KIB: Simplifying Gestural Instrument Creation Using Widgets

The Microsoft Kinect is a popular and versatile input device for musical interfaces. However, using the Kinect for such interfaces requires not only significant programming experience, but also the use of complex geometry or machine learning techniques to translate joint positions into higher level gestures. We created the Kinect Instrument Builder (KIB) to address these difficulties by structuring gestural interfaces as combinations of gestural widgets. KIB allows the user to design an instrument by configuring gestural primitives, each with a set of simple but attractive visual feedback elements. After designing an instrument on KIB’s web interface, users can play the instrument on KIB’s performance interface, which displays visualizations and transmits OSC messages to other applications for sound synthesis or further remapping.