Appx.6 Various Feedback
14 Jul 2016, Brain Computer Music Interfacing Software Development for Well-being, Musedelica Symposium, University of Sussex, Brighton
https://bcmi.khofstadter.com/musedelica-symposium-demo/
Feedback from event organiser:
- Was my presentation aligned to your symposium?
Yes, your talk covered some key discussion points in psychedelic music, like entrainment and trancing. It’s also important to include non-drug induced ASCs when talking about psychedelic music as the connection is sometime overlooked.
- Did you find it interesting to hear about how brain-computer music interfacing (BCMI) can be used for altering the state of mind?
Yes indeed – it was great to have a more technical outlook included in the programme.
- Do you think BCMI could help people make better (psychedelic) music e.g. by helping composers understand how different aspects of music (tempo, density, … ) are aligned to different changes in the brain?
Yes, it seems like a good tool to use in experimental settings, to isolate and measure the effects of different psychedelic characteristics.
- Would you be interested in another presentation where I could outline my most up to date research outcomes related to my art practice linked to BCMI and meditation?
Definitely - whenever I manage to hold another conference/symposium, that is. ~Gemma Farrell
17 Jan 2017, Demonstration at Clip Sound, Firstsite Museum and Gallery, Colchester, UK
https://bcmi.khofstadter.com/firstsite-clip-sound-demo/
Demonstrating the prototype of the NeuroSky-SuperCollider Interface.
The interface was a fascinating way of composing music. At CLIP we strive to find new ways of making composition and performance more accessible, removing the fear of getting it wrong and encouraging young people to take creative risks. The interface was a really powerful of doing this, taking the virtuoso element away from performing music and making it playful instead. I could definitely imagine CLIP using the interface in the future, as a way of augmenting a performer to control parameters of another instrument perhaps, or to offer interesting audience participation within a performance too. Brain interfacing offers a fascinating opportunity for tapping into creativity for musicians of all abilities. Most physical musical controllers try to take advantage of human motor skills which can be incredibly restrictive for some. It would be fantastic to welcome you back to CLIP. We are currently meeting online so we could welcome you to our online sessions, or alternatively wait until our face-to-face sessions are back and try it out first hand too. ~Frazer Merrick, co-founder of CLIP, Colchester, UK (Improvising. Sonic Experiments. Performances https://www.clipsoundandmusic.uk/)
01 Feb 2018, NeuroSky-SuperCollider Interface
https://bcmi.khofstadter.com/neurosky-supercollider-interface-and-audio-neurogame/
Casual testing of the interface.
Very interesting project! I find it fascinating that I can control sounds with my brainwaves. The headset is very easy to put on my head and not uncomfortable at all. However, it does not seem to be easy to control the sounds. It was very useful that Krisztian explained what I should do to hear how certain parts of the sounds change. Relaxing the mind is not really easy, so I think there could be many people interested in doing meditation with a system that guides them with music. Cool! ~Antonia, Cambridge
I believe many people can benefit from a science-driven meditation experience, especially people with mental health. But, it is not for everyone. During the meditation with the system, I felt like my state of mind was shifting, mostly receiving positive emotions but sometimes negatives too. After the session I felt relaxed, also my mood was better throughout the whole day. I like the idea of eyes closed meditation so a system like this is good because feedback comes from audio. I think your work, Krisztian is great, I believe you can help many people. In regard to other types of music to be connected to my brain, I would also enjoy goa trance without vocals! ~Zsolt, Cambridge
14 Feb 2018, Demonstration at Multilingual Conference, Essex, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
https://bcmi.khofstadter.com/multilingual-conference-demo/
Short presentation including EEG demonstration with IBVA and NeuroSky hardware.
Krisztian’s speech was very well received by students, staff and conference participants. It was informative and full of academic insights. Some of the academic language could be slightly difficult for beginner’s to understand completely but Krisztian tried his best in tailoring his language to the public presentation. I found the brain-computer music interfacing interesting especially with Krisztian’s demonstration. Meditation can improve the ability to focus and prioritise our tasks. It is an important part of mindfulness. Students, especially research students or even SEN students, could be very interested in having a meditation workshop run by Krisztian to help streamline their work. ~Nan Zhao, event organiser and senior lecturer at University of Essex
Oct - Nov 2018, ASMR and Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation Experiment
Tertiary Sound: ASMR Documentary (2019) Anglia Ruskin University, AHSS
Cambridge School of Creative Industries Film and TV Production Course
Collaborator: Krisztian Hofstadter (researcher, interviewee)
Dates of Collaboration: October-December 2018
I have worked with Krisztian Hofstadter in autumn-winter of 2018 on one of my university film projects “Tertiary Sound: ASMR Documentary”. The film since proceeded to win RTS Awards for Best Sound and best Factual Film and screened at 2019 BFI London Film Festival. Krisztian joined our project as a researcher and agreed to conduct EEG readings to determine which effects ASMR sounds have on human body. Together with Krisztian, we have done one experiment in which a participant was listening to a set of Tibetan Singing Bowls and another one in which six participants were listening to ASMR sounds only. Both were recorded and read with different sets of EEG monitor systems. Krisztian provided us with an invaluable advice and guidance along the process. These experiments resulted in a necessary for us data and excellent footage that we have used in our documentary that allowed us to visualise and explain our ideas. We valued Krisztian’s opinions that he has given us during the interviews and the detailed commentary he provided for us after the EEG readings and although not all of it was featured in our documentary, we found it useful for our research purposes as it drew us closer to understanding ASMR, sound and human body in general. Krisztian has brought a different perspective on ASMR to our project since he has worked in a field related to sound and was conducting his own research on brain- computer interfacing work on linking meditation. It was important for us to see that Krisztian was genuinely interested and curious about the topic of our documentary and we were able to see how ASMR was connected with his other research. For the purposes of our documentary we did not need to do further research or publish the data we have gathered, however in the future we would be interested to continue working with Krisztian and explore the effects of ASMR in a more in-depth and regulated research. We are always open to a collaboration with Krisztian on any of his projects related to this field. ~Solomia Dzhurovska (osolomia.wordpress.com)