**Remarque : Entrez par le 527 Sherbrooke O et empruntez la passerelle couverte au deuxième (2) étage pour vous rendre au Strathcona Music Building (555 Sherbrooke O). La salle C-204 se trouve du côté ouest du pavillon Strathcona.

Nous sommes heureux d'annoncer un atelier avec Mari Kimura, conférencière émérite du CIRMMT, sur le soutien à long terme des DMI, et nous invitons les membres du CIRMMT et la communauté au sens large à soumettre des propositions de présentations et de conférences-récitals sur ce sujet, qui déboucheront sur une table ronde.

Description

À la suite de la conférence émérite de Mari Kimura le 3 novembre 2025, un atelier du CIRMMT sur le soutien à long terme des DMI est prévu le mercredi 5 novembre. Les instruments de musique numériques (DMI) continuent de repousser les limites de l'expression musicale, offrant des interactions novatrices entre les interprètes, les technologies et le public. Cependant, de nombreux DMI sont confrontés à des défis importants en matière d'utilisation à long terme, notamment des problèmes de durabilité, d'obsolescence des logiciels, d'évolution des besoins des interprètes et de préservation de l'intention artistique. Cet atelier recherche des propositions qui abordent les défis liés à l'utilisation à long terme des DMI, en présentant des exemples de DMI ayant une longue durée de vie dans des contextes artistiques et de recherche.

Inscription

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Programme

9h00–9h10 : Bienvenue — Marcelo M. Wanderley

9h10–9h30 :  Alexis EM – Instruments of Manifestation
I will share experience on the development and performance of two hybrid electronic-acoustic systems designed to audify magnetic and electromagnetic activity: Induction Instruments and Spirit of Light. What are some lessons important to the evolution of a DMI? Rather than fabricating interactions between data input and recorded sound, I suggest building devices and systems to ’discover’ a sonic complexity native to the sound source. We have an opportunity to create a total artwork, balanced with philosophy and artistic value beyond simply aesthetics. Technical refinement occurs in episodes and requires a dedication to the experimental process. We have to respect the co-evolution of the performer in learning the instrument and how to interact; muscle memory and attention have to be developed over time. Having learned principles of musicality from classical music, I focus on designing complexity and variability into the systems to deliver a more complete musical experience.

9h30–9h50 : Alex Nieva – A Historical Look at the T-Stick manufacturing: Strategies for Longevity in Digital Musical Instrument Design
Originally conceived in 2006, the T-Stick has served for nearly two decades as a digital musical instrument in performances worldwide, as well as a research and pedagogical tool. This longevity is rare in DMI design, where rapid technological change—from sensor platforms to wireless protocols to software environments—often renders instruments obsolete within years. We present the strategies developed at the Input Devices and Music Interaction Laboratory (IDMIL) to maintain the T-Stick's availability across a community of digital luthiers, composers, and performers. These include modular hardware design allowing component substitution, documentation practices that enable reproduction, and adaptable firmware that accommodates platform migrations in the maker ecosystem. We discuss how these approaches address the challenge of obsolescence while preserving the instrument's essential concept and gestural identity.

9h50–10h10 : Gaël Moriceau – Developing a DMI Long-Term Practice: Composing with the T-Stick
This presentation explores the intersection of instrument making, composition, and performance in the long-term development of Digital Musical Instruments (DMIs). Using the T-Stick—a gestural controller developed at McGill University’s Input Devices and Music Interaction Laboratory (IDMIL)—as a case study, I examine how these intertwined practices shape both the musical work and the evolving identity of the instrument.

Nearly twenty years after its creation, the T-Stick remains a rare example of a long-lived DMI. Its longevity demonstrates how flexible mapping strategies, modular software, and sustained artistic engagement can support an instrument beyond its initial research context. In composing for the T-Stick, sound design, mapping, and instrumental gestures are developed in parallel—making composition a process of crafting behaviour, defining sonic identity, and refining playability.

Through live demonstrations, I will present some of the sonic materials and gestural approaches developed through my practice. This perspective challenges traditional distinctions between composer, performer, and luthier, proposing instead a model of electronic lutherie grounded in co-creation—where the music, the instrument, and the performance practice evolve together—and in iteration, where sustaining a DMI means continuously making, playing, and composing with it over time.

10h10–10h30 : Kasey Pocius – Sticking with it: A look back on 6 years of T-Stick practice
"Sticking with it: A look back on 6 years of T-Stick practice" is a presentation looking back on my work with the T-Stick since 2019. I will provide small demos of some of the patches that still work and discuss how working with this interface has influenced my work both on the stage and in the studio.

10h30–10h50 : pause café

10h50–11h10 : Mari Kimura – Mastery over Novelty
Through the lens of musical performance, this talk reflects on whether technology genuinely enhances our human experience of making music and seeks to uncover the deeper purpose behind creating new instruments beyond research or economic necessity.

10h50–12h00 : table ronde