BeatBender: subsumption architecture for autonomous rhythm generation

ABSTRACT

BeatBender is a computer music project that explores a new method for generating emergent rhythmic drum patterns using the subsumption architecture. Rather than explicitly coding symbolic intelligence into the system using procedural algorithms, BeatBender uses a behavior-based model to elicit emergent rhythmic output from six autonomous agents. From an artistic perspective, the rules used to define the agent behavior provide a simple but original composition language. This language allows the composer to express simple and meaningful constraints that direct the behavior of the agent-percussionists. From these simple rules emerge unexpected behavioral interactions that direct the formation of complex rhythmic output. What is striking is that these rhythmic patterns, whose complexity is beyond human grasp, are both musically interesting and aesthetically pleasing. The output from the system is evaluated using both subjective and objective criteria to assess degrees of complexity, convergence, and aesthetic interest.

REFERENCES

• 1: Mitchell Whitelaw, Metacreation: Art and Artificial Life, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2004
• 2: Harold Cohen, The further exploits of Aaron, painter, Stanford Humanities Review, v.4 n.2, p.141-158, July 1995
• 3: D. Cope, "Computer modeling of musical intelligence in EMI," Computer Music Journal, vol. 16, 1992, pp. 69--83.
• 4: David Levy , Monty Newborn, How computers play chess, Computer Science Press, Inc., New York, NY, 1991
• 5: Rodney A. Brooks, Intelligence without representation, Artificial Intelligence, v.47 n.1-3, p.139-159, Jan. 1991 [doi>10.1016/0004-3702(91)90053-M]
• 6: J. Bispham, "Rhythm in Music: What is it? Who has It? And Why?," Music Perception, vol. 24, Dec. 2006, pp. 125--134.
• 7: Woolridge, M. and Jennings, N. R., "Intelligent Agents: Theory and Practice," Knowledge Engineering Review, vol. 10(2), 1995.
• 8: J. Bryson, A. Smaill, and G. A. Wiggins, "The Reactive Accompanist: Applying Subsumption Architecture to Software Design," Research Paper 606, Dept. of Artificial Intelligence, Edinburgh, 1992.
• 9: H. Nakashima , I. Noda, Dynamic Subsumption Architecture for Programming Intelligent Agents, Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Multi Agent Systems, p.190, July 03-07, 1998
• 10: Gil Weinberg , Scott Driscoll, Robot-human interaction with an anthropomorphic percussionist, Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems, April 22-27, 2006, Montréal, Québec, Canada [doi>10.1145/1124772.1124957]
• 11: A. Eigenfeldt, "The Creation of Evolutionary Rhythms within a Multi-agent Networked Drum Ensemble," Proc. Intern. Comp. Music Conf., Copenhagen: ICMC 2007.
• 12: A. R. Brown, "Exploring Rhythmic Automata," Applications of Evolutionary Computing, vol. Volume 3449, 2005, pp. 551--556.
• 13: F. Pachet, "Rhythms as Emerging Structures," Proc. of 2000 International Computer Music Conference, Berlin, ICMA, 2000.
• 14: E. R. Miranda, "On the Music of Emergent Behavior: What Can Evolutionary Computation Bring to the Musician?," Leonardo, vol. 36, 2003, pp. 55--59.
• 15: M. Dolson, "Machine Tongues XII: Neural Networks," Music and Connectionism, vol. 13, 1991.
• 16: N. Tokui and H. Iba, "Music Composition with Interactive Evolutionary Computation," GA2000. Proc. of the Third International Conference on Generative Art, 2000, pp. 215--226.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.5 Sound and Music Computing

General Terms:
Experimentation, Performance

Keywords:
aesthetics, generative art, metacreation, rhythm, sound and music, subsumption architecture