Bob Pritchard: Research

Research

Interests

My particular research combines music composition and technology with a focus on creating tools that can be used to expand the expressive resources available to composers for concert works and sound installations. For detailed descriptions and software downloads visit the links on the right.

UBC Affiliations

Tracking And Smart Textiles Environment (TASTE)
Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS)
Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (PWIAS)
MUsic Sound & Electrocoustic Technology group (MuSET)

Tracking and Smart Textiles Environment (TASTE)

Combines Responsive User Body Suits (RUBS) and the
Kinect-Controlled Artistic Sensing System (KiCASS)

I have a strong interest in creating and using new interfaces for performance, especially those that capture gesture in some manner and provide performers and audiences new emotional and musical experiences. The interfaces make use of visual tracking, accelerometers, pitch or volume detection, and other sensors, with Max/MSP or Processing being used for software creation. The RUBS interface uses conductive and resistive fabrics, with the performer using conductive materials on the fingers to complete the circuits and trigger or scrub through samples. The KiCASS system uses the Kinect-for-Windows with custom software to track the coordinates of 25 joints/body locations on multiple dancers. Examples of the systems can be seen on my video page. We have refactored the code to also run on Orbbec and Nuitrack systems and to handle colour recognition and pose identification. The Tracking And Smart Textiles Environment Research can be seen here.

Cycling74 interview with Bob Pritchard and Kiran Bhumber
RUBS as part of a UBC Engineering 2017/18 Capstone Project

Determining Regional Accents With Literature DRAWL

I have been collaborating with Prof Molly Babel of UBC Linguistics to carry out studies on accents in British Columbia. As part of this study we created a DRAWL website where participants can register for the study, record themselves reading a story, and submit the data. Molly and her team have been able to isolate regional differences in English pronounciation across British Columbia. DRAWL

Writing for Chinese and Western Instruments

In recent years I have begun working with combinations of Chinese and Western instruments. I am currently writing a work for a chamber ensemble of Chinese and Western instruments with baritone, setting seven poems that were written in Cantonese on the walls of the Victoria, B.C.Immigration Building. These are important works illustrating the emotions and conditions of Chinese immigrants prior to 1923. The building was torn down in 1977 but Prof. David Lai was able to document the 7 poems and remove 3 from the building, and he provided translations of the works. I am setting the texts in both Cantonese and English.