Rectable: Physically Interactive Synth

The Rectable, is a “state-of-the-art multi-user electro-acoustic music instrument with a tabletop tangible user interface.” The system is designed to be easy to learn, interactive, multiuser, and sonically interesting. A camera below the glass surface of the table is linked to a custom piece of software, reacTIVision, which determines the type and position of ’synth chips’ on the surface. Each chip is printed with ‘fiducial markers’ that reacTIVision can read and interpret. Each marker represents a different element from a traditional modular synthesizer. The marker’s rotation and proximity to other markers determine the synth value, and its connection to other synth elements.

fiducial markers for reacTIVision.

A projector below the table continually tracks items on the tabletop and provides a display of their current state. Additionally, the rectable is designed to interface over a network allowing for spatially separated collaboration.

much more information on both the rectable and recTIVision software available at the Rectable Home Page @ Pompeu Fabra University