Tangle: a Flexible Framework for Performance with Advanced Robotic Musical Instruments

Networked musical performance using networks of computers for live performance of electronic music has evolved over a number of decades but has tended to rely upon customized and highly specialized software designed specifically for particular artistic goals. This paper presents Tangle, a flexible software framework designed to provide a basis for performance on any number of distinct instruments. The network includes features to simplify the control of robotic instruments, such as automated latency compensation and self-testing, while being simple to extend in order to implement device-specific logic and failsafes. Tangle has been tested on two diverse systems incorporating a number of unique and complex mechatronic instruments.