Pocket gamelan: tuneable trajectories for flying sources in Mandala 3 and Mandala 4

This paper describes two new live performance scenarios for performing music using bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. Interaction between mobile phones via wireless link is a key feature of the performance interface for each scenario. Both scenarios are discussed in the context of two publicly performed works for an ensemble of players in which mobile phone handsets are used both as sound sources and as hand-held controllers. In both works mobile phones are mounted in a specially devised pouch attached to a cord and physically swung to produce audio chorusing. During performance some players swing phones while others operate phones as hand-held controllers. Wireless connectivity enables interaction between flying and hand-held phones. Each work features different bluetooth implementations. In one a dedicated mobile phone acts as a server that interconnects multiple clients, while in the other point to point communication takes place between clients on an ad hoc basis. The paper summarises bluetooth tools designed for live performance realisation and concludes with a comparative evaluation of both scenarios for future implementation of performance by large ensembles of nonexpert players performing microtonal music using ubiquitous technology.