Music Technology Group

Music Department, College of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology

Travis Thatcher

Bio

Travis Thatcher has been doing research in human computer interaction for live performance and interactive sonification, concentrating on mobile applications for networked collaboration and on controller design. Thatcher has performed as an electronic composer and musician for the last six years and as a saxophonist for the last ten years. He is also an experienced computer programmer; he received a BS in Computer Science from Georgia Tech in Spring 2005 and has worked extensively in industry as well.


Current/Recent Research

Brainwaves is a sonification installation that allows a group of players to interact with an auditory display of neural activity. The system is designed to represent electrical spike propagation in a neuron culture through sound propagation in space. Participants can simulate neural spikes by hitting a set of specially designed controllers, experimenting and sonically investigating hands-on the electrical activity in the brain. (Gil Weinberg, Travis Thatcher)


Iltur

iltur is a series of musical compositions featuring a novel method of interaction between acoustic and electronic instruments with new musical controllers called Beatbugs. Beatbug players can record live input from acoustic and MIDI instruments and respond by transforming the recorded material in real time, creating motif-and-variation call-and-response routines on the fly. (Gil Weinberg, Scott Driscoll, Travis Thatcher)


Listening Machines

Listening Machines is a concert series featuring pieces by the faculty and students from Georgia Tech's Music Technology group. The concert series explores concepts of machines listening and improvisation and musical human-machine interaction. (Gil Weinberg, Jason Freeman, Parag Chordia, Frank Clark, Chris Moore, Scott Driscoll, Travis Thatcher, Mark Godfrey)


Publications

2006

Thatcher T., Jimison D., Goetzinger J., Freeman J., Weinberg G. "Mobile Networked Music Demonstration: Sequencer404" Proceedings of International Computer Music Conference (ICMC 2006), New Orleans, LA.


Thatcher T., Jimison D., Goetzinger J. "Sequencer404: A Networked Telephonic Composer" Mobile Music Workshop 2006. Brighton, UK.


Weinberg G., Thatcher T. “Interactive Sonification: Aesthetics, Functionality and Performance” Leonardo Music Journal 16, MIT Press. 


Weinberg G., Freeman J., Chordia P., Clark F., Moore C., Driscoll S., and Thatcher T. "Georgia Tech Music Technology Group – Studio Report" Proceedings of International Computer Music Conference (ICMC 2006), New Orleans, LA


Weinberg G., Driscoll, S., Thatcher  T. “Jam ’aa – A Percussion  Ensemble for Human and Robotic Players” ACM International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH 2006), Boston, MA. 


Weinberg G., Thatcher T. “Interactive Sonification of Neural Activity” Proceedings of the International Conference on New  Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME 2006), Paris, France 

Music Department, 840 McMillan St., Atlanta, GA USA, 30332-0456 TEL: 404.894.8949  FAX: 404.894.9952