Master Thesis: Acknoledgements

Abstract: The goal of the proposed master thesis is to define an architecture that enables visual prototyping of real-time audio applications and plug-ins. Visual prototyping means that a developer can build a working application, including user interface and processing core, just by assembling elements together and changing their properties in a visual way. Specifically, this research will address the problem of having to bind interactive user interface to a real-time processing core, when both are defined dynamically, the set of components is extensible, it allows bidirectional communication of arbitrary types of data between the interface and the processing core, and, it still fulfils the real-time requirements of audio applications.

\chapter*{Acknowledgements}

I would like to thank everyone who helped to make this dissertation possible. But it is a long list, so I am sure I will miss someone. In any case the list should definitely start wit Xavier Amatrian and Pau Arumí. Most of the work explained here is the result of our joint effort to build something we could be proud of sharing it with the world. I am also very grateful to Xavier Serra who make that possible and let me be part of the MTG for so many time, one of the most interesting and dynamic research groups I could be part of.

This thesis is also built on the work of some friends of mine who also contributed to the CLAM project: Maarten Deboer, Miguel Ramírez, Xavier Rubio, Enrique Robledo, Albert Mora, Ismael Mosquera, Sandra Gilabert, Xavier Oliver... I wanted to have an special mention to Josep Blat who helped us to keep CLAM alive.

I am also grateful to many people on the UPF who supported me in many aspects such as Perfecto Herrera, Emilia Gómez, Oscar Celma, Fabien Gouyon, Rafael Ramírez, Sergi Jordà, Jordi Massaguer, Lars Fabig, Sam Roig, Bram de Jong and many others.

I would like to thank a lot of people I met at the Queen Mary University of London, specially to Juan Bello, Christopher Harte, Sammer Abbdallah, Christian Landone and Kate Noland. I am also grateful to the people at PLoP community, specially to Ralph Johnson, for providing us with so many insights on paper writing and software development.

Most of the work described in this thesis and the thesis itself has been done using free software. I am very grateful to the free software and open source community and to the people that boost it with an special mention to the Linux Audio Community which have built up a nice platform for creativity and the foundation for all our work.

I am indebted to my parents who supported and loved me all those years. And, finally I couldn't stand so much work without the love and affection of Marta, Brenda, Kimi, Isa, Esteban, Silvia, Javis, Nico, Miriam, Duke and the rest of people who share wine (and patxaran!) with me. Thanks to all of you.

Some of the work explained in this thesis has been partially funded by the Agnula European Project (IST-2001-34879), by the SIMAC European Project (IST-507142) and by the Generalitat de Catalunya (exp. 200/05 ST).

\newpage { \vspace*{5cm} \flushright To Raquel (1976-1992)\\

\vspace*{3cm} I've been looking so long \\ at these pictures of you... \vfill }