NOVARS RESEARCH CENTRE FOCUS: NOVARS is a new Research Centre started in March 2007 at University of Manchester, UK. NOVARS Reserch Areas include acousmatic composition and spatial sound; machine musicianship (with a specialism in acoustic instruments with live interactive media); cross-disciplinary research involving game-graphics-physics-audio engines and metadata and LocativeAudio (geolocative technologies for sound and urban environments) The Centre is capitalising the success of Music at the University of Manchester with a new 2.2 million pound investment in a cutting-edge new studio infrastructure. NOVARS is named to reference and celebrate the seminal work by Francis Dhomont (Novars). In his own words 'a reversed version of Ars Nova' - New Art, New Science. Facilities: NOVARS presents a 54 channel diffusion matrix system and a 350-seat concert hall, for sound spatialisation. Four composition-oriented studios are equiped with surround systems from 5.1 up to 32 channels (including Genelec, ATC and PMC speakers). NOVARS is the taking Performance into new creative challenges. The festival MANTIS Festival, Sines & Squares Festival and LocativeAudio are constantly being reinvigorated as a research experimental space for postgraduate students, a desirable international platform for the performance, diffusion and innovation in electroacoustic music and a point of encounter and support for hosting conferences and music events in the computer music field. NOVARS OFFICIAL WEBSITE Music at Manchester University has stablished itself as a very desirable space for high-profile researchers. At the last RAE assessment exercise, Music was ranked 5*. NOVARS Research Centre is providing additional research excellence to existing successful areas such as Composition and Musicology by supporting research in the areas of electroacoustic music.
NOVARS Reserch Centre, University of Manchester, UK - disclaimer.