, Aurélien followed three main avenues of reflection. Firstly, the will to do away with interfaces that awkwardly imitate existing analogical tools and to devise modes of interaction and visualization, which are better adapted to the sound being worked upon. Secondly, the will to group together all the various tools so as to offer users a smoother creative process, whether it be in musical composition, audio composition or musical creation, making it easier to hop from one step to the next. And finally, the desire to design a tool which is able to adapt gradually to the user and to their level of expertise especially by analyzing in depth how the software is actually being used.
These three main lines were brilliantly intertwined into a simple and stylish interface, which was particularly suitable for tangible interfaces (such as multipoint touchscreens), making the process of musical creation more malleable, without sacrificing the precision and accuracy required for real professional use.
F. Degouzon – Head of the Strategy, Research & Development Department
Aurélien Pasquier – 06 71 38 96 92 – aur.pasquier@gmail.com
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