Category: Sound Design

Evolving the Living Looper: Artistic Research, Online Learning, and Tentacle Pendula

The Living Looper: Rethinking the Musical Loop as a Machine Action-Perception Loop

I came across the concept of ‘living loops’ while going through the NIME papers. Naturally intrigued, I wanted to learn more about this interesting topic. It is a special music interaction project that can yield vastly different outputs, mainly due to the use of generative machine learning models. The implementation focuses on the RAVE encoder, created by IRCAM, where the audio data is mapped into a compressed latent space and trained using an autoregressive predictive model incorporating partial least squares regression. The dataset primarily focuses on the timbre of the sound rather than the overall musical structure.

It is a unique approach to looping as the artist has the ability to control the loops and train them for real-time audio synthesis, which help create more unique textures and tones. Though the instruments used for the interface were primarily stringed and wind instruments like the violin and saxophone, I wonder how the results would vary if percussion was used. Was it possibly avoided due to the fast attack and low sustain times? A thought to ponder, for sure. I am also curious to learn how turntablists and DJs could use this tool in their performances.

The 2025 paper introduces a user-centric improvement to the previous model, which lacked a visual interface. The upgrade also features a visualisation for each loop by introducing a unique ‘tentacle pendulum’ that interacts when the loop is played. The design was intended to represent the RAVE latent dimensions in order of importance, where the value of each latent dimension determines angular displacement and hue of each segment. The introduction of incremental algorithms which distribute the computation across audio frames, potentially allows more computational resources to be brought to bear on each loop. 

One of the other things I really like about this project is its compatibility and open-source accessibility. Any model following the RAVE API can now be packaged into a Living Looper instance using a Python CLI available on PyPI. Since these instances are now themselves nn~ models, the core functions can be loaded directly into Pure Data and Max, and the new graphical version can be easily installed as a SuperCollider extension, making it very accessible for most sound and music enthusiasts.

One issue I assume they would face is latency from the signal processing, making the timbre of the sound a crucial indicator for the looper. The parallel processing of effects like delays and reverb could prove to be quite a challenge as well, and I would be interested to know how they could overcome this challenge.

Overall, I thought it was a super interesting project and especially useful for artists and musicians to experiment, compose and express themselves. Excited to see what the next follow-up to this project is.

In my last blog entry, I outlined a possible solution and workflow for creating mockups and
prototypes for multimedia installations within the scope of sound art and visual arts. I think
the best option, regarding prototyping, would be to blend multiple existing programs to
create something that covers all my needs. This blend could consist of Pyroomacoustics,
Blender, TouchDesigner, and some type of game engine. A game engine would work
particularly well, as it would allow us to explore digital versions of installations in first person.
With this approach, the soundscape can be further enriched, since we can more accurately
spatialize sound. Such an approach could work not only for mockups, but also for the
creation of standalone virtual installations open to the public.
I was also introduced to a new program for 3D modeling called Fusion 360, which offers solid
accuracy for tackling mechanical structures that can be used for sculptures and
installations. I first heard about this software during our excursion to ESC Medien Kunst
Labor, where we attended a talk by Jiří Suchánek, a Czech sound and media artist whose
philosophy of development and prototyping somewhat aligns with my own.
Regardless of which combination of programs I ultimately choose, I am considering creating
or assembling the software as a joint collaboration with Maximilian Bernhard, a sound design
colleague who has similar ideas in mind for his project.
Regarding the theme of the installation, I am currently considering two directions.
The first possible direction is the physical reimagining and sonification of digital artifacts.
The idea is to create unpredictable results in the digital domain by intentionally forcing
errors, glitches, bugs, and other malfunctions, and then reimagine them in physical space.
Sound could be generated in a similar way and/or by using data derived from these errors as
parameters for sonification.
The second possible direction focuses on resources found in nature. I am particularly drawn
to working with water and its various states, especially ice. I have experimented with this in
the past by building a DIY hydrophone, which I placed in a container of water and then put
into a freezer. The results, however, were underwhelming. Although the hydrophone survived
the harsh testing, there was almost no noise or events to use as triggers as the ice melted.
Despite the initial test not being very successful, I still want to explore the sonification,
amplification, sculpting, and transformation of ice.
Another natural resource I am drawn to is trees, more specifically tree rings and tree bark. I
developed this concept during my previous studies, where we were tasked with creating our
own concept for a music algorithm. The idea was to study and collect data on how and why
tree rings are formed, and then generate digital tree rings whose parameters would
manipulate sound. Tree bark was intended to be used as a filter and a means of sound
categorization, based on its natural patterns.
While discussing the tree ring algorithm, I was reminded of another concept I created that
could also work well, the shushing room. This interactive sound installation would consist of
multiple devices, each equipped with its own microphone and speaker. When the incoming
signal exceeds a certain loudness threshold, the device would play a randomly selected
audio sample from a library of recordings of people saying “shhhh,” “shush,” “shssshsh,” and
similar sounds. The goal would be to create a kind of game through these interactions: when
a sample is triggered, the lights in the room would turn off, disorienting the audience and
encouraging them to be more mindful of the noise they produce.
Overall, I am currently gravitating toward the exploration of digital glitches and their
reimagination in physical space, however, I remain open to exploring other ideas as well.

