Summer School in Sound and Music Computing

KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Stockholm, Sweden
July 2-6, 2007

This Summer School is organized by the Music Acoustics Group of the KTH in Stockholm, with the goal to promote interdisciplinary education and research in the field of Sound and Music Computing (SMC). The School is aimed at graduate students working on their Master or PhD thesis, but it is open to any person carrying out research in this field.

This is the third SMC Summer School. The first two were organized by the S2S² Coordination Action, last year it took place in Barcelona and two years ago in Genova.

Teachers

• Anders Askenfelt (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm)
• Elvira Brattico (University of Helsinki, Finland)
• Roberto Bresin (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm)
• Nicola Bernardini (Conservatory of Padova)
• Cumhur Erkut (Helsinki University of Technology)
• Federico Fontana (University of Verona, Italy)
• Anders Friberg (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm)
• Lalya Gaye (Viktoria Institute, Gothenburg, Sweden)
• Minna Huotilainen (University of Helsinki, Finland)
• Olivier Lartillot (University of Jyväskylä, Finland)
• Pietro Polotti (Conservatory of Como)
• Davide Rocchesso (University of Verona)
• Stefania Serafin (Aalborg University Copenhagen)
• Patrick Susini (IRCAM)
• Johan Sundberg (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm)
• Sten Ternström (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm)
• Gualtiero Volpe (University of Genova)

Invited Experts

• Jonas Engdegård (Senior Research Engineer, Coding Technologies, Stockholm)
• Romain Haettel (ÅF-Ingemansson AB, Stockholm)
• Staffan Ljung (Manager for Entertainment Solutions, Ericsson, Stockholm)
• Ernst Nathorst (CEO of Propellerhead Software, Stockholm)
• David Åström (Kocky / Soul Supreme, Stockholm)

Academic Program

• 6 hours of lectures by Minna Huotilainen and Elvira Brattico on Neurosciences and Music and 6 hours of lectures by Lalya Gaye on Mobile Music and Locative Audio Technology.
• 3 hours of oral presentations by the participating students and discussions
  on their research work.
• poster presentations by the participating students during coffee breaks (1.5 hour every day of the School)
• 12 hours hands-on activities by the participating students in collaboration with the teachers of the Summer School
• 4 hours of oral presentations and discussions by experts from industries in the field of Sound and Music Computing.
• 2 hours of oral presentations by leaders of EU funded projects in the field of Sound and Music Computing.

The lectures are designed to be of interest to any graduate student or researcher in the field of Sound and Music Computing. The topics chosen for this year are Neurosciences and Music and Mobile Music and Locative Audio Technology; relevant topics in our research fields which have particular methodologies and research strategies. The lectures will present these particular methodologies and their application in Music related problems.

All the participating students will give short presentations on their current research during a speed-talk of four minutes. The emphasis will be given on research questions and particularly on methodological issues related to their research project. Students will receive a written feedback from the teachers that should be useful for the continuation of their research.

All the participating students will present a poster about their PhD work. The posters will be on show for all the duration of the Summer School, with discussions during coffee breaks.

All students will work on mini-projects focusing on the themes discussed during the Summer School. Results of the mini-projects will be presented on the final day of the School. Mini-projects will give the opportunity for hands-on activities such as testing software tools or planning of experiments.

Final program schedule:

!

Neurosciences and Music

July 2nd, 9:00-11:00
Main research topics in the neurosciences of music
Elvira Brattico, PhD, Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Dept of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland
Abstract Main research topics in the neurosciences of music: modularity, musical vs. language syntax and semantics, lateralization of brain functions for music, auditory cortex plasticity, brain structures devoted to musical performance and music emotions.

July 3rd, 11:15-13:00
Methods of brain imaging research (slides in PDF)
Minna Huotilainen, PhD, Docent, researcher, Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Dept of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland

July 4th, 9:00-11:00
The development of musical abilities (slides in PDF)
Minna Huotilainen, PhD, Docent, researcher, Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Dept of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland

Mobile Music and Locative Audio Technology

Lalya Gaye, PhD, Viktoria Institute, Gothenburg, Sweden
July 2nd, 11:15-13:00
July 3rd, 9:00-11:00
July 4th, 11:15-13:00

Click here for suggested reading

Part I

• Introducing mobile music and locative audio
• Background:
  - Sound and mobility
  - Technologicalexperiments, art and consumer products in urban life
  - Locative media in general

   

• Main themes and projects. Characteristics, challenges and design opportunities of mobile music and locative audio.

Part II

• Technologies developed in research
• Available technologies
• Human-computer interaction methodologies, theories and design process applied to mobile music and locative audio

Speed Talks

In a maximum of 4 slides in total (remember that you will have 4 minutes for your presentation) present your research questions/problems/crazy ideas/etc. on which you would like feedback from those present.
A printout of your slides will be available to the participants. Please notice that presentations longer than 4 slides will not be accepted!!!
Download here the powerpoint file with the instructions and the official format for the slides.

Poster presentations

Students are invited to present a poster about their research work.
Download here the powerpoint file with the instructions and the official format for the poster.

