Anticipatory Networked Communications for Live Musical Interactions of Acoustic Instruments

Abstract

Performing music over computer networks requires highly reliable infrastructures with respect to latency elimination, bandwidth availability and error alleviation. Hence, commonly available networks or large communication distance cannot effectively cope with real-time, high-fidelity and uninterrupted musical communications. An intuitive solution to this problem can be offered by employing mechanisms for musical prediction and anticipation which can help mitigate technical impediments. The idea is that knowing in advance the evolution of a music piece can offer effective reduction of communication latencies and data rates. Furthermore, musical anticipation can be used to eliminate errors owing to data loss in the network transmission path. We present the development of a software prototype that uses anticipatory processes to support networked music performance. The adopted methodology is inspired by computer accompaniment systems, in which a software agent follows the performance of a human musician in real-time, by synchronizing a pre-recorded musical accompaniment to the expressive nuances of live interpretation. The paper presents an overview of relevant research initiatives, the computational approach implemented for anticipatory networked performances and an experimental validation that demonstrates current progress and reveals constraints and challenges pending further investigation.