SMC 2024

Immersive Sound

Immersive Music

Immersive Computing

The quest for immersion is — quite literally — all around us, and it has been a significant driver of research and development in the academy, the industry, and within artistic communities in the past decades. But what makes an experience immersive?

Spatial sound quickly comes to mind, and it will be a very relevant part of SMC 2024, both in the paper and the music / sonic art sessions. But there is more to immersion than spatial sound alone:

the timbral possibilities afforded by novel sound design and synthesis algorithms certainly play a big role in the envelopment of a sonic experience (immersive sound);
the temporal development of musical discourse and performance can determine its ability to become, as T. S. Eliot famously wrote, “Music heard so deeply / That is not heard at all, but you are / The music / While the music lasts" (immersive music);
new strategies to engage with digital sound and music, both on studio and on stage, can open new paths for involving human computer interaction (immersive computing).

All of these themes — and much more — will be addressed in SMC 2024: welcome to Porto!

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Call for Papers

As in previous years, SMC welcomes original, previously unpublished contributions between 4 and 8 pages, written in English, which must be submitted as PDF documents generated from the SMC paper template. Authors of accepted papers will be required to prepare 2-minute video presentations of their work, to be made available on the conference website. Those attending in person will be presenting their work in poster and demo sessions preceded by a short kick-off oral session featuring a 5-minute presentation per poster or demo.

This year's theme is Immersive Sound, Immersive Music, Immersive Computing. Submissions emphasizing these topics are strongly encouraged. Other topics include, but are not limited to:

Algorithms and Systems for music composition
Auditory display and data sonification
Automatic separation, recognition, classification of sound and music
Automatic music generation/accompaniment systems
Computational musicology and ethnomusicology
Content processing of music audio signals
Digital audio effects
Hardware systems for sound and music computing
Humanities in Sound and Music Computing
Interactive performance systems
Interfaces for sound and music
Languages, protocols, and software environments for sound and music computing
Models for sound analysis and synthesis
Multimodality in sound and music computing
Music creation and performance
Music information retrieval
Music performance analysis and rendering
Perception and cognition of sound and music
Social interaction in sound and music computing
Sonic interaction design
Sound and music for accessibility and special needs
Sound and music for Augmented/Virtual Reality and games
Sound/music and the neurosciences
Sound/music signal processing algorithms
Spatial sound, reverberation, and virtual acoustics
Technologies for the preservation, access and modelling of musical heritage

All submissions will be peer-reviewed, but authors are not required to anonymize them: SMC 2024 applies a single-blind peer review. All accepted papers are to be included in the SMC 2024 Conference Proceedings, but please note that publication is conditional to conference registration of the presenting author. Kindly indicate in the submission form if the first author of a submission is a student author. Registration instructions and fees will be published in January 2024. The Proceedings will have an ISBN and the electronic version will be available on the SMC website and Zenodo.

Submissions should be made using the SMC2024 Conference Management Toolkit's website. The submission of the title, abstract, and complete list of authors should be done first, followed by the submission of the full paper as PDF (maximum file size: 20MB).

Title & abstract submission deadline (strict!): February 24^th, 2024.

Paper submission (strict!): March 11^th, 2024

For any questions, please contact the SMC 2024 Scientific Chairs: Guilherme Campos, Inês Salselas and José Vieira.

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Call for Music & Sonic Art

SMC 2024 welcomes Music & Sonic Art contributions that are related to the core topics in Sound and Music Computing research for the concert program during the conference week. Concerts, performances and installations during SMC 2024 will be programmed in the most appropriate space at or around ESMAE and live performances are specially encouraged.

The theme of this year's SMC conference is Immersive Sound, Immersive Music, Immersive Computing. Submissions emphasizing these topics are strongly encouraged.

Music & Sonic Art from any genre and in any formats is invited for submission. All submissions will be peer-reviewed, but authors are not required to anonymize them: SMC 2024 applies a single-blind peer review. The review will happen in two rounds:

The first is a single-blind peer review by the Artistic Committee, that will judge the quality and relevance of the proposal for the SMC conference.
On the second round, the Organising Committee will address the feasibility of the selected pieces and build the concert and installation programmes for the conference.

It is thus very important that all submissions state very clearly the human and technical resources needed for each performance and installation, as well as which of those resources will be provided by the authors and which are expected to be provided by the host institution. ESMAE hosts state of the art audio equipment (including immersive sound systems), as well as musicians in various traditions and formations (from solo to symphonic orchestra).

Participants are encouraged to explore, but of course not limit to:

Live solo or ensemble: solo or ensemble performances that can be performed live, with or without the use of immersive audio and/or video technologies. A recording of the edited ensemble has to be submitted for review, however the accepted works will be performed live on-site.
Media-based performances: pre-recorded music & sonic art performances leveraging immersive audio and/or video technologies.
Installations: music & sonic art installations, with or without the use of interactivity.

