Research
Main Projects
Past Projects
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IArtNET
International platform for artistic practice, research and cultural heritage at Italian higher arts education institutions
An international network and digital platform connecting artistic research, heritage collections, and researchers across Italian higher arts and music education institutions (AFAM).
Project details
IArtNET combines an institutional network with a shared digital environment to make historical collections and contemporary artistic research more accessible. Its deliverables include an interoperable database, an English-language open-access portal, and an international hub for artistic research. The project supports cross-disciplinary collaboration, data sharing aligned with European standards, and joint postgraduate and doctoral pathways spanning heritage preservation, digitization, design, music, and the performing arts. It is funded by the European Union under Mission 4, Component 1 (CUP D43C24000580001).
Tasks
- Digital access to heritage collections and artistic research
- Interoperable data sharing through a database and web portal
- International and cross-disciplinary research cooperation
- Support for joint postgraduate research pathways
Contact: Luca A. Ludovico
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CHANGES Spoke 2 WP1
Digital research, mapping, and access to Italian intangible cultural heritage
Web platforms and a shared project database supporting the documentation, mapping, and exploration of Italian intangible cultural heritage across seven research groups.
Project details
Within CHANGES Spoke 2, Work Package 1, universities and cultural institutions investigated Italian intangible cultural heritage through research, mapping, and digitization. Seven research groups addressed cinema; food and wine culture; ethnomusicology and cultural anthropology; linguistics; fashion, design, and crafts; musicology; and theatre. A cross-project platform brings together research-process analysis, interactive geographical mappings, and a shared thematic thesaurus under development. Collaboration with TRAMA provided a framework for comparing research processes and co-designing the platform. The computer science team developed all frontend and back-office web platforms and the project database, enabling researchers to manage their materials and the public to explore the resulting resources. The project was funded by the European Union through NextGenerationEU under the Italian NRRP, Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.3 (PE 0000020 CHANGES; CUP G53C22000430006).
Tasks
- Design and development of all public-facing web platforms
- Design and development of all back-office web platforms
- Design and implementation of the project database
- Integration of research resources, interactive maps, and cross-project exploration tools
Project figures
- 7 research groups
- 3 years of research
Contact: Luca A. Ludovico
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MAHATMA
Multiscale Analysis of Human and Artificial Trajectories: Models and Applications
Multisensory interfaces, experiments, and computational models for perceiving, producing, and learning human and artificial trajectories through rhythm.
Project details
MAHATMA (PRIN project 2022RB939W) investigated representations of human and artificial trajectories across spatial scales and sensory modalities. The consortium brought together the University of Milan, the University of Genoa, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, and the University of Verona. Its shared experimental framework, TickTacking, uses rhythmic interaction and multisensory feedback to study trajectory control, motor learning, and individual and cooperative performance. The Milan unit developed and evaluated minimal one- and two-button interfaces with auditory and tactile feedback, investigated motion-correlation interaction with auditory trajectories, and explored visualization and control of rhythmic relations through RhyGlyph. Project research also included machine learning and model predictive control for human-like trajectory generation, with potential applications in assistive technologies, training, and the performing arts.
Tasks
- Design and evaluation of rhythm-based multisensory interfaces
- Experiments on trajectory perception, production, and motor learning
- Computational modeling and prediction of human and artificial trajectories
- Visualization and control of rhythmic interactions
Project figures
- 4 research institutions
- Visual, auditory, and tactile feedback
- One- and two-button interaction prototypes
Contact: Davide Rocchesso
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VOCAPRA
Continuous monitoring of dairy goat farms through vocalization analysis
An acoustic monitoring system for dairy goat farms, combining audio sensors, automatic vocalization analysis, and a farmer-facing app to support animal welfare.
Project details
VOCAPRA applied a multidisciplinary approach to precision livestock farming, studying goat vocalizations in different contexts to support continuous, non-invasive monitoring and improve the relationship between farmers and their animals. Started in September 2019, the project was coordinated by the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of the University of Milan, with the Departments of Computer Science and of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, and three partner dairy goat farms in Lombardy: Bagaggera, Il Boscasso, and Il Colmetto. It was supported by the Lombardy Rural Development Programme, operation 16.1.01. LIM contributed audio recording and IoT technologies, computational auditory scene analysis and vocalization classification, technical support for farm-event annotation, and the project website and app. Demonstration events and the final conference took place in 2023; outputs include an open audio dataset, practical manuals, and scientific publications.
Tasks
- Audio recording and IoT sensor integration in goat farms
- Automatic detection and classification of goat vocalizations
- Technical support for annotation of farm events
- Development of the project website and monitoring app
Project figures
- 3 partner dairy goat farms
- 4147 publicly available audio clips
- 2 seconds per audio clip
Contact: Stavros Ntalampiras
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BEIC Music Archive
Selection, digitization, cataloguing, and online access to the music collection of the Biblioteca Europea di Informazione e Cultura.
Project details
The Biblioteca Europea di Informazione e Cultura charged LIM to select classical music composers, works and performances - a total of about 1000 items to be purchased - in order to create the music section of its digital library. Aiming to make the choice as objective as possible, LIM developed an ad hoