Book chapters
Lavastre, B. and Wanderley M. M. (2024). Studying Performances with Digital Musical Instruments: A Case Study of Ritual, a piece for solo Karlax. In Jensenius, A. R. (eds.) Sonic Design: Explorations Between Art and Sciences. SSD 2022. Current Research in Systematic Musicology, vol 12, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57892-2_8
Abstract
This chapter discusses ways to study sonic design from the perspective of musical performances with Digital Musical Instruments (DMIs). We first review the specificities of DMIs in terms of their unique affordances and limitations and comment on instrument availability, longevity, and stability issues, which impact the use of DMIs in musical practice. We then focus on the Karlax, a commercial device used in several musical performances for over a decade. We present an analysis of excerpts from three performances of D. Andrew Stewart’s piece Ritual for solo Karlax, discussing the variability of performers’ gestures and the musical choices made. We conclude by suggesting practice exercises to develop performance techniques with the Karlax and discussing musical composition and performance issues with DMIs.
Lavastre, B. and Wanderley M. M. (2023). Interaction Strategies in Composition for Karlax and Acoustic Instruments. In Aramaki, M., Hirata, K., Kitahara, T., Kronland-Martinet and Sølvi Ystad, R. (eds.), Music in the AI Era. 15th International Symposium, CMMR 2021, November 15–19, 2021 Revised Selected Papers, LNCS 13770, p. 163-179. Springer Nature. Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35382-6_13
Abstract
The Karlax is a gestural controller which arose substantial interest among composers since its inception in 2010 and continues to be commonly used in solo and group performances. One of the reasons for its longevity is the device’s remarkable adaptability, especially in musical contexts involving acoustic instruments. This article analyses six chamber music pieces for Karlax and acoustic instruments by comparing performance videos, sounds generated, and the writing process (scores, sound synthesis, and mapping strategies in each piece). We further discuss the various composition strategies using interaction metaphor concepts from the computer music literature. These metaphors prove to be powerful analysis tools that allow describing the use of a digital musical instrument in a chamber music context. In the last part of this article, we discuss five such interaction strategies and their use in sketches of an original composition for Karlax and ensemble.
Peer-reviewed articles
Lavastre, B. (2026). Éléments de technique et de langage pour l’interprétation et la composition avec l’instrument de musique numérique Karlax. Notes by Alain Le Méheauté. iSTE, OpenScience, vol. 7 Special Issue LILA 3.
Lavastre, B. (2025). György Ligeti’s Chamber Concerto in the Light of the Article « …how time passes… » by Karlheinz Stockhausen. Music Theory Online, Volume 31, Numero 1, March 2025.
Abstract
This study examines György Ligeti’s Chamber Concerto for 13 instruments, written in 1969–70
, in light of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s 1957 article “. . . how time passes . . . ”. In this famous article, Stockhausen establishes relationships between the components of musical writing: durations, tempi, rhythms, pitches, and registers. He describes the solutions he imagines for composing time against the backdrop of integral serialism and the advent of electronic music. By comparing this article with Ligeti’s score, one recognizes a realization of the concepts introduced by Stockhausen, such as “field-sizes,” “duration-formants,” use of proportions, and tempo/pitch “mediations.” This study sheds light on Ligeti’s choices regarding the establishment of metronomic and senza tempo strata, the serial treatment of tempi in the second movement, and the freedoms granted to the performers. This comparative approach puts into perspective existing analyses of the Chamber Concerto that focus primarily on the organization of pitches and the realization of textures.
Peer-reviewed papers
Zhu, L., Oudin, M., Lavastre, B., and McAdams, S. (2025). Audiovisual Perception of Musical Interactions in Mixed Pieces with the Karlax. Proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, 3-7, 2025.
Zhu, L., Lavastre B, Oudin, M., McAdams, S. (2025). Perceptual categorization of musical interaction: Case study on mixed music for the digital instrument Karlax and acoustic instruments. International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, São Paulo, Brazil, July 2025.
Lavastre, B., Gatinet, B. (2025). Éléments de techniques et de langage dans la composition et l’interprétation avec l’instrument de musique numérique Karlax. Actes des deuxièmes rencontres nationales sur les recherches en musique (RNRM’25), p. 46-48. Mars 2025, France.
Lavastre, B., Gatinet, B. (2025). Elements of technique and language for performing and composing with the digital musical instrument Karlax: Case study of Instrumental Interaction III. Ircam Forum Workshops, 2025.
Lavastre, B., Wanderley, M. M. (2021). Mixed Writing with Karlax and Acoustic Instruments: Interaction Strategies from Computer Music. Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Computer Music Multidisciplinary Research (CMMR). Tokyo, Japan.
Doctoral dissertation
Lavastre, B. (2026). Instrumental Interaction V pour 3 Karlax, ensemble et électronique. Doctoral Thesis, McGill University, Montreal.