The Resonant Object Interface (ROI) is a sensing methodology built from resonant objects, vibration exciters and contact microphone. Objects are excited with vibration transducers; as the user touches the object, they alter the magnitude of higher harmonic frequencies; those magnitudes are measured and turned into control data that can be used in music software. It is an acoustic input system that connects to a digital musical environment and it engages with many of the things that make acoustic instruments so compelling – materiality, embodiment, liveness, nuance, tangibility.
The ROI can be played and acted upon with hands, small weights, and objects that oscillate, spin and roll. Each different means of modifying the resonances produces different levels of sensitivity and variability.As a physical interface rooted in a material, acoustic object, a wide range of physical interaction modalities are possible. One of the appealing ideas of the Resonant Object Interface is that it is a sensing methodology that could theoretically be used on any resonant object – from 55-gallon drums to a cigar box to a tabletop. At the moment, we have focused on a single size and form factor to allow us to tune the system for maximum nuanced control.