Hi class,
You’re welcome to visit my website presentation for A3, which explores how mobile technologies will transform music production in the future under a concept titled MP2072.
MP2072 is a vision of how music producers will work by 50 years from now (year 2072) using an interface named The Immersive Music Production Platform (IMPP), which consists of a combination of brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies, 3D audio, and smart contact lenses. This type of music production will be called Brain-Mediated Immersive Music Production (BIMP).
The presentation contains a review of the current status of these technologies, so you will be able to learn more about them. Then, you will find an in-depth description of Brain-Mediated Immersive Music Production (BIMP) accompanied by illustrations. MP2072 is, of course, an ambitious vision that would require major technological advancements and cultural shifts to take place. Some of the issues surrounding the development of this vision are discussed as well.
To access the presentation, click on the following link:
MP2072: A Music Production Forecast
Hope you enjoy it!
Best,
Eduardo
Hi Eduardo, great work on the OER! I really like the color scheme and overall design, it gives off a futuristic synthwave/electronica vibe haha. I can sense your passion for music combined with a great forecast as to how technology could evolve in the future. I think the implications for using BCI to create, produce and enjoy music has immense potential. Instead of using only audio/our ears to interpret sound, I wonder what effect it’ll have if our cognitive functions were directly synched with sound waves. Would it elicit more emotions, allow creators to compose with their minds or be used as healing therapy/form of medication? Imagine future concert goers attending live shows not in person but rather, everyone’s brain wave is connected to the same source, wonder what effect that will have? Would this form of technology be transferable to education where learners can tune into the sound waves of the teacher to learn?
Hello John. Thank you! Haha – that’s what I was going for, indeed (the futuristic synthwave/electronica vibe). As you mention, the possibilities of using BCI for musical purposes are fascinating, and some initiatives have already taken place. One of them is closely related to the application you’re wondering about. BCI has been used for music therapy (you can read about it here: https://edm.com/gear-tech/brain-computer-interface-regulates-emotions-with-music). Also, while doing research for this project I read about how BCI was used to alter the emotional state of dancers and improve their performance. The possibilities are amazing but also imply complex challenges regarding security and control. Based on my forecast, I do imagine people not attending live shows but AR + 3D audio experiences and everyone connecting in a metaverse. What do you mean by everyone’s brain wave connected to the same source? I imagined this in the collaborative function of the platform, having two people joining to create music using BCI, but I am curious to know how you envision it in concerts.
Eduardo, you have a distinctive design aesthetic that is so creative. That aesthetic carries through your other websites as well, like a brand. From your background in music production, it is easy to see the passion and connection to the project as well as your subject matter expertise. I can see how the 3D audio you foresee will revolutionize the experience of AR and VR in education, blurring the space between reality and AI. I can see that concerts in the metaverse will become much more of an immersive experience, enabling not only increased access for those that may not be able to attend live concerts, physically, but also support those with mental health conditions that make it difficult to be around others. Your other wearable, the smart contact lenses are innovative, although I echo the concern for privacy and tracking. In many galleries and museums, QR codes are used to provide mobile data on the exhibits, and I can image the potential for learning using the smart lens to provide information via QR codes instead of textbooks. One of the cautions of use of the smart lenses would be if they could covertly record what the viewer sees, which may impinge on the privacy of others. I have friends that are musicians and it’s amazing to me what can be done on a tablet to mix during a performance. I have no background in music except as a consumer, but the idea of translating thought into sound is incredible. What do you foresee happening to the concert music industry with this type of advancement?
Hi Tamaka. Thank you for your kind comments. Very interesting point about how concerts in the metaverse could increase accessibility for people with mental health conditions or other disabilities. It could also be used for public safety. For example, I remember that during the first year of the pandemic some artists did special shows for online and TV audiences. These were surprisingly engaging, so I can imagine how in the future, with more advancements in AR, this could work well. As you mention, smart one of the main concerns regarding smart glasses and smart contact lenses is privacy. This is why Google Glass has been prohibited in some places. However, It is very likely that smart glasses will become popular in the future, and perhaps smart contact glasses will too, which creates bigger challenges. In regards to your last question, I covered this a little bit in the presentation. If 3D audio was to become the main way in which people are accustomed to experiencing music, then that would have an effect on concerts because audiences would be expected a 3D experience. Hence, perhaps concerts could be experienced using the 3D headphones or live speakers could be set all across a venue to create live 3D mixes!
What an interesting idea, Eduardo! I appreciate the efforts you put into making your website so appealing. I have never used WIX before and have been eager to expand my site building skills outside of Google Sites. I plan to use this platform in the next semester if needed. We both had ideas of Brain Implant technologies, I am hoping to see some evolution to this idea in the next years. I like your inclusion of possible challenges and find this interesting to consider alter opinions on this type of technology. I believe music is such an evident piece of culture representation and the evolution of technology such as your idea could broadcast and expand these identifications in culture much further. Well done, Eduardo! This was a very interesting presentation to read through.
Thank you, Megan! I appreciate your comments about the website’s aesthetics, as I indeed put effort into it. Wix is a fantastic platform which I started using when I joined the MET program for projects. I had used other platforms before because I’ve always loved creating websites, but when I found Wix I was amazed at how powerful and user-friendly it is. I started using it early on in the program, so I must have done about 10 websites now. I think that has helped a lot in learning what can be done and refining my skill. I would highly recommend trying it out next semester if possible! I was pleased to find that you had also explored brain implant technologies. As you surely found after conducting research on this topic, I think we can expect this field to develop significantly in the near future, particularly because of the health benefits it can bring to life. Of course, there are complex challenges, but I think this is normal every time a new technology emerges (although brain implant technologies are much more delicate). You’re right about the strong connection between cultural representation and music, and it is interesting to think about how this connects to technology. Most of our cultures are highly technological and this has impacted music, as we find genres that have a very futuristic sound and the synthesizer is currently, and by far, the most popular instrument.
