The Tangible Music Lab will organize its first Postdigital Summer School on the topic of Spatial Audio Instruments taking place from September 14-18 2026, preceeded by the Sonic Saturday during the Ars Electronica Festival from September 10-11 2026. The summer school is a multidisciplinary collaboration between the University of Arts Linz, Bruckner University Linz, the Ionian University of Corfu, the University of Genoa and USJ Macau. The goal of the summer school is the development of ideas, prototypes, controllers and instruments for the OTTOsonics multichannel system, which is an opportunity to learn about ambisonics combined with tangible interaction design for spatial sound environments.
You will work with an international team of multidisciplinary experts who will cover the following topics that are relevant for the design of musical instruments for multichannel environments: ambisonics programming, multichannel composition, embodied spatial audio, musical interaction design and rapid prototyping. There will be also concerts at the Sonic Lab at Bruckneruni and Alter Bauhhof in Ottensheim and hopefully also some party during that week. External students and practitioners are welcome to participate for free, submitting your ideas, plans or existing prototypes for spatial audio instruments. We are also planning an online meeting in preparation for the summer school on Tuesday September 1.
| Ambisonics Programming | Multichannel Composition | Musical Interaction Design | Embodied Spatial Audio | Rapid Prototyping |
| Introduction to the Ambisonics multichannel audio architecture based on the IEM Plug-in Suite within Reaper. Fundamentals of Ambisonic encoding, decoding, and sound field manipulation. Create, process, and monitor immersive audio scenes.Tutors: Enrique Mendoza & Mauricio Valdés | Introduction to the various composition techniques around multichannel audio, acousmatics and ambisonics. Explore the creative and musical potential of spatial sound composition through critical listening sessions, and practical experimentation. Tutors: Theodoros Lotis & Philippos Theocharidis | Introduction to the design and implementation of interactive musical controllers based on the ESP32 CircuitPython platform. Create simple sensor-enabled MIDI controllers gaining practical experience in physical computing.Tutors: Martin Kaltenbrunner, Enrique Tomás & Ulla Rauter | Exploring strategies for interactive spatialisation, loudspeaker arrangements, embedded audio processing, and expressive touch control. Using the Bela Gem Multi as a platform for building interactive multichannel audio instruments. Tutors: Giacomo Lepri & Robert Jack | Create immediate physical instrument prototypes at the on-site workshop infrastructure and the Grand Garage maker space. Introducing the physical and digital production tools such as 3D printers and laser cutters along with conventional woodcraft and artistic sculpture. Tutors: Gerald Estadieu, Sandra Ng & Linda Luse |
We will have various multichannel installations based on our OTTOsonics system on site, such as the 20.1-channel Dodekaotto, a 23.1 Ambisonics hemisphere in our studio as well as several other multichannel topologies, such as 8-channel rings and omnidirectional speakers. We will also be able to use the Sonic Lab and Computer Music Studios at the Bruckner university and the Grand Garage maker space next door. Below you can find the preliminary schedule of the planned summer school activities.