Since my last blog entry, I’ve done an overview of the university work I’ll have this year and
found that I’ll have plenty of opportunities to work on music and sound production in
Ableton. As such, I’ve decided it would be best to focus on developing an outline for my
sound art projects, which would incorporate visuals related in conjunction to the audio
and/or vice versa.
I want to get familiar with some kind of software for simulation and spatial representation. In
other words, I want to learn a tool that allows me to create mockups of my future
installations. I would use this knowledge to create applications for project funding, open
calls, and event placements. Such an approach to my multimedia work will help me develop
and present ideas I otherwise wouldn’t have the funds or space for. This project would also
serve as a potential skill applicable in freelancing.
Part of the inspiration came from insights into some of the artists and their works featured at
the Klanglicht Festival, which took place recently. One of the talks was given by members of
Onionlab, a multidisciplinary studio, who showed how they use TouchDesigner for project
development.
Seeing as such an approach can be used in more commercial settings, I believe there is a
chance that the project I work on would therefore not only serve as a means to create and
showcase my art, but also potentially as a skill applicable in freelancing.
One possible progression of this project would be to first learn a suitable software (or
multiple, depending on what works best), then create an artistic concept, which would be
turned into a digital mockup. This digital mockup would include visuals and audio, their
interactivity in space, simulation of movement and light, as well showcase potential
materials which should be used for construction. After I am satisfied with the mockup, I
would either apply for funding If possible and perhaps develop a smaller-scale physical
version. Finally, I would build the full installation and/or sound objects and exhibit them
somewhere.
I don’t have an artistic concept in mind yet, but I’m gravitating towards something that
transforms and sonifies the space it occupies. One example of a simple yet effective
transformation can be seen in the work of Katja Muttilainen and her installation for “the
ugliest place in downtown Jyväskylä,” where she uses light to enrich an otherwise overlooked
location and shift the viewer’s perception of it. I discovered this work through the Klanglicht
lecture as well, where it was mentioned by curator and teacher Mia Kivinen. Of course, I can
also mention Move On, my installation exploring the topic of generative spaces, which was
created for a hallway of an exhibition. Another possible motif could be to use elements and
objects found within the broader concept of space.
All in all, I believe this project will not only serve as university work but also as a suitable
framework for developing future installations and sound sculptures.

Music was always a part of conversation. I got introduced to it at a fairly early age through my
parents, who are both musically trained, with my dad being a jazz musician and my mom
having played in bands as a hobby. Some early memories that come to mind are being in the
car listening to Latin jazz records my dad made, dancing to Sting with my mom, and playing
on a small drum kit for children.
My formal music education started when I was seven, when I began taking piano lessons at
a music school. I played and studied classical piano for twelve years, completing both the
elementary and secondary levels of music education. However, the older I got, the more this
field started to feel like a sport rather than music first. Competition and perfection became
the standard, and I found myself enjoying it less and less. Maybe the teaching approach
didn’t work for me, or maybe I was simply lazy, but it didn’t quite feel like my calling. I was
always drawn more to the idea of creating my own music rather than just performing
someone else’s.
When I was around twelve, I got interested in music production. After watching a few
tutorials online about how to make the kinds of tracks I liked, I discovered FL Studio, a digital
audio workstation, or DAW for short, with a huge online community and endless learning
resources, most of which I found on YouTube. Just to clarify, this wasn’t meant to be an
escape from classical music, but rather a hobby that slowly but surely developed over time.
Things started picking up speed a couple of years later when I started high school. I was
studying in the field of media technology, where we learned about photography, videography,
animation, basic coding, and sound. It was here that, besides indulging in visual mediums, I
got to co-host a radio show, make jingles, record and edit a podcast, and learn some basics
regarding sound. On the side, I was actively practicing piano and producing music. My taste
shifted from EDM to trap and lo-fi beats, and soon I started rapping and singing with friends
and people from my local scene. We made a few songs together, and I even had a small
producer feature on a track by a somewhat popular rap group in Croatia.
Jumping in time to the end of high school, we had to create a final project since it was a
vocational school. For mine, I produced an instrumental EP that blended genres and styles I
liked and was familiar with, creating a musical story that went with it. My written paper
focused on the project itself and on FL Studio as a production tool. Around that time, I was
intensively preparing for music university, looking at a bachelor’s in piano. I wasn’t really
passionate about it at the time and as such decided to take a gap year to figure out what I
actually wanted to do next. While looking at the jazz program at Kunstuniversität Graz, I
learned about Sound Design and Computer Music as possible options. Both sounded
appealing, especially since in Croatia there weren’t many programs that focused on those
areas, and those that do exist were mostly centered around sound for film, which wasn’t
what I was interested in. So, I applied to the bachelor’s program in Computer Music and
Sound Art and graduated in October of this year (2025).
Studying there helped me grow both technically and creatively. I learned the basics of sound
synthesis, processing, and analysis, as well as acoustics, recording, and audio setup for a
concert. I was also introduced to SuperCollider, a programming language for sound, which I
used to make several projects that I showed and/or performed live for semester concerts. I
also did some collaborative work, like working with KUG Theater and playing live electronics
as part of a student collective.
At one point, I decided to uninstall FL Studio to force myself to learn Ableton, another
popular DAW. Instead, my focus shifted. As semesters went by, I developed an interest in
installations and sound art in general. I was definitely inspired to create something physical
after visiting the Venice Biennale, where I saw some amazing works like Can’t Help Myself by
Sun Yuan and Peng Yu (which isn’t really sound-related, but rather a kinetic sculpture) and
Diplomazija astuta by Arcangelo Sassolino, Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci, and Brian
Schembri, just to name a few. I quite enjoyed the imposing presence of such works and
wanted to create something physical and tangible, both as a learning experience and for
personal satisfaction.
My first installation was done as part of a class on sound art, in which I used newspaper as
an interactive, susurrating kinetic structure prone to change. This is when I also started
building my own contact microphones and hydrophones, experimenting with how sound
travels through different materials. A semester later, I made a stripped-down version of a
small speaker driver to understand its workings and possibly implement it into an iteration
of the said newspaper installation.
You could say I really shifted focus from producing music to understanding mechanics in the
context of sound and movement, which is further supported by the next big project I did. In
it, I took a Japanese water sound sculpture and re-contextualized it by using gear motors that
moved marbles inside a hollow tube, which then triggered sounds through DIY contact
microphones. The marbles acted as triggers, playing samples I had processed in Ableton. I
enjoyed seeing my work in motion, being physical and present, which as a little bonus
showed the amount of work that was put into it.
While finishing my bachelor’s degree, I applied for a master’s program in Sound Design at FH
Joanneum in collaboration with KUG, which I previously knew about while looking at possible
study programs I was interested in. I applied for a couple of reasons. I wanted a change of
environment and a program with a better focus on preparing individuals for future work and
a career in the field. Another reason was that I wanted to take what I learned from my
bachelor’s studies and combine it with my passion for making music, which was somewhat
lost along the way, not to mention my love for sampling in general, which is strongly
connected to sound design. Here, I hope I can use, further develop, and package my
knowledge. I am still unsure of what my next project will be due to the burnout from finally
finishing my bachelor’s. I do however know I will be spending much more time learning
Ableton and re-learning music and sound production in the way I find interesting and
rewarding. I am also open to creating more sound sculptures and works in space. If I am to
make more installations, however, I would first focus on learning software with which I could
make models and simulate results, as undertaking projects of a larger scale without funding,
which could be provided more easily by creating said models, just isn’t financially
reasonable.
In general, it is still early to know exactly what is next for me, but I’ll try to become a better
musician and artist, further explore and understand sound in its various forms, and gain
professional experience that will help me in the long run.