Dr Mathew Dalgleish

Sl In Games Audio And Technical Design

Digital, Tech, Innovation & Business

I’m a Senior Lecturer in Games Audio and Technical Design, having joined Staffordshire University in January 2023. Prior to this I was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton (2010-2013), where I was course leader for BA (Hons) Music Technology (2011-13), MSc Audio and Creative Technology (2013-22), MMus Music (2018-21), and school postgraduate lead. I was also a visiting researcher at The Open University Music Computing Lab (2009-11).

I initially studied sculpture at Northumbria University, before transferring to Coventry University for my final year. I then studied programming and physical computing during a Master's degree supervised by interactive media pioneer and composer Rolf Gehlhaar. This led to a CETL-funded PhD (awarded 2013) exploring David Tudor-inspired approaches to DMI design. My subsequent work has spanned musical and audiovisual interface design, controller design, interactive installations, sound design (particularly synthetic and procedural audio), and accessible and assistive technologies. Outputs include publications (Springer-Nature, The MIT Press, Routledge/Taylor-Francis), conference presentations, performances, and exhibitions. I have also acted as reviewer and consultant for numerous publications and organisations internationally.

Recent work includes the use of spatial sound design to replace audio description in theatre; a procedurally generated radio play; reactive theatre props with embedded sensing, procedurally generated audio, and sound diffusion; exploration of the synthesizer as one-handed instrument; and, most recently, a study of game controller accessibility.

Professional memberships and activities

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Expertise

Game sound
Sound design (particularly sound synthesis and procedural audio)
Physical computing (microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, etc.)
Interface and controller design
Accessible technology
Interdisciplinary projects
Film history

Research interests

Game sound (particularly procedural audio)
Controller/interface design (particularly accessible technologies)
Audiovisual theory
Neglected histories of electronic/computer music and music technology

Enterprise and commercial interests

I have extensive experience of working with UK and International partners in HE and have acted as validation consultant for the University of South Wales. As course leader, I have also setup, managed, and contributed to several university-industry and university-community projects.

I have experience of bid development and have been awarded more than £300,000 in total as CI and PI.

Publications

Dalgleish, M. (in press) Who can play? Rethinking video game controllers and accessibility, in M. Spöhrer and B. Ochsner (eds.) Disability and Video Games: Practices of En-/Disabling Modes of Digital Gaming, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Dalgleish, M and N. Williams (2022) The Eurorack Synthesizer as One-Handed Instrument, in Innovation in Music ‘22, Royal College of Music, Stockholm, Sweden, 17-19 June 2022.

Dalgleish, M. and Whitfield, S. (2021) Sound Objects: Exploring Embedded Computing for Procedural Audio in Theatre. In R. Toulson et al. (eds.) Music and Innovation. Abingdon: Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429345388-14

Dalgleish, M. (2021) Layering the Senses: Exploring Audio Primacy in Multisensory Cinema. In Proceedings of Reproduced Sound 2021, Institute of Acoustics, Bristol.

Dalgleish, M. and Reading, N. (2019) Seeing With One’s Own Ears: Soundtrack As Interface for Theatre. In I. Soveral and F. Pombo (eds.). SYNCHRESIS: Audio Vision Tales. Aveiro: University of Aveiro Press.

Payne, C. and Dalgleish, M. (2019) MAMIC goes Live: A Music Programming System for Non-Specialist Delivery. In R. Hepworth-Sawyer, J. Hodgson and. J. Paterson (eds.) Performance, Production, Technology and Business. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis/Routledge.

Dalgleish, M. (2018) There Are No Universal Interfaces: How Asymmetrical Roles and Asymmetrical Controllers Can Increase Access Diversity. Italian Journal of Game Studies, vol. 7 (special issue on Disability and Video Games).

Dalgleish, M. (2017) Loop: A Circular Ferric Memory in Slow Decline. Leonardo Music Journal, vol. 27 (2017), pp. 49-50. https://direct.mit.edu/lmj/article-abstract/doi/10.1162/LMJ_a_01011/69469

Dalgleish, M. and Reading, N. (2017) Soundtrack as Auditory Interface: Exploring an Alternative to Audio Description for Theatre. In Proceedings of Reproduced Sound 2017: Sound Quality by Design, 21-23 November 2017, Institute of Acoustics, Nottingham, UK.

