Call 2018
We invite scholarly papers describing original research on new interfaces for musical expression. What constitutes research within the field of NIME may take a number of forms, which we can consider in relation to three “vertices”:
- Basic Research, or more precisely use-inspired basic research, is a search for fundamental understanding which considers a specific use case scenario. NIME research in particular pertains to the performance of music and the design of musical instruments and interactions;
- Design is an exploration of what is possible and what these possibilities afford through the process of creating new artifacts and evaluating them within the context of music performance. Research through design, research-oriented design, and design exploration are terms related to this “vertex”, and
- Practice is the context and the means of our research. The practice of musical performance and interaction informs, inspires, and is the ultimate test case for our research. Developing expertise as a performer or designer of new instruments is a form of research and for many practice-based researchers the two are inseparable. The knowledge gained through this process can be explicated for the benefit of the community.
Each of these perspectives may have different criteria for evaluating success or quality. NIME research at large spans this space, and it is our goal to embrace and present the breadth of research activities and orientations in our community. We welcome high-quality submissions of all varieties of NIME research, and will strive to evaluate them according to appropriate criteria. Possible topics for papers include but are not limited to the thematic areas for the conference and any of the topics.
A paper can be submitted in one of four categories:
- Full papers can be up to 6 pages in length;
- Panel papers can be up to 6 pages in length, and must have at least 4 authors;
- Short papers can be up to 4 pages in length;
- Workshop papers can be up to 2 pages in length, and
- Demonstration papers can be up to 2 pages in length.
At the conference full and short papers will be presented either during paper sessions or during poster sessions. Please indicate your preferred format during the submission process. Please note, the program committee reserves the right to determine presentation format regardless of the indicated preference, as well as the right to require a reduced paper length (e.g. from 6 pages to 4). Also, please note the paper lengths provided above are all-inclusive, including the references section. All submissions should conform to the paper templates provided below in LaTex and Word (docx) format:
Download LaTex Paper Template Download Word (docx) Paper Template
Panel papers will be presented in a 45 minute panel session. A maximum of 25 minutes of this time can be used to present the paper, and the remaining time must be used as a discussion between the authors and the audience. Panel papers must have at least 4 authors, and all paper authors must register for and attend the conference.
Demonstration papers will be presented as demonstrations during a poster session. It is also possible to submit a proposal for a demonstration which will not be accompanied by a paper publication–for additional info on non-paper demonstrations, please see the call for Non-Paper Workshops and Demos category below. All demonstration paper submissions must include a video.
For those submitting workshop papers, you must also submit a proposal for a non-paper workshop. Workshop papers will be subject to the double-blind paper review process, and workshop proposals will be reviewed and curated by the conference program committee based on its relevance to the conference theme and feasibility. For a workshop paper to be accepted, both the workshop and a paper will need to be accepted based on their respective criteria. In the event a workshop paper is rejected and a workshop proposal is accepted, the authors will be given an option to present a workshop without a publication.
All paper category submissions must be completely anonymized, including, but not limited to authors, references, and specific project names that can clearly identify the author(s).
Accepted papers will be published online as part of the conference proceedings on the conference website and eventually on NIME.org. At least one author for each accepted paper is expected to register for and attend the conference. All Panel Paper authors are expected to register for the conference. Papers for which no author registers will be removed from the proceedings.
All paper submissions will be subjected to a rigorous double-blind peer review process by an international committee of experts. The process is as follows:
- Each paper submission will be assigned to at least 3 reviewers for evaluation;
- A meta-reviewer will moderate a discussion amongst reviewers, write a summary review, & recommend whether to accept the paper, and
- The paper committee will make the final decision on paper acceptance and will inform the author(s) of their decision along with the reviewers’ comments.
Please note this review process is double-blind, meaning reviewers remain anonymous to the authors and vice-versa.
We invite submission of proposals that showcase new interfaces for musical expression in composition and performance. We encourage submissions that expand, reform, and refine our understanding of NIME in the performance, conceptualization, and reception of music. We look forward to receiving submissions that respond to the conference theme of “Mirrored Resonances” in any of the many ways it might be interpreted. For example, one of the topics, “off-the-shelf NIME”, encourages exploration of the presence and use of inexpensive, commercially available NIME as a kind of mirrored resonance of the non-commercial, academic research that often enabled them. Many of the conference thematic areas similarly afford connections with the larger conference theme, and we encourage submissions exploring these implications.
In addition to the general NIME submissions, we invite proposals that engage our featured performers in a NIME context, which may involve a NIME-enhanced performance by a featured performer, or a NIME performance that also engages a traditional performance modality by one or more of our featured performers. Please contact Music Chairs with any questions regarding the suitability of a potential NIME performance submission. We will consider submissions of existing works as well as proposals for new ones. Selected composers will work closely with our performing musicians in realization of their pieces.
If a music submission is selected for performance at NIME, it is our expectation that the proposing artists will be available to perform the work on any day of the conference. In order to maintain the necessary flexibility to craft the most programmatically coherent concerts possible, we are regrettably unable to consider requests for musical performances to happen on specific days of the conference.
Music proposals (compiled into a single pdf) should include:
- A project description;
- A description of technical requirements;
- Short program notes, and
- A link to audio and, if available, audio-visual documentation. The documentation link should use unrestricted streaming-only services such as SoundCloud, Vimeo, and YouTube.
In addition, you will be asked to provide artist bio(s) as a separate entry box in the online submission system.