Mandatory files (two PDF files, maximum size 20MB each):

A submission proposal with description of the performance / installation in the form of program notes.
A detailed technical rider, which should clearly specify how long the performance will last and include the details of both technical requirements and setup times.

Supplementary files (up to five files, maximum size 500 MB each, using formats mp4, mov, wav, aif, flac, mp3, and pdf), which can be added using the option "Upload Supplementary Material", available in CTM's Author Console after the creation of the submission:

Audio / Audiovisual performance / documentation of the piece.
The score of the work (if applicable).
Other relevant files.

Title & abstract submission deadline (strict!): February 24^th, 2024.

Music & sonic art submission (strict!): March 11^th, 2024

After notification of acceptance, all participants have a chance to further edit the uploaded material to make a performance-ready submission. Only one submission per participant will be accepted. Please note the submission proposal is for informative purposes for the selection and will not be included in the conference proceedings. Artists must hold the copyright of submitted materials to be used in SMC2024.

Each accepted music submission needs to be covered by an in-person registration (student or full, as appropriate). If the authors of the music submission are already SMC 2024 paper authors and have registered for the conference, their music submission can be covered with the same registration. Kindly indicate in the submission form if the first author of a submission is a student author.

For any questions, please contact the SMC 2024 Music Chairs: Ângela da Ponte, Dimitrios Andrikopoulos and Rui Penha.

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Important Dates

November 7^th, 2023: SMC 2024 web site is launched.
November 15^th, 2023: Calls for papers / music & sonic art published.
February 24^th, 2024: Deadline for submitting an abstract and registering the paper music & sonic art on the conference portal (strict!).
March 11^nd, 2024: Deadline for paper / music & sonic art submission (strict!).
April 21^st, 2024: Deadline for submitting reviews.
April 24^th, 2024: Notification of acceptance.
April 24^th, 2024: Conference / Summer School registration open.
May 11^th, 2024: Camera-ready version due.
May 18^th, 2024: End of early-bird registration.

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Registration

Registration on SMC 2024 Conference and Summer School starts on April 7 and the early-bird registration period runs until May 18. Registration prices include the participation on all conference sessions, concerts, coffee-breaks, lunches and gala dinner. The SMC Summer School will be limited to 20 participants.

Early bird prices (until May 18):

Full registration: €270
Student registration: €150
Summer School: €100

Normal prices (after May 18):

Full registration: €320
Student registration: €200
Summer School: €150

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Summer School

1-3 July 2024 at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP).

July 1st

9:00 – reception
9:30 – general introduction and information
10:00 – Workshop with the Sound Particles team
13:00 – Lunch
14:30 – Workshop with Carlos Guedes
17:30 – coffee break (fee)

July 2nd

10:00 – Workshop with the Sound Particles team - hands on approach
13:00 – Lunch
14:30 – Workshop with Francisca Rocha Gonçalves
17:30 – coffee break (fee)

July 3rd

10:00 – Project Lab
13:00 – lunch
14:30 – Project Lab & rehearsals at THSC
19:00 – Sound and Music Computing Summer School 2024 Final Concert

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Keynote Speakers

Natasha Barrett (NO/ UK) composes concert works, public space sound-art installations and multimedia interactive music using a broad palette of sounds, new technologies and experimental techniques. She is widely known for her electroacoustic and acousmatic music, and use of 3D sound technology in composition. Her work is commissioned and performed throughout the world and has received over 20 international awards including the Nordic Council Music Prize, the Giga-Hertz Award (Germany), five prizes and the Euphonie D'Or in the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Awards (France), two first prizes in the International Rostrum for electroacoustic music and most recently the honorary Thomas Seelig Fixed Media Award for 2023. She regularly collaborates with performers, visual artists, architects and scientists, is active as a performer of live-electronics and spatial audio, as a researcher has a track record in both artistic and academic publications and has held professorships at institutions in Norway and Denmark.

Dermot Furlong studied Engineering Science in Trinity College Dublin with a particular personal focus on electronics, acoustics, and audio engineering. He also studied classical guitar and developed an interest in musical acoustics and recording techniques. He subsequently worked as a corporate engineer for Westinghouse Electric in the U.S. and Ireland before returning to Trinity as a lecturer so that he could engage in further research on audio and music related issues. His area of particular interest is that of architectural acoustics, spatial audio perception and its significance for music recording technique. In 1995 he was involved in the definition of the postgraduate Music and Media Technologies (MMT) programme in Trinity, for which he has been Course Director since its initiation in 1996. His current research interests relate to the development of audio engineering technologies derived from musical and cognitive concerns. He has been a member of the Audio Engineering Society, the Acoustical Society of America, and EUCognition.