Dalgleish, M. (2016). Unconventional Inputs: Old/New Instruments, Design, DIY and Disability. eContact! Journal for Electroacoustic Practices. vol. 18.3 (Dec 2016).

Dalgleish, M. (2016). Wiring the Ear: Instrumentality and Aural Primacy in and After David Tudor’s Unstable Circuits. Leonardo Music Journal, vol. 26 (Dec 2016), pp. 73-74. https://doi.org/10.1162/LMJ_x_00988

Dalgleish, M. (2016) The Modular Synthesizer Divided: The Keyboard and Its Discontents. eContact! Journal for Electroacoustic Practices, vol. 17.4 (April 2016).

Dalgleish, M., Payne, C. and Spencer, S. (2015) Adding Value: Combining Ambient Visual and Vibrotactile Feedback to Encourage Good Posture in Trumpet Players. In Proceedings of Electronic Visualisation and the Arts London (EVA London), British Computing Society, London, United Kingdom, 7-9 July 2015.

Dalgleish, M., Payne, C. and Spencer, S. (2015) Postrum II: A Posture Aid for Trumpet Players. In Proceedings of the 2015 Linux Audio Conference (LAC15), Mainz, Germany, 9-12 April 2015.

Dalgleish, M. and Spencer, S. (2014) Postrum: Developing Good Posture in Trumpet Players Through Directional Haptic Feedback. In Proceedings of the 9th Conference on International Musicology (CIM14), Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung, Berlin, Germany, 4-6 December, pp. 334-338.

Dalgleish, M. (2014) Reconsidering Process: Bringing Thoughtfulness to the Design of Digital Musical Instruments for Disabled Users. In Proceedings of INTER-FACE: the 2nd International Conference on Live Interfaces (ICLI 2014), Lisbon, Portugal, 20-23 November 2014, pp. 308-315.

Bellingham, M. and Dalgleish, M. (2014) Ghosts of the Modular. In Sines & Squares, NOVARS, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, 25-26 October 2014.

Bouwer, A., Holland, S. and Dalgleish, M. (2013) The Haptic Bracelets: Learning Multi-Limb Rhythm Skills from Haptic Stimuli While Reading. In Holland, S., Wilkie, K., Mulholland, P. and Seago, A. (eds.) Music and Human-Computer Interaction. Cultural Computing. London: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2990-5_6

Bouwer, A., Holland, S. and Dalgleish, M. (2013) Song Walker Harmony Space: Embodied Interaction Design for Complex Musical skills. In Holland, S., Wilkie, K., Mulholland, P. and Seago, A. (eds.) Music and Human-Computer Interaction. Cultural Computing. London: Springer.

Bouwer, A. Dalgleish, M. and Holland, S. (2012) Moving in Harmony: The Use of Spatial Metaphor and Whole Body Interaction to Reframe Harmonic Tasks. In Music & Shape conference, Institute for Music Research (IMR), London, UK, 12-14 July 2012.

Holland, S., Bouwer, A. and Dalgleish, M. (2011) Whole Body Interaction in Abstract Domains. In D. England (ed.) Whole Body Interaction (Human-Computer Interaction Series), Springer Verlag, London, pp. 19-34.

van der Linden, J., Rogers, Y., Crissman, T. and Dalgleish, M. (2011) Technology Inspired Design for Pervasive Healthcare. In Workshop on User-Centered Design of Pervasive Healthcare Applications, part of the 6th Pervasive Healthcare conference, Dublin, Ireland, 23 May 2011.

Holland, S. Bouwer, A., Dalgleish, M. and Hurtig, T. (2010) Feeling the Beat Where It Counts: Fostering Multi-Limb Rhythm Skills with the Haptic Drum Kit. In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI’10), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 25-27 January 2010.

mat.dalgleish@staffs.ac.uk