The Machine

Collaborative Audio Installation [2013]

The Machine

'The Machine' was created by students at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University as part of the course M223 – Sound, Structure, and Machines in Spring 2013. The course was taught by Robert Henke, Mohr Visiting Artist 2013.

'The Machine' is an algorithmic and stochastic computer program that generates a constantly evolving stream of audio events, forming an abstract industrial soundscape. The original version was designed for a half-dome ambisonics environment and a Yamaha Disklavier.

It premiered at the Stanford University Bing Concert Hall Studio on May 28, 2013.

Contributions by:
Alex Hay, Myles Borins, Kurt James Werner, Mayank Sanganeria, Gina Collecchia, Tim O’Brien, Thomas Walther, Luke Dahl, Holly Herndon, Caleb Rau, Dan Somen, Pablo Castellanos Macin, Wiley Webb, Charlie Forkish, and Lauchlan Casey.

Final assembly and additional contributions by Robert Henke.

Special thanks to Carr Wilkerson and Fernando Lopez-Lezcano for making the concert and public presentation possible; to John Chowning and everyone at CCRMA for their enthusiasm and support; to Dave Kerr for documentation and coffee; and to Chris Chafe for ensuring that CCRMA remains a place where nerds can explore strange ideas and geniuses can work on the future—or vice versa, or both.