Francisca Rocha Gonçalves is a researcher from Porto, currently living in Berlin. Recently worked on the AQUATAG project at the IGB Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries. Has a background in biological sciences with a degree in Veterinary Medicine from ICBAS (University of Porto), a Multimedia Master in Interactive Music and Sound Design from FEUP (University of Porto), and a PhD in Digital Media from FEUP (University of Porto). The research focuses on acoustic ecology in artistic creation as a tool for environmental awareness concerning underwater soundscapes. Developing artistic artefacts that reveal the problem of noise pollution in underwater environments is possible to understand changes in vibration and particle motion, both vital components in aquatic life.
Combining interests in sound, technology, art and science, it aims to raise societal and environmental awareness through artistic practices and sound art. A great passion for biology and music led to a demand to find synergies between nature and sound. Bridging these two worlds, Francisca attempts to find new musical approaches, not only for musical compositions but also for live performances.
Presently is working for ICARUS, collaborating with Dr Johannes Goessling. ICARUS is an arts-science project that focuses on the photonic properties of diatoms and creates upscaled ice sculptures of their internal shells. Co-founder of the artistic collective Openfield Creative Lab. Co-founder of Ocean Soundscape Awareness project - ØSAW.

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Programme

To be announced.

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Committees

Organising committee:

Ângela da Ponte (ESMAE / CESEM), Music & Sonic Art co-chair / Summer School co-chair
Dimitrios Andrikopoulos (ESMAE / CESEM), Music & Sonic Art co-chair
Gilberto Bernardes (FEUP / INESC TEC), Summer School co-chair
Guilherme Campos (DETI-UA / IEETA), Paper co-chair
Inês Salselas (ESMAE / CESEM), Paper co-chair
José Vieira (DETI-UA / IEETA), Paper co-chair
Marco Conceição (ESMAE / CESEM), General chair
Nuno Fonseca (Sound Particles), Industry liaison chair
Rui Penha (ESMAE / CESEM), Music & Sonic Art co-chair

Scientific committee:

Carlos Guedes, NYU Abu Dhabi
Davide Rocchesso, Università di Palermo
Diamantino Freitas, FEUP
Emanuel Sousa, CCG
Federico Avanzini, University of Milan
Gilberto Bernardes, FEUP / INESC TEC
Guilherme Campos, DETI - UA
Inês Salselas, ESMAE-IPP / CESEM
Kjetil Falkenberg, KTH Sound and Music Computing Group
Marco Conceição, ESMAE-IPP / CESEM
Pedro Rebelo, Queen's University Belfast
Pedro Pestana, Universidade Aberta
Romain Michon, Inria
Rui Penha, ESMAE-IPP / CESEM
Stefania Serafin, Aalborg

(more members to be announced soon)

Artistic committee:

Ângela da Ponte, ESMAE-IPP / CESEM
Bruno Pereira, ESMAE-IPP / i2ADS
Carlos Guedes, NYU Abu Dhabi
Chris Kiefer, University of Sussex
Dimitris Andrikopoulos, ESMAE-IPP / CESEM
Filipe Lopes, ESMAD-IPP / CIPEM/INET-md
Francisca Rocha Gonçalves, FEUP / INESC-TEC
Marco Conceição, ESMAE-IPP / CESEM
Miguel Carvalhais, FBAUP / i2ADS
Øyvind Brandtsegg, NTNU
Pedro Rebelo, Queen's University Belfast
Pedro Pestana, Universidade Aberta
Romain Michon, Inria
Rui Penha, ESMAE-IPP / CESEM
Rui Dias, ESART-IPCB
Telmo Marques, ESMAE

(more members to be announced soon)

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Location

The School of Music and Performing Arts (ESMAE) is a national and international reference for higher education in arts. Located in the centre of Porto, ESMAE has an international standing, and offers customised and cutting-edge higher education programmes in music and drama.

Built in 1985, on the foundations of the former School of Music, this is one of the founding schools of the Porto Polytechnic. Today it features two departments - music and theatre - and a postgraduate programme in Dance was created in 2016.

ESMAE is home to the Helena Sá e Costa Theatre and to the Café-Concert Francisco Beja, and apart from being a space for creating and experimenting, it is the venue of over 500 art events annually. The ESMAE Symphony Orchestra, the ESMAE Baroque Orchestra and the ESMAE Jazz Orchestra, among many others, are often the performers in many of those events.

Porto is the capital of the second largest metropolitan area in Portugal and one of Europe's leading city destinations. It is served by an international airport and is home of some of the major cultural, industrial and economic activities in Portugal.

Hotels

Hotel das Virtudes *****
Code for 10% discount: SMC2024
for reservations until July 1^st, applicable to bookings between June 30^th and July 6^th
https://www.hoteldasvirtudes.pt/

PortoBay Teatro ****
Code for 10% discount: WELCOME
http://www.portobay.pt/

Hotel da Música ****
Code for 10% discount: SMC2024
https://www.hoteldamusica.com/

Legendary Porto ***
Code for 12% discount in booking and 5% in the hotel bar: CSMC
applicable to bookings between July 4^th and July 8^th
http://www.legendaryportohotel.com/

Grupo HF (several hotels, with 3, 4 and 5 stars)
Link with 10% discount:
https://soundandmusiccomputing.hfhotels.com/

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