The Female Laptop Orchestra (FLO) is a music research project established in 2014 by Nela Brown. It connects female musicians, sound artists, composers, engineers and computer scientists globally, through co-located and distributed collaborative creation. Each FLO performance is site-specific and performer-dependent, mixing location-based field recordings, live coding, acoustic instruments, voice, sound synthesis and real-time sound processing using Web Audio instruments and VR environments with audio streams arriving from different global locations (via the internet and mobile networks). From stereo to immersive 3D audio (and everything in between), FLO is pushing the boundaries of technology and experimentation within the context of telematic collaboration. During the Covid-19 pandemic, FLO developed a framework for audio-visual performances in which the audio mix is used as input for generating visuals allowing the entire performance to be streamed live on the FLO YouTube channel. This innovative approach enables FLO members to perform entirely telematically, promoting intercultural collaboration while minimizing ecological impact.
The IEEE International Symposium on the Internet of Sounds (IS2) aims to bring together academics and industry to investigate and advance the development of Internet of Sounds technologies by using novel tools and processes. The 5th edition of the IS2 took place at The International Audio Laboratories (AudioLabs) – a joint institution of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS) from 30 September to 2 October 2024. The AudioLabs focus on audio and acoustics research, bringing together experts from various fields to innovate and advance technologies related to audio signal processing, perceptual audio coding, and sound reproduction, which made it a perfect venue for the symposium.
For the performance at the IEEE IS2 2024, titled ‘Telematic City Jam – Erlangen’, the Female Laptop Orchestra (FLO) chose to explore the diverse modalities afforded by the network whilst providing insight into the creative use of Web Audio tools in music collaboration. During the performance, the musical improvisations utilizing Playsound.space (an online Web Audio instrument created by FLO member Ariane Stolfi that uses samples from Freesound.org) were streamed by FLO members from different locations worldwide (London, Warsaw, Melbourne and Porto Seguro), alongside sonic textures of acoustic instruments (piano, trumpet, flute, piccolo) streamed from Palermo. The final mix was captured in real-time in Valencia and formed the foundation for generating interactive visuals. The resulting audio-visual blend of globally distributed music was streamed live on the FLO YouTube channel and projected in stereo format at the International Audio Laboratories Erlangen concert space.
Female Laptop Orchestra (FLO) members playing in this performance were: Nela Brown (HR), Maria Mannone (IT), Magdalena Chudy (PL), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Ariane Stolfi (BR) and Silvia Binda Heiserova (SK) who did audio mixing, visualisations and streaming to YouTube.
The ‘Telematic City Jam – Erlangen’ performance would not have been possible without the kind support from the following organizations: Bitwig, RØDE Microphones, Audio-Technica, PreSonus, BCSWomen and Netgear. A very special THANK YOU also goes to Anna Leschanowsky and the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Germany Section who sponsored the Female Laptop Orchestra participation at the IEEE IS2 2024.
This is what the performance looked like visually (for a very brief moment in time!):
You can watch the whole performance on the FLO YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyJTZw4Xxlo).
If you’re interested to find out more about the FLO project, please visit our website (https://femalelaptoporchestra.wordpress.com).
And, if you’re inspired to collaborate with FLO or are exploring audio-visual technologies that could be part of a FLO performance, please do get in touch (https://femalelaptoporchestra.wordpress.com/contact).