The focus of this study is to investigate the influence of sonic properties on material selection, and subsequently the influence of both those factors on performance. We wanted a better understanding of how people make DMIs when the sound they produce is constrained to that of specific materials (for the purpose of this study - wood, rubber, metal and ceramic). We are interested in how the sound will (or not) guide and inform the design process and subsequent performance with the new instruments.

The research question we seek to explore is:

How do musicians approach the design of a new musical instrument when its sound is constrained to a recognisable material timbre? 


The study was designed to be conducted by participants in their own homes, where they each created 4 new prototype DMIs using a design probe kit and ‘found’ objects. We were particularly interested in the tangible objects used by participants to complete the instrument design process and the relationship of these objects to the four provided sound models.

Below, links to items used in the study and a document of the artefacts created by our participant during the study. For a more complete overview of the procedure and over arching project please see...