Touchscreens and Musical Interaction

Abstract

Touch-sensitive interfaces are more and more used for music production. Virtual musical instruments, such as virtual pianos or drum sets, can be played on mobile devices like phones. Audio tracks can be mixed using a touchscreen in a DJ set-up. Samplers, sequencers or drum machines can be implemented on tablets for use in live performances. The main drawback of traditional touch-sensitive surfaces is the missing haptic feedback. This chapter discusses if adding specifically designed vibrations helps improve the user interaction with touchscreens. An audio mixing application for touchscreens is used to investigate if tactile information is useful for interaction with virtual musical instruments and percussive loops. Additionally, the interaction of auditory and tactile perception is evaluated. The effect of loudness on haptic feedback is discussed using the example of touch-based musical interaction.