The design and evaluation of the Gyroshuffle

A real-time quantised rhythmic instrument

The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate the Gyroshuffle, a real time rhythmic instrument played with body movement. The instrument produces a quantised rhythmic drum loop that can be played by the user, utilising velocity based IMU sensors as an input. The hypothesis is that the more movement made, the more rhythmically complex the drum loop will become. The mapping and sound engine reflect this concept, resulting in an intuitive, physical world inspired relationship between gesture and sound. Rhythm, its characteristics, meter and its beauty are all discussed in relation to creating an IMS, as well as evaluating what makes a successful IMS in a prototyping environment. The system is created with Myo armbands, MyoMapper, Max and Ableton Live, and evaluated by users with a musical background compared against a traditional controller based IMS. It was found that the Gyroshuffle was successful for short term changes in rhythm, and is preferred for performance, however it performs less well for longer term compositional changes. Moving to the rhythm, whilst controlling the rhythm is possible with the Gyroshuffle, blurring the lines between dancing and producing music in real time.

Gyroshuffle mapping diagram & demonstration