We Dig It!

As part of the project We Dig It! we will create a virtual platform that reflects as many facets of the HfK as possible. This platform should consist of three sub-areas:

• Virtual exhibition rooms: open opportunities for students; digital presentation of artistic works and development of digital art
• Virtual concert spaces: Open opportunities for students; digital presentation of audio and/or video recordings of musical-artistic presentations
• Virtual university life: Informal and professional interaction for students in the digital sphere

Digital teaching and laboratory space for experimental, artistic formats. The focus is on the location-independent artistic interaction of students, for example in the form of joint remote rehearsals or creation processes, as well as the integration of various digital tools, cameras and audio technology in performative contexts and artistic teaching projects. 

The interpreter's chamber, a hybrid space that combines the qualities of a studio, a rehearsal room, a workshop and a rehearsal stage, is to be reflected digitally and further developed in this measure. In this sense, the Digital Chamber is a dynamic teaching and laboratory space for experimental artistic formats with a strong focus on performative contexts and digital media. Originally, the project took off from virtual, location-independent artistic interactions between students (e.g. in joint remote rehearsals and creation processes). But as the number of projects grew, more and more digital tools, cameras and audio technology were incorporated into artistic performative teaching projects. The aim throughout remains to reach students in Music, Design, the Fine Arts and Digital Media. 

Throughout the entire project period, the possibilities of the Digital Chamber will be tested in cooperative courses by various teachers. Each semester focuses on a topic ranging from music on digital stages to extensions of digital media in performances, installations and sound works. A detailed assignment of the topics to the semesters can be found in the work packages (see below). The courses take place as part of Prof. Raphael Sbrzesny's assignment and are already anchored in the free elective offerings of all degree programmes, so that students can acquire credit points here. In the winter semester of 2022/23 we managed to draw numerous internationally renowned guests for an interdisciplinary, university-public lecture series, who presented artistic works at the interface of music, performance and digital spaces as part of the Digital Chambers lecture series. The HfK was able to expand our network and is in contact with other universities where interdisciplinary teaching and work is carried out with a focus on performance and digital formats.

Guests: Prof. Nicola L Hein, Prof. Alexander Schubert, Prof. Johannes Kreidler, Prof. Brigitta Muntendorf, Sara Glojnaric, Marc Sinan und Prof. Sonja Lena Schmidt, among others.

3D audio expands surround sound to include a vertical plane, thereby enabling particularly immersive sound experiences. Additional ceiling speakers can also be used to reproduce sound from above the audience. This expands the possibilities for positioning sound objects and structures, both in live performances and in fixed soundtracks or compositions. 

The technical infrastructure can also be used for the recording and playback of acoustic music, whereby conventional miking of a sound body is expanded to include the height level. This can be used creatively in music productions and enhances the audience's acoustic immersion in sound worlds. Some concerts have already been recorded in 3D audio. Immersive compositions have also been realised in performances of electroacoustic music in some projects. 

As part of the “3D audio production and presentation” sub-project, some rooms at the HfK were equipped with new loudspeaker systems to enable testing in all of these areas. In the concert hall, in the multimedia studio and in the studio for electronic composition at the Dechanatstraße location, as well as in the audio laboratory in the storage facility, immersive, including multimedia, works can be composed and pre-produced in the future, and recordings can be mixed in 3D audio. Appropriate, mobile microphone sets are available for recording.

In producing 3D audio material, technological overlaps with the area of virtual reality are evident. In addition to the new hardware in the studios, special software is now available for VR experiments and the production of content.

High-quality recordings using innovative video technology are intended to enrich the learning scenarios for students in many ways. The possible uses and benefits of videography are being tested in three pilot projects: for reflection and supervision of teaching experiments and teaching samples; as an analysis method for practicing in self-study and in the extended form of video tracking in experimental artistic and artistic-pedagogical teaching settings.

This project is dedicated to developing and testing concepts for the implementation of software specific to music and collaborations for:

• Online-in-presence-formats
• purely virtual teaching settings (synchronous and asynchronous)
• eExams

The formats are constituted by links between modern multimedia presentation systems in the seminar rooms and several class sets of tablets as well as the Moodle learning platform and – partially integrated into it – software for special areas of application in the field of music. 

Asynchronous approaches are intended to promote flexibility and individualisation of student learning. In addition, we expect the new digital collaboration options to strengthen student collaboration and interaction as well as greater motivation to learn through new and varied cooperative teaching and learning methods, which should ultimately lead to improved learning success for students. In addition, students acquire important digital and technical skills for their future careers. 

Open source software is preferred, on the one hand to enable cost-effective use, and on the other hand to make the transfer options for the results as broad as possible.

In this project we want to carry out tests on digitally supported piano lessons. For this we have a hybrid grand piano at hand, a Steinway Spirio | r. This is a technological advancement of the player pianos or “disklaviers”. The grand piano can record and play back the movements of the piano mechanics. 

This allows you to analyse and evaluate your own playing very well. In addition, one can subsequently change the recorded material (keyboard and pedals) in every parameter (tone length, pitch, duration, dynamics, etc.) using an app. These options could be used to provide a greater variety of methods in piano lessons. 

The instrument should also be used for concert formats in which the MIDI functionality of the instrument is used. For example, the grand piano could control other sound sources or trigger image or light-emitting media or itself be “played” by other devices, sensors, instruments, etc. 

The instrument is available for piano lessons, experiments and technical introductions on a regular basis.

• Open competitions for blended learning and interdisciplinary teaching projects
• Offers for the digital professionalisation of teachers and students