Team Name: Q-Manic Biologist
Tingyue Wang: Modeling, Rendering, Animation
Yi Wang: Quantum music visualization
Project Duration: 4 Days, October 18 - 21, 2022
Related Course/Activity: IBM x The New School, Quantum Design Jam 2022
Software: Ableton Live 11; Adobe Audition; Autodesk Maya; Adobe After Effect; TouchDesigner; Adobe Premiere
Animated Trailer by Tingyue Wang
Concept
Our project mainly focuses on music, meanwhile with music visualization display. This week, we dive into the superposition of qubit, which leads us to the exponential representation of states, and the idea of 2 to the Nth power reminds us of the cell division. Therefore, we decided to do a stylized music visualization, with quantum generated music and figurative animation of cell division.
Exploration and Process
Step 1. Music Experimenting
The softwares we explored to generate music are Ableton Live 11 and Adobe Audition. By employing the Quantum Music Playground plugin in the Ableton live 11, we were able to play and create music melodies by simply dragging elements to the circuit to manipulate quantum state.
There are a total of eight different melodies that increase by number of qubit participating(maximum 8 in QMP). As more qubits are involved, the more complex and interesting music comes out. After creating all melodies, we used Adobe Audition to edit and become a complete music piece. As we mentioned previously, we found the similarities between the cell division process and the quantum exponential growth characteristic, so we decided to visualize the growing process.
Step 2. 3D Visualization Cell Division to Human
After we discussed the animation storyboard, We began to use Maya to do the 3D modeling and rendering, and use the After Effect to make them as 4 animations.
The first animation is about the Quantum bit
The second shows the initial cell division
The third part is that cells are growing
Lastly, the 256 cells become a human, who is dancing for life
But why 256 cells? It mentioned in Step 1 that the quantum music software we are able to use is 8 Q-bit, 2 to the 8 is 256. That is how we connect. Now we have quantum music and visual work, how can we combine them together?
Step 3. How TouchDesigner Combine Everything We Made
Here comes the final stage of this project. After having two separate sets of elements. We started to explore combinations between two by using TouchDesigner. And we achieved a music visualization effect which is generating visuals based music amplitude data. Then we turn to adobe premiere to do the final touch up of color and details.
And we choose to use crazy manic colors to show the dramatic change of qubit exponential progress. As cells replicated over and over again, more entangled connections formed, resulting in infinite resultant waves of greater, lower, or the same amplitude visualization.
Setting up functions to achieve music visualization
The final video work product by Yi Wang
Summary, Team Reflection and Future Possible Applications
There are some tips we want to mention after the final video, the human cell renewal cycle takes around 120-200 days, about 6-7 years for an overall cycle. Similar to the technology field, it usually takes 6-7 decades to have a new revolution. Today, quantum computing is still in an early-middle stage, but it has infinite possibilities in the future.
To be more specific about the medical field. We even think this bio-qubit project shows the potential of quantum computing in medical visualization. Once quantum qubit achieved the level that could generate more precisely and clearly representing human cells, maybe a quantum MRI machine. Anyways there will be a new stage for human medical research.
And back to our reflection - Of course, quantum computing is a very innovative technology in this data era. It also brings a new paint brush for us designers and artists to create fascinating works. We did worry in the beginning since we don’t have much prior experience of either music or technology. However, as the project progressed, many unprecedented outcomes to the project. We have a lot of fun, and we are willing to hear any feedback and we are so appropriate to attend this quantum jam.