Hands-on sessions: Mini-projects

Download here the PDF file with the list of proposed mini-projects. Students can also propose alternative projects.

The Future Sessions, Thursday July 5th

The future of music: What do we need? How will it be?

9:00 Semi-parametric audio coding - Today and beyond (slides in PDF format)
Jonas Engdegård, Senior Research Engineer, Coding Technologies
Abstract By the time AAC (Advanced Audio Coder, the format used in e.g. iTunes music store) was standardized in 1997, the audio coding research community felt they had nearly reached the limit of how efficient a perceptual audio coder can be. However, the development of the last decade has resulted in large, unexpected improvements, mainly because of the introduction of semi-parametric audio coding tools. The by now widely spread aacPlus format, which is the successor of AAC, is based on a flexible approach of employing parametric tools such as Spectral Band Replication (SBR) and Parametric Stereo (PS) in combination with a waveform coder (AAC).
This presentation will give a quick tutorial on perceptual audio coding including an overview of how the last decade's addition of technology has contributed to today's state of the art codecs, and a future outlook in the field of audio coding.

9:40 The future of music software (slides in PDF format)
Ernst Nathorst, CEO of Propellerhead Software
Abstract Now that inexpensive computers are powerful enough to deliver a complete professional audio production and DSP can provide faithful renderings of practically any instrument we can imagine – where do we go from here? What are the next steps that music software needs to take in order to serve musicians better than today?

10:20 The future of music on mobile devices
Staffan Ljung, Strategic Product Manager for Music, Ericsson
Abstract Mobile music is arguably the most requested service by end consumers currently. The sales of mobile music has during the last 2 years had a tremendous impact on the over all digital music sales and the business is just taking its first steps out from the starting blocks.
However, we need to remember that this is still an immature business where stakeholders eventually need to adapt their business models in order to ensure market growth. In all business it would me a major mistake not to listen to what the end consumer expects wants and needs. The end user experience is a focus area where I think that most players in this segment have a lot of improvement to do. One part of the user experience is the " in-store" experience, a building brick which constantly is evolving due to a a bigger variety of choice in the stores, more professional recommendation engines, end consumer offerings etc. However the end user experience does not stop once the end consumer has bought a product from the store. Actually you could argue and say that it begins at that exact point in time. Therefore interoperability is one of the key hurdles that needs to be managed over the next years. How is this realised? What have Ericsson learnt out the past years in this area?

11:00 Coffee break

11:20 Independent music production
David Åström, Kocky/Soul Supreme
Abstract After a short presentation of the music I produce, I will discuss how modern music technology, both equipment and distribution, affects the artistic and creative process of music production. Some of the relevant issues in music production will be discussed. How is the role of the producer changing when advanced hardware and software tools are readily available to the consumer? How do different studios choose different equipment setups? How is the relationship between recording musicians and producers affected by advances in music technology?

12:00-13:00 Panel discussion

Each students will:

• Mail a question to the speakers before the Summer School start
• Prepare a question for the panel discussion
  • • Curriculum vitae (max. 1 page)
    • Certified copy of academic degree
    • Summary of the research proposal (max. 2 pages)
    • Tuesday July 3rd, from 17:00 to 1:00: Bring the Noise!, DJ evening at Debaser, free entrance
    • Thursday July 5th at 19:00: Banquet at Rosendals Trädgård with DJ and jam session
    • Friday July 6th from 22:00 to 3:00: Summer Adventure, Club at Debaser, free entrance
    • A kayak tour?
    • A discgolf game?
    • Search for other events in Stockholm during the summer school

    • School:

      • the school oral sessions will take place in lecture room F2 at KTH central campus, as well as coffee breaks.
        Address: Lindstedtsvägen 26 SE-100 44 Stockholm (map)

         

      • the school hands-on sessions will take place in Department of Speech Music and Hearing
        Address: Lindstedtsvägen 24, 100 44 Stockholm (map)

         

    • Lunches: Brazilia restaurant, in the KTH Campus. Here is the menu, if you can Swedish.
      Address: Brinellvägen 64, 100 44 Stockholm (map)

    • Banquet: Rosendals Trädgård, with facilities for organizing a jam session.
      Address: Rosendalsterrassen 12, 115 21 Stockholm (map)

  Sound and Music Computing in Europe, PART 1, Friday July 6th

  The sessions Sound and Music Computing in Europe have been made possible thanks to the contribution by COST IC0601 Action SID - Sonic Interaction Design.  

  Current EU projects in the SMC field

  10:00 VEMUS - Virtual European Music School, Anders Askenfelt
  10:15 CLOSED - Closing the Loop of Sound Evaluation and Design, Pietro Polotti
  10:30 BrainTuning - Tuning the Brain for Music, Roberto Bresin
  10:45 EmCAP - Emergent Cognition through Active Perception, Hendrik Purwins
  11:00 TAI-CHI - Tangible Acoustic Interfaces for Computer-Human Interaction, Gualtiero Volpe
  11:15 Mobile Life, Lalya Gaye

  Sound and Music Computing in Europe, PART 2, Friday July 6th

  The sessions Sound and Music Computing in Europe have been made possible thanks to the contribution by COST IC0601 Action SID - Sonic Interaction Design.  

