Federico Visi (he/they) is a musician and researcher based in Berlin. His work explores the interplay between human and non-human agencies in music, embodiment in networked music performance, and interactive machine learning. He is interested in the broader artistic and societal implications of curating personal datasets for training models. He currently works as a researcher at Luleå University of Technology and he is a member of the TCP/Indeterminate Place networked hyperorgan quartet. 
The Sophtar is a tabletop string instrument with an embedded system for digital signal processing, networking, and machine learning. It features an array of actuators and controlled electroacoustic feedback capabilities that can be activated algorithmically by the models running on the embedded computer. These respond to the actions of the player, making the instrument a platform for electroacoustic human-machine improvisation. 
Other features of the Sophtar include a pressure-sensitive fretted neck, two sound boxes, and  bespoke interface elements. It combines conventional tactile musical affordances with recent machine learning models and digital signal processing algorithms, which are deeply integrated in the design of the instrument and have a strong influence on how it is played and the way it sounds. During this lecture Federico Visi will presents the instrument and its distinctive techniques, and improvise with different algorithms and models.

www.federicovisi.com