The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology is pleased to announce the restructuring of the Centre’s internal research axes, the working groups around which research at the Centre is organized. The reorganization will serve as a move to both refresh and clarify the Centre’s research priorities and encourage further collaboration among its members.
While CIRMMT’s research program was previously organized into six axes, the restructuring consolidates the axes into four new axes, each encompassing several research disciplines:
Research Axis 1: Instruments, devices and systems
This theme focuses on the development of engineering and mathematical tools for the study of sound and music, encompassing the study of instrument and room acoustics, digital signal processing, digital musical instruments and devices, as well as software development for interactive music and computer-aided composition. Research involves areas such as computational acoustic modeling, virtual acoustics, immersive systems, intelligent sensors and sensor fusion and research on adaptive instruments/interfaces and hearing aid systems, as well as on the historical, cultural and philosophical study of sound technology.
Luis Rodrigues (Concordia University), Co-leader
Gary Scavone (McGill University), Co-leader
Research Axis 2: Music information research
This theme focuses on computer applications for music information research, including digital music libraries, optical music recognition, computer-aided analysis of large amounts of music, and techniques for analyzing and identifying audio files. Research involves the development of software for music theory, musicology, crowd-sourcing and community involvement, leading to new approaches in the aesthetic and cultural analysis of music.
Audrey Laplante (Université de Montréal), Co-leader
Rene Rusch (McGill University), Co-leader
Research Axis 3: Cognition, perception and movement
This theme focuses on the scientific study of music, from the perspective of the performer to that of the audience and listeners, allowing the understanding of the action-perception loop to ways in which audiences engage and appreciate live music. Research involves the study of areas such as emotional response, motor skills and control, embodiment and movement synchronization, including their implications on music pedagogy, prevention of musician’s injuries and on the cultural study of music.
Isabelle Cossette (McGill University), Co-leader
Ilja Frissen (McGill University), Co-leader
Research Axis 4: Expanded musical practice
This theme encompasses the artistic branch of CIRMMT's activities (research-creation) and seeks to apply scientific knowledge and technological development to expand musical practice in performance and composition. Research topics include sound spatialization, the creation and performance of new works involving an increasing number of technological devices, the documentation and preservation of the creative processes in the context of music with electronics, as well as the evaluation of the impact of new technology on performance practice.
Robert Hasegawa (McGill University), Co-leader
Robert Normandeau (Université de Montréal), Co-leader
Additional axis leaders and new student axis coordinators will be announced shortly. For a complete list of all CIRMMT members' Axis affiliation, please see the CIRMMT research page.