Stacco: A Neural Audio Synthesis Instrument

Where: 12 Tónar Record Shop
When: Thursday, August 22nd 6-8pm

How can machine learning in the form of artificial neural networks synthesise audio? A new type of synthesis has arrived: neural audio synthesis!

Nicola Privato and Giacomo Lepri have developed Stacco, an instrument to play neural audio RAVE models at the Intelligent Instruments Lab. At this Open Mixer in 12 Tonar, we present and play the instrument and reflect on it without the inventors present. We are hoping for a critical discussion on the power of AI in music. During the event the audience will have an opportunity to play Stacco.

We will start with three 15 minute presentations including performances:

Constantine Skourlis is a composer in residence at the IIL, he has spent time with the Stacco and will discuss it from the perspective of a composer and performer.

https://constantineskourlis.com/

Victor Shepardson is a musician, computer scientist and PhD student at the lab he will talk about RAVE models and their application in musical systems.

https://iil.is/people#victor-shepardson

Halldór Úlfarsson is the Lab’s in-house fabricator and instrument maker. He discusses the next iteration of the body of the Stacco which will travel to take part in Ars Electronica next month.

www.halldorophone.info

After these three presentations, we will have an open session where people can try the instruments and discuss the topics that emerge around such new instruments.

Stacco exhibited at Sonar 2024 ((c) Jean-Marc Joseph).

The Staccho instrument.

The new version of the Stacco instrument.