We particularly invite pieces of 5-12 minutes duration; however, shorter and longer works will be considered. Please keep in mind the following when preparing music performance submissions:
- Space requirements: Indicate whether the work would be more suitable for a traditional concert stage, gallery, club, public space, university environment (hallways, staircases and indoor and outdoor plazas), or other venue. For networked & web-based work, please include the technical information and system requirements.
- Performer(s): List any instrumental performers from our talent list that would need to be involved. Please note that the organizers cannot provide funding to support any additional performers’ travel or accommodation.
- Feasibility: Provide evidence of the feasibility of the musical performance. Include documentation and list of previous performances of the submitted or related work that demonstrate the submitter’s capacity to implement the proposal.
- Collaborators: Include the names of all participants/submitters, with a short bio for each (100 words).
All paper category submissions must be completely anonymized, including, but not limited to authors, references, and specific project names that can clearly identify the author(s).
All submissions will be evaluated by multiple adjudicators with respect to a shared rubric, based on conference themes as well as the above criteria. The panelists’ evaluations will be aggregated. Review is double-blind.
We invite submission of proposals that will showcase new interfaces and applications for musical expression in sound installation. Proposed works should have a clear connection to the NIME conference and may be connected to a paper, poster or demo submission.
In addition to the general NIME submissions, we encourage installation submissions that closely respond to the NIME 2018 theme “Mirrored Resonances”.
NIME 2018 also encourages networked & web-based works.
The installation proposals (compiled in a single pdf) should include:
- One-page project description
- One-page description of technical requirements
- A link to audio-visual documentation (if available). The documentation link should use unrestricted streaming-only services such as SoundCloud, Vimeo, and YouTube.
In addition, you will be asked to provide artist bio(s) as a separate entry box in the online submission system.
Please keep in mind the following when preparing installation submissions:
- Space requirements: This should include size, space, and space requirements to display your work. Indicate whether the work would be more suitable for a university environment (hallways, staircases and indoor and outdoor plazas), gallery, public space or other venue. For networked & web-based work, please include the technical information and system requirements.
- Floor Plan & Logistical requirement: This should indicate requirements for your installation including time required to set up, diagrams for space utilization, networked needs, etc.
- Feasibility: Provide evidence of the feasibility of the installation. Include documentation and list of previous installations of the submitted or related work that demonstrate the submitter’s capacity to implement the proposal.
- Collaborators: Include the names of all participants/submitters, with a short bio for each (100 words).
All installation category submissions must be anonymized to the extent possible, including, but not limited to authors, media credits, and specific project names that can clearly identify the author(s).
All installation submissions will be evaluated by a review panel according to the following criteria: originality, impact, creativity, technique, presentation, and feasibility.
NIME 2018 welcomes the submission of workshop and demo proposals that are not accompanied by a paper. These specialized workshops may be in any area of the NIME themes or topics. We particularly encourage submissions that offer K-12 education opportunities and with NIMEs for multichannel diffusion, as well as other workshops that capitalize on Virginia Tech’s unique programmatic and physical infrastructure, including the high-density loudspeaker arrays.
Unlike the workshop-papers and demo-papers available under the papers category, workshops and demo proposals do not need to be anonymized and will be curated by the conference committee based on their relevance to the conference theme and feasibility. As a result, the feedback on these curated acceptances and rejections will be limited.
The non-paper workshop proposals (compiled in a single pdf) should include:
- One-page workshop description;
- One-page description of technical and space requirements;
- Workshop leader(s) bio(s), and
- A link to aural, visual, and/or online documentation. The documentation link containing media materials should use unrestricted streaming-only services such as SoundCloud, Vimeo, and YouTube.
The non-paper demo proposals (compiled in a single pdf) should include:
- One-page demo description;
- One-page description of technical and space requirements;
- Author bio(s), and
- A link to audio-visual documentation showcasing the technology and/or activity to be demoed. The documentation link containing media materials should use unrestricted streaming-only services such as Vimeo, and YouTube.
Original contributions are encouraged in, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Novel controllers, interfaces or instruments for musical expression
- Augmented and hyper instruments
- Technologies or systems for collaborative music-making
- New performance paradigms for mobile music-making
- Music-related human-computer interaction
- Sensor and actuator technologies, including haptics and force feedback devices
- Musical mapping strategies
- Explorations of the relationship between motion, gesture and music
- Evaluation and user studies of new interfaces for musical expression
- Evaluation and user studies of commercially available “off the the shelf” interfaces
- Interfaces for musical expression for people with special needs
- Musical applications of robotics
- Interactive sound art and installations
- Embedded musical instruments and embedded sound art installations
- Performance rendering and generative algorithms
- Machine learning in musical performance
- Web-based music performance
- Software frameworks, interface protocols, and data formats, for supporting musical interaction
- Explorations of the relationship between motion, gesture and music
- Evaluation and user studies of new interfaces for musical expression
- Evaluation and user studies of commercially available (“off the the shelf”) new interfaces
- Theoretical or philosophical discussions about designing or performing with new interfaces
- Discussions about the artistic, cultural, and social impact of NIME technology
Please note the following important dates:
January 20: Paper, Panel, Poster, Demo-paper, Workshop-paper, Music, and Installation submission deadline (no new submissions in these categories will be accepted after this date) January 27: Final submission upload deadline March 1: Non-paper demo and workshop submission deadline March 15-22: Notification of acceptances and rejections April 3: Early-bird registration deadline April 10: Camera ready submission and presenter registration deadline June 3: Pre-conference workshops June 3-6: The conference June 7: The unconference
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