Design process of AirLoop-pedal: Experimenting with standard guitar pedals

Abstract

My master’s thesis, consisting of both a written documentation and an experimental un- dertaking, is a report of the design process of AirLoop-pedal as well as a brief overview of today’s creative solutions in music. Within the scope of my thesis I investigate new creative strategies for guitar signal manipulation and standard guitar pedal controlling.

AirLoop-pedal is a non-contact signal processing device for guitar that is designed to control standard guitar pedal loops through motion detection. This project is an experimental design process supported by the examples of experimental music and interface design in- troduced in subsequent chapters. The main outcome of the project is a functional prototype of AirLoop-pedal that corresponds with the requirements laid out during the design process.

This work is comprised of two overarching ideas, both of which provide complementary supports to the understanding of this process. These concepts were an integral part of my thinking during the design process of AirLoop-pedal. Firstly: new technology creates new aesthetics of music, and secondly: coincidences have the ability to feed creativity.

During this work I will examine creative strategies for experimental music, focusing on guitar signal processing, coincidental discoveries, experimenting with coincidences, and motion mapping and tracking with musical instruments. In the design of AirLoop-pedal I aim to utilize these main creative concepts, realizations and information gained throughout the duration of the design and building process, as well as my own experience as a musician.