Our Ultra-Processed Interfaces - What Music Technology Can Learn From Doritos

This conference talk explores how digital musical instrument interfaces have evolved and become standardized with common elements like rubber pads, piano layouts, sliders, and control grids. Discover how these design conventions originated and why they've become so prevalent in music technology. Astrid Bin examines the historical connection between musical interfaces and cultural context, and investigates how modern interfaces have become increasingly disconnected from their cultural roots—similar to the "ultra-processing" phenomenon seen in food, media, and consumer products. Learn about the social, economic, and cultural implications of this ultra-processing trend on musical creation and output. The presentation offers both theoretical perspectives on interface design history and practical approaches for developing more thoughtful, culturally-informed interfaces for music technology. Presented at the Audio Developer Conference (ADC) 2024 by Astrid Bin, an artist and designer who specializes in making complex technologies accessible and leads design at Bela.io.