Toward DMI Evaluation Using Crowd-Sourced Tagging Techniques

Few formal methods exist for evaluating digital musical instruments (DMIs). We propose a novel method of DMI evaluation using crowd-sourced tagging. Tagging is already used to classify websites and musical genres, which, like DMIs, do not lend themselves to simple categorization or parameterization. Using the social tagging method, participating individuals assign descriptive labels, or tags, to a DMI. A DMI can then be evaluated by analyzing the tags associated with it. Metrics can be generated from the tags assigned to the instrument, and comparisons made to other instruments. This can give the designer valuable insight into the where the strengths of the DMI lie and where improvements may be needed.