RE: Robot DJs?

From: tk1o@netscape.net
Date: Tue Feb 19 2002 - 17:58:59 CET

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    David,

    Thanks for bringing up this interesting topic! I met Chris Csikszentmilhalyi, the guy - assistant processor from MIT Media Lab - metioned in below article. Just by chance! That was last November when I visited Boston, I paid a visit to the famous MIT Media Lab, and at the lobby, I met this guy, he was very nice, not sounded like the tones from below one. And gosh, his last name just looks like a string of computer codes:)

    Now back to the topic, here are my random thoughts on Robot DJ:

    A machine can never replace humanity side of a live DJ, his interaction with the crowd is beyond technical skills of playing the vinyls.

    People come to a party are for communication with each other, people just won't dance to a machine, how many times we've seen people come up to the DJ booth and said I love that track, it rocks kind of thing, it's part of the interaction!

    They can record the current best DJ's shows and analyze their skills and re-generate new mix program, but techie cannot have the fuzzie side of human kind, even one DJ will perform differently under different situations, DJing is just a kind of art. And it will still take a long road for a robot to learn the fuzzie inside.

    But I'm not turning down to this, I think DJ needs technology and concept breakthroughs to evolve DJing to a higher level. Ultimately, DJ will be the one who behind those "Robot DJ" or "i-djs", and the one who play those machines.

    I'm thinking of DVD vs. film, maybe not a proper mataphor, but...
    DVD is with high resolution and super clear image, but I'd rather prefer to go see big screen and feel the image power of the film! And we can list many other similar examples.

    Sorry, I'm not a DJ industry practitioner, just my personal views. Anyhow, I'm very interested to keep an eye on what's media lab's next big things. I played a lot of cool stuffs in their lobby - the show room - back in last November and it is fun and will always ignite new flash/flame of ideas:)

    Peace,
    Steven

    David Bassin <bassyd@pacbell.net> wrote:

    >
    >BBC News Online: In Depth: Sci Tech: 2002: Boston 2002
    >------------------------------------------------------------------------
    >Friday, 15 February, 2002, 17:05 GMT
    >
    >The rockin' robot
    >
    >
    >Humans and machine search for the perfect beat
    >
    >By Pallab Ghosh in Boston
    >Science correspondent
    >
    >
    >It's three in the morning at an impromptu rave and the DJ is on fire
    >and he hasn't even had a drink yet. But this MC doesn't need one;
    >he's a box of tricks - a computer spinning vinyl to the beats
    >randomly accessed from its memory.
    >
    >------------------------------------------------------------------------
    >" We went up against a DJ who schooled us proper "
    >Chris Csikszentmihalyi
    >------------------------------------------------------------------------
    >The DJ-I, Robot Sound System, has come out of the Media Lab at the
    >Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is part of a project that
    >aims to explore the impact new media are having on modern culture.
    >
    >It also seems to be about having a bit of a laugh. Chris
    >Csikszentmihalyi, Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at
    >the Media Lab, cannot resist poking a little fun at human DJs who
    >take the project far too seriously and feel their midnight hour is
    >about to be taken away.
    >
    >"We're trying to make human DJs obsolete as far as possible," he
    >chuckles. "They're expensive, they're unreliable. If we can make this
    >machine work we'll give club owners an easy time."
    >
    >Still to learn
    >
    >The reality - before any DJs reading this page fall off their
    >turntables - is that DJ-I has some way to go before it can out funk
    >the living thing.
    >
    >
    >
    >"We had a concert about eight months ago in Brooklyn," remembers Chris.
    >
    >"It was one of these underground warehouse parties. We went up
    >against a DJ who schooled us proper.
    >
    >"It was pretty sad. We've had quite a few competitions which we
    >inevitably use, but it two years, four months and two weeks - we'll
    >be better."
    >
    >The machine uses a PC, several micro-controllers, and an advanced
    >"motion control" system to automatically mix, scratch, and search the
    >vinyl records sitting on its turntables.
    >
    >"The PC can tell the system to go anywhere in the records, from the
    >very first snare beat to the very last snare beat at about 300 RPM,"
    >says Chris Csikszentmihalyi .
    >
    >New sounds
    >
    >"It is a human-machine hybrid. When we started the competitions, we
    >didn't have very good scratching. Now we have.
    >
    >------------------------------------------------------------------------
    >" We plan to go out and record the motions of famous DJs for posterity "
    >Chris Csikszentmihalyi, Media Lab, MIT
    >------------------------------------------------------------------------
    >"We essentially built a motion-capture system that hooks up to a
    >regular DJ's turntable that allows us to capture whatever sorts of
    >scratches or motions that they do. We can then save that to file and
    >even manipulate them.
    >
    >"We plan to go out and record the motions of famous DJs for
    >posterity. We'll then be able to combine their signatures - to make
    >the perfect DJ."
    >
    >The results are impressive and sound - certainly to the uninitiated -
    >just as though real fingers are on the platters.
    >
    >And Chris Csikszentmihalyi says the more enlightened among the human
    >DJ community have seen the sound system as way to develop new ideas.
    >When DJs come into the lab to play around with the machine, they
    >sometimes hear sounds they have never heard before.
    >
    >Chris says the DJs go away and practise the sounds so they can use
    >them in their own sets.
    >
    >------------------------------------------------------------------------
    >Related to this story:
    >Scientists invent electronic DJ (16 Nov 01 | England)
    >
    >------------------------------------------------------------------------
    >Internet links: AAAS | DJ-I, Robot Sound System | British Association
    >for the Advancement of Science |
    >The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
    >------------------------------------------------------------------------
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