  The near Future

  11:45 A SMC Roadmap, Nicola Bernardini
  12:00 COST IC0601 Action SID - Sonic Interaction Design, Nicola Bernardini
  12:15 INVITED TALK: Sound Quality: A Consultant Perspective ( slides in PDF format)
  Romain Haettel, ÅF-Ingemansson AB
  Abstract The quality of sound generated in consumer products is part of the attributes that communicate the total product quality to the customer. Known examples are door closing sounds for cars and sound and tactile quality of knobs, levers and other controls for handling the product. The sound quality aspect is not necessarily received consciously. The presentation gives some examples of practical sound quality development.

  Application

  A maximum of 20 students will be admitted to the school. The candidates will be evaluated by the teachers and the application should include the following documents in pdf format:

  Students have to send their applications to Roberto Bresin before May 1st. Notification of acceptance will be given no later than May 10th.

  For people not wishing to make research presentations during the school, a brief curriculum vitae is sufficient and the deadline for application is May 15th.

  These people should also send their applications to Roberto Bresin.

  Registration Fee

  The regular registration fee is 300 €. This fee also covers the costs for lunch and various evening social events.

  The registration fee for students is 200 €. This fee also covers the costs for lunch and various evening social events.

  The deadline for registration is May 31st.

  NEW! Please find payment instructions here.

  Social events

  • Banquet, Thursday July 5th: Rosendals Trädgård
  • A kayak tour?
  • Search for other events in Stockholm during the summer school

  Venue

  • School:

    • the school oral sessions will take place in lecture room F2 at KTH central campus, as well as coffee breaks.
      Address: Lindstedtsvägen 26 SE-100 44 Stockholm (map)

    • the school hands-on sessions will take place in Department of Speech Music and Hearing
      Address: Lindstedtsvägen 24, 100 44 Stockholm (map)

  • Lunches: Quantum restaurant, in the KTH Campus. Here is the menu, if you can Swedish.
    Address: Osquldas väg 4, 100 44 Stockholm (map)

  • Banquet: Rosendals Trädgård, with facilities for organizing a jam session.
    Address: Rosendalsterrassen 12, 115 21 Stockholm (map)

  Traveling and Accommodation

  Participants will have to arrange their own travel and accommodation.

  We advise you to book accomodation early as the first week of July is very busy in Stockholm.

  Booking services
  Stockholmtown.com
  Visit Stockholm
  Stockholm budget accomodation

  Use hitta.se to look up the location. The summer school will take place at Lindstedtsvägen 24. The service is in Swedish, but is easy to use. "Vad söker du?" means "what do you look for". Type in name, company or telephone number. The second field "Var?" means "Where", and here you type in address. Use "street 'street number' stockholm". You only need to fill out one field.

  Camping

  Close to summer school
  Östermalms Camping, just 5 minutes walk away.

  Less central
  From www.visit-stockholm.com, all are quite far from the school.

  Bed and breakfast/Hostels

  Close to summer school
  Bed & Breakfast
  Rehnsgatan 21
  Tel: +46815 28 38
  Sleeping halls or single-rooms.
  hitta.se

  City Backpackers
  Upplandsgatan 2 A
  Tel: +46820 69 20
  2-, 4- or 8-bed rooms
  E-mail: city.backpackers@swipnet.se
  www.citybackpackers.se
  hitta.se

  Columbus Hotell och Vandrarhem
  Tjärhovsgatan 11
  Tel: +468644 17 17
  2-, 4- or 6-bed rooms
  Getting there: Subway to Medborgarplatsen, Bus 46, 48, 52.
  hitta.se

  Hotel Mitt i City
  Västmannagatan 13
  Tel:+46821 76 30
  Sleeping halls, 12 girls/18 boys or single-rooms.
  hitta.se

  Långholmen Vandrarhem och Hotell
  Gamla kronohäktet
  Tel: +468668 05 10
  Getting there: Subway to Hornstull or Bus 40.
  www.langholmen.com
  hitta.se

  Less central
  Bredängs vandrarhem
  Stora sällskapets väg 51
  Tel: +46897 62 00, 97 70 71
  2- or 4-bed rooms.
  Getting there: Subway to Bredäng, short walk (5 min).
  hitta.se

  Solna Vandrarhem
  Enköpingsvägen 16
  Tel: +468655 00 55
  Getting there: Subway to Solna Centrum, bus 505 (10 min) to Råstahem.
  www.solna-vandrarhem.se
  hitta.se

  Ängby Camping
  Blackebergsvägen 24
  Tel: +46837 04 20
  Cottages. 4 beds in each.
  Getting there: Subway to Ängbyplan, short walk (5 min)
  hitta.se

  Hotels

  Close to summer school
  Art Hotel, Johannesgatan 12
  Stureparkens gästvåning, Sturegatan 58
  Elite Hotel Stockholm Plaza, Birger Jarlsgatan 29
  Rex Hotel, Luntmakargatan 73
  Hellsten Hotel, Luntmakargatan 68
  Hotel Tapto, Jungfrugatan 57
  Hotell Arcadia, Körsbärsvägen 1