Emonic Environment – Implementation Report

This paper presents a progress report on the implementation of the Emonic Environment (EE) – a Java-based system for improvisational creation, modification, performance, and exchange of audiovisual media. The protagonist users of the EE are non-artists whose creative drive has been impeded by the prevalent interactive interfaces that are largely passive (click-response) and discourage experimentation. We take non-idiomatic improvisation as our inspiration, and seek to present the performers with an environment where the tools for media exploration are “alive”. In doing so, we hope to encourage the creativity of people otherwise afraid to experiment. This paper describes the functionality of the EE, focusing on the user interface, multi-user network capabilities, audio (performance & synchronization) and genetic algorithms used to explore a media landscape. Key-Words: improvisation, evolution, media, neural networks, multi-user, audio & video processing.