MP5 is an interactive audiovisual EP. The name MP5 is a cheeky relative of the MP3 (audio) and MP4 (audio+video). The 5 indicates an extra dimension (audio+video+interaction). MP5 aims to give users/listeners agency over their experience of the work and equally encourage passive or active engagement. Time and space are loosely bounded and the arrangement is driven by the path of the user. You can stay in one place for minutes or quickly traverse through the audiovisual landscape.
MP5 was made with p5js (for visuals) and Web Audio (for sound). Most of the sounds were previously recorded and mixed in Logic Pro X. I control the relative volumes and binaural location of the sound depending on location and proximity to objects in the world of MP5 (using GainNode and PannerNode). Some of the objects generate their own sounds / noises using Web Audio API’s Oscillator node.
If you use headphones, you will hear more of the binaural panning. Sounds/objects will sound like they are in front, behind, left, right, maybe up/down as well. The experience still carries without…
Mike Mulshine (he/him) is a creative coder, composer-songwriter-performer, and lyricist whose music explores themes of vulnerability and the dynamic nature of identity, love, and relationships. He produces interactive audiovisual works that aim to expose accessible, engaging, and empowering new modes of experiencing or (co-) creating media. These range from vocal FX plugins with unconventional gamified UIs to 3-dimensional web-based interactive albums. Mike is a PhD Candidate at CCRMA, Stanford University.