Report from Rockheim

When our model arrived at Rockheim, the stage was set for the world to witness SoundCubed. At first we were having rather major issues with the RFID sensor, who decided to take the day off on Sunday. We were therefore somewhat worried that this would continue on Monday. Luckily it didn’t... The model worked rather flawlessly, and we quickly forgave the unfortunate behaviour of the past day.

In terms of feedback from the audience, it was very positive. Not only did those who try it say it was cool, it also showed on their emotional response and the fact that many spent considerable time testing the model. This was exactly how we intended it to be used; no rules/manual, just exploration. The employees at Rockheim were also positive in their feedback, and asked us to exhibit the model for a weekend. During this exhibition, we also received much positive response from the outside visitors. As for the external sensor, we didn’t catch who it was… So we don’t know.

                                     

The exploration also unveiled the fact that a majority of those trying the model wanted to stack multiple cubes in the same slider. This is something we didn’t expect to be the case, but luckily we made sure the code would handle this sort of use in terms of the music being played (the lights were having some issues keeping up). We also noticed that the somewhat delayed response of the model (up to 2 seconds) resulted in some users thinking they were using it wrong, removing the block before the music started playing.

As far as future improvements go, there are many changes we would like to implement. First of all, we want increased stability, as well as a more durable construction than the MDF currently used. This would be especially important if the model was to be a permanent part of an exhibition. Removing the deadspace between the RFID reader would also help, as well as a better calibration in general. This also includes a shorter response time. A wider range of materials would also make it more awesome (for sure), so that’s definitely something we would like to add. Speaking of making things more awesome: A more varied lightshow would also be on our list. Lightshows that reflect the music coming from the slider in question.

Overall we consider the model a success, but acknowledge the fact that there are many improvements that could be made! It is just a prototype after all.