Institute for Research and Coordination Acoustic/Music, Music research institute in Quartier Saint-Merri, France
The Institute for Research and Coordination Acoustic/Music sits beneath the Pompidou Centre and offers specialized laboratory spaces and performance venues. The facilities allow researchers to test and develop digital sound and music projects in real working conditions.
President Georges Pompidou commissioned composer Pierre Boulez to establish this research facility in 1970, which opened in 1977. Since then it has become a leading center worldwide for the study of acoustics and electronic music.
The institute is home to the Ensemble InterContemporain, which regularly performs contemporary works and shows visitors how modern composers work with sound. The group collaborates closely with researchers and demonstrates how new musical ideas are put into practice.
A multimedia library with music recordings and scholarly articles is available to visitors in both physical and digital form. Digital access makes it easier to explore works without needing to visit in person for everything.
Researchers here developed Max/MSP, a programming environment that allowed musicians to create and control real-time audio effects. The software quickly became standard in electronic music and remains widely used in professional studios today.
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