Eduardo – this is probably the wildest/most innovative A3 I’ve come across so far. I’ve dabbled around with FL studio in the past, and I definitely see the value in this. Some questions for you: Can you expand on the capabilities of the BCI – can the user create any sound they want with their thoughts, in which case samples and instruments are no longer necessary? Why 50 years? Music and technology share a some reciprocal relationship, but would you say music tends to shape technology or does technology shape music? Why does the user require a mobile device (around their neck) to run the application? What’s the battery life on these devices (when in a cave with no sunlight haha)? How do you foresee consumers will listen to music in 50 years?
Hello, Aaron. Thank you! Yeah, it’s quite far out and I enjoyed allowing my imagination to go all the way with what might be possible to do with these emerging technologies. As for your questions, it is explained that the platform would have an extensive library of virtual instruments hosted in a cloud or the mini-computer, similar to what we have today in DAWs. So yes, users could create any sound they have access to through their thoughts. The virtual instrument would be necessary to get the tone the user has in mind. If users wanted to create something more abstract, I can imagine that this could be done through sound synthesis, as it is done today. The access to different types of sounds has increased significantly in the last decades, so I think it’s possible that 50 years from now, it will be greater. I choose 50 years because I think it was safe enough for the period needed for these technologies to develop, as they are currently in their infancy (particularly BCI and smart contact lenses). I would say that both music and technology shape each other, but probably technology has the greater impact. When computers became available and music production went digital, the panorama of what can be done greatly expanded. That then informs what producers need, so music shapes technologies. However, in this case, it all began with a technology that was not necessarily intended for music production. I can imagine that a similar thing could happen with BCIs. The mobile device (around the neck) is basically the computer. Smart contact lenses need to connect to a computer, which is currently proposed as a mobile device. Perhaps eventually they will find a way of integrating the computer to the lenses, although that would require a major advancement in micro-technology!
Eduardo, fantastic work at presenting your forecast of MP2072! One of the videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=85&v=p1XQ4uxqxZI&feature=emb_logo) you included, was engaging and showcased the fundamentals of BCI- for the brain to control the body. I wonder if BCI technology is or will be moving away from controlling one’s own body to controlling others’ bodies? I also thought the smart contact lenses were intriguing as well! I appreciated your inclusion statement of how similar technologies “clutter reality”, but how smart contact lenses were discrete. I tried to envision different ways the smart contact lens screens would appear in a person’s sightline, and how one could silence notifications- how do you see BCI technology accomplishing this? I also contemplated how my mind is sometimes cluttered with thoughts and wondered how BCI would recognize someone daydreaming or processing thoughts compared to assertive directions. Again, great work Eduardo!
Hi, Agnes. Thank you! That BCI video you are mentioning was also one of the most interesting for me. While doing research for this project, I was impressed with how much information and initiatives for BCIs are out there. Even though it seems far out, I think that once we understand how it works, it is not that complex and we will see it develop in the years to come. As for BCIs used to control someone else – that is certainly a possibility and one of the current concerns in the field. Normally it is the brain that controls the computer, but the computer could also be used to alter the brain through the electroencephalogram (the implant, for example). In fact, I read about a case in which BCI was used to alter the emotional state of dancers to improve their performance. Excellent question about BCI differentiating between intended or unintended thoughts. From what I understand, BCIs don’t recognize just any thought, but only those it has been trained to recognize. That’s why first there is a period of training the computer with specific thoughts that are linked to the actions it will operate. Your question is still intriguing though because one might still have cluttered thoughts within what the BCI has learned, so it seems to me that concentration and intention are important factors. Thank you!
Eduardo, this is such a beautifully designed website and project. Music production is not a space that I am familiar with at all so it was really nice to get comprehensive information on that. I think you did a great job of making this topic accessible for people like me who may not have any prior knowledge in this area and although I enjoy music and listen to it everyday, I rarely think about the work that goes into that. I appreciated that you included some challenges with smart lenses because that is something that I would think about as to whether or not people would be willing to use them and also the cost of technology like this as well.
Thank you, Sonia! I am glad you enjoyed the aesthetics of the website, as I put a lot of energy into it. I am also pleased to know that you found the topic interesting and easy to understand. I think this might be because the creative process behind music production is similar to many other fields we are familiar with. A lot of work goes into creating the music that we hear daily. I was heavily involved in music production for many years when I lived in Peru, and producing a 3-minute song can take up to 26 hours of production work (of course that can vary depending on many factors). As you point out, it is important to include challenges when we explore these technologies because it is common too enthusiastic about them without considering the many issues that arise with emerging technologies.
Eduardo, your vision for the future is incredibly comprehensive for being hypothetical. Your resource is highly organized and the level of care, effort, and research is evident. I appreciated your inclusion of a forecast on accessibility, as I think that would be a major implication of your proposed MP2072 program. Many methods of producing music currently require sophisticated physical or digital literacy, creating barriers to access. Do you think such a proposed program would be complicated by the cost of technology and would it perpetuate some inequalities that we already see along the lines of socio-economic status?
Thank you, Braden! Yes, this is proposed as a more accessible and less restricting way of producing music. It’s quite far out, but I think that 50 years is a lot of time to see major developments in the technologies involved. If we look back 50 years, we’d see how things have changed a lot since the 1970s! Going into your question, one of the current limitations is of course, as you point out, the cost of technology and this is true for many other emerging technologies. This project is under the assumption that over time these technologies would become more popular and cheap, hence accessible. Of course, there is no guarantee that this will be the case but it is based on the history of other currently popular technologies, such as mobiles and computers.