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Music with Unconventional Computing: Granular Synthesis with the Biological Computing Substrate Physarum Polycephalum

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Music, Mind, and Embodiment (CMMR 2015)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 9617))

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Abstract

This paper reports on the outcomes of an approach to granular synthesis using the biological computing substrate Physarum polycephalum. The plasmodium of Physarum Polycephalum is unicellular with a myriad of diploid nuclei, which moves like a giant amoeba in its pursuit of food. The organism is amorphous, and although without a brain or any serving centre of control, can respond to the environmental conditions that surround it. In the presented approach, we harness the organism’s oscillatory behaviour and protoplasmic network configuration to produce and sequence sound grains. Such an approach is an extension to one of the author’s previous musical works with Physarum polycephalum, which he presented in [13].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR), Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK

    Edward Braund & Eduardo R. Miranda

Authors
  1. Edward Braund
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  2. Eduardo R. Miranda
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Correspondence to Edward Braund .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CNRS - LMA, Marseille Cedex 20, France

    Richard Kronland-Martinet

  2. CNRS - LMA, Marseille, France

    Mitsuko Aramaki

  3. CNRS - LMA, Marseille, France

    Sølvi Ystad

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Braund, E., Miranda, E.R. (2016). Music with Unconventional Computing: Granular Synthesis with the Biological Computing Substrate Physarum Polycephalum. In: Kronland-Martinet, R., Aramaki, M., Ystad, S. (eds) Music, Mind, and Embodiment. CMMR 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 9617. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46282-0_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46282-0_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-46281-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-46282-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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