Each composer has a computer controlled synthesizer system which is connected to the others on a local area network system of our own design. Composers designing pieces for this band generally only specify the data which is to be shared between players on the net. The result is a sort of enhanced musical improvisation, wherein the computers and players are all continually making musical decisions based upon what the others are doing. The nature of the collaboration between Hub composers is unusual. There are many meetings where data exchange formats are ironed out.
Composers then go home, write some code, come together and try it out, and make adjustments.
Often group discussions take place over e-mail. The result is a really new kind of collective composition, a new social way of making music that didn't exist before. We have a good time. Instruments are Personal Another strain of my work has been in the development of new computer software instruments for use in the context of playing improvised music. Generally, current commercial musical instruments are based on MIDI, an industry standard for musical data transfer.