Research commissioned by the charity Youth Music found that up to 2.5m young people in the UK - or 1m aged between 12 and 18 - have been inspired to progress into 'real' music-making because they have played music-based console games. In response to these findings, the Youth Music charity, which celebrates its 10th birthday this year, has launched Youth Music Box at London's Southbank Centre.
A free interactive music experience, the Youth Music Box is a cubed structure that visitors can enter, providing an easily accessible musical experience through a mix of real instruments and a 'walk-up and play' technology interface.
Designed by London agency Silent Studios in partnership with artist and designer, Chris O'Shea, and technical production consultant Pod Bluman of Bluman Associates, its aim is to allow people of any musical ability to have a hands-on music making experience using cutting-edge digital equipment and, in particular, to inspire children and young people to get involved in music-making.
The installation features instruments and professional video and audio technology from across the group of Roland companies. Inside the Music Box, music makers will face Edirol MIDI keyboards, a Roland TD-9K drumkit, Roland SP-555 sequencer and a Denon 3700S digi-media turntable which are used to create and record their short musical projects. Users will have a choice of six musical styles: reggae, drum and bass, urban, afro beat, classical and disco/electro. After selecting a sample track to keep the beat and play along to, there will be a chance to rehearse before the final recording.
Behind the scenes, two technicians in the control room deploy professional video mixing facilities from Edirol and RSS by Roland. Digital audio control in the shape of the M-400 V-Mixing console is used to provide a live mix for the participants, and to lay down the final track which will be uploaded to YouTube, and kept for archive purposes.
Inside the Box, there are remotely-operated cameras built in, ready to film the creative process. Edirol's V-8 vision mixer is used to mix these camera feeds with graphics to create a finished package which is then uploaded to YouTube (accessed via the Youth Music website). Throughout the Music Box, Edirol's MIDI interfaces form an essential part of the control infrastructure, triggering video and lighting cues.
(Jim Evans)
