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Contact Information

Benjamin N. Levy (born 29th of May, 1985 in Paris, France)
MSc in Acoustics, Signal Processing and Computer Science applied to Music (UPMC, IRCAM, Paris, France)
MEng in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Telecommunications (ENSEA, Cergy, France)
Graduate in Cello (Regional Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Cergy, France)
benjamin.n.levy@wanadoo.fr
benjamin.levy@ircam.fr

Brief Bio

After being graduated from the Engineering School of Electronics, Computer Science and Telecomunication, at ENSEA and playing the cello for 20 years in private lessons, music schools and Cergy's Regional Conservatoire of Music, I combined 2008-09 my technical and artistic studies with a masters degree in Acoustics, Computer Science and Signal processing Applied to Music at IRCAM.

Along my studies I accumulated experiences in computer assisted music with internships and projects. Using mostly Max/MSP, I had the opportunity to work with motion capture systems (electromagnetic and optical) and dancers. I also worked on augmented instruments and tools for computer enhanced music education as well as computer based improvising system.

I worked one year [2009-2010] at IRCAM in the Musical Representation research team as a R&D engineer and in the production department as a musical assistant to musicians/composers on a computer based improviser project. I carry on nowadays this project with a PhD in the same research team at IRCAM. I continue studying the cello freely in Cergy's conservatoire.

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Research & Developments

PhD [2010-2013]

Following my work on OMax & co I have been granted a scholarship from University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6, Jussieu) for a three years PhD program. The subject of this ongoing work revolves around OMax principles, trying to extend the possibilities of such an interactive improvisation software.

OMax, MoMax, WoMax [2009-10]

OMax and its new modular (MoMax) and interactive version (WoMax) is a computer based improviser which analyses and recombines an instrumental sequence to play in real time as a new musical partner. It started before 2004 in the Musical Representation team at IRCAM with automatic style modelling attempts based on compression and repetition detection algorithms.

The last version, WoMax, now displays an interactive visualisation of the internal knowledge of the system and allows to drive responsively two computer based improvisations. It also include incremental clustering features.

Augmented Acoustic Cello [2008]

Augmented Acoustic Cello’s project is to provide the cello with additional possibilities to allow new expressions with technology. The approach is focused on the player’s sonic control. It uses features extracted from the audio to control the digital effects.
The system was developed in ICSRIM for Max/MSP programming environment and it can be used for both live improvisation or compositional contexts.

MoCaRT [2007]

MoCaRT is a collection of externals and patches developed for Max/MSP during an internship in CIANT. It aims to use the motion capture system Liberty Latus in the programming environment Max/MSP to enable a communication between movement and music for interactive performances.

EMux [2006]

EMux is an emulation of the dedicaced synthesizer E-Mu 6400 Emulator IV in the programming environment Max/MSP. It is an add-on for the 2PIM project developed around the Meta-Instrument (MI) in Puce Muse (et al.). EMux allows the MI player using the 2PIM platform to perform existing pieces for MI without owning the dedicaced synthesizer.
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Publications

B. Lévy, K. Ng, Audio-driven Augmentations for the Cello, in Proceedings of the 4th i-Maestro Workshop on Technology-Enhanced Music Education, pp. 49-51, University of Leeds - ICSRiM, 2008, ISBN 978 0 85316 269 8
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Music

Festival "Musiques au présent", Narbonne [2011]

• OMax at Lomax, 20-24. June 2011, Narbonne, Palais des Archevêques, cour de la Madeleine
  Musical residency & concert with the compagny Nine Spirit led by Raphaël Imbert (saxophones, composition) and guest musician Sarah Quintana (guitar, voice)

Villa Medici, Rome [2010]

• Sound installation with OMax software, 4-6. June 2010, Villa Medici, Teatro delle esposizioni (Elias Genoun architect)
  Yann Robin composer, Benjamin Lévy controlling OMax

IRCAM, Paris [2009-10]

• Concert: Improvisation with OMax software, 11. February 2010, IRCAM, Espace de Projection
  Brice Martin bassoon, Beñat Achiary voice, Médéric Collignon bugle & voice, Michel Doneda saxophone, Benjamin Lévy controlling OMax

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Teaching

Columbia University, NYC [2010]

Invited speaker with Steve Lehman (saxophone) in Brad Garton's class Computer Music II. Presentation and demo of the OMax project.

EHESS, Paris [2010]

Invited speaker with Gerard Assayag and Raphael Imbert (saxophone) in Marc Chemillier's seminar. Presentation and Demo of the OMax project.

ENSEA (Graduate School of Engineering), Cergy [2008-10]

1st year students, practical: Implementing Ford-Fulkerson algorithm in C
3rd year students, project supervison: Porting GSM standard from Matlab to C using the Mex API
2nd year students, Musical and Electro Acoustics: An overview of digital synthesis methods and audio effects.
2nd year students, Musical and Electro Acoustics: Practical on Matlab: Karplus-Strong algorithm.
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Downloads

Curriculum vitae

Masters thesis

Internships reports

Externals for Max/MSP

Scripts for Max/MSP

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Last updated:
July 2011