MET-lab
Welcome to the Music Entertainment Technology laboratory home page.
The Music and Entertainment Technology Laboratory (MET-lab) is devoted to research in digital media technologies that will shape the future of entertainment, especially in the areas of sound and music. The MET-lab's primary research focuses on the following music and entertainment applications:
- Music production and playback technology: The iPod and digital downloads have changed when and where we experience music. In the near future, the impact of digital technology on how music is produced ated and performed will be even more dramatic.
- Machine listening and music information retrieval: Computers are great at recording, editing, and playing audio, but they can’t tell you much about the sound itself. How can we teach machines to really listen? Can they help organize our ever growing personal music collections?
- New music interfaces: It generally takes years to learn to play a musical instrument. This research looks at creating simpler and more intuitive interfaces that enable people to start making music without prior experience.
The MET-lab is also heavily involved in outreach programs for K-12 students and hosts the Summer Music Technology program, a one-week learning experience for high school students.
Summer Music Technology program
Application deadline extended to April 15, 2008. Interested students should apply online.
The Summer Music Technology (SMT) program at Drexel is an innovative educational experience for selected high-school students. The goal of SMT is to introduce high school students to the technology of digital music to reveal the influence and importance of engineering, science, and mathematics in music performance, recording, and listening. Many high schoolers are already experienced users of music technology (to organize and share their music, to transfer them to their portable players, and even to re-mix or "mash-up" their music into new creative works). By engaging students' interests in music we hope to catalyze curiosity in science and technology. In particular, we wish to attract students from backgrounds under-represented in the fields of engineering, math, and science who may not have considered it previously.
Eligibility
For students entering 10th or 11th grade in Fall 2008. Prior music experience is not required, but applicants should demonstrate a particular enthusiasm for music.
MoodSwings PUBLIC BETA (NEW!)
Updated 25 March 2008
MoodSwings is a collaborative "game with a purpose", designed to enable the collection of continuous mood ratings of musical excerpts through a fun and engaging activity. You play with others across the internet with the goal of agreeing on current mood of a song within a grid defined by valence (happy vs. sad) and intensity (energetic vs. calm). The more you and your partner agree, the more points you receive!
NOTE: The game currently works best with Firefox, which can be downloaded here.
Click here to play the MoodSwings PUBLIC BETA! (anonymous user registration required)
News
20 January 2007
More press recognition for MET-lab-er Patrick Richardson's art-rock band MusicForHeadphones, : this time the band is featured as Undiscovered Band of June on the Filter Magazine Blog . Again, the interview is with band guitarist/songwriter Jonathan Allen (Patrick's Brother).
20 January 2007
Philadelphia art-rock band MusicForHeadphones, with MET-lab student Patrick Richardson on drums, is featured on the website Philly Girl About Town. The interview is with the band's guitarist/songwriter Jonathan Allen (Patrick's Brother).
3 December 2007
MyHome 2.0, a television series co-hosted by MET-lab student Lloyd Emelle broadcast its Philadelphia premiere over the weekend on WFXT 29. The show can also be seen in the Pittsburgh area, and a full broadcast schedule is available.
30 November 2007
MET-lab principal investigator Youngmoo Kim was interviewed on the Wall Street Journal This Morning radio program. Click here to listen to the interview.
18 November 2007
The MET-lab's Music Similarity project and principal investigator Youngmoo Kim were featured in a front page story in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday, November 18, 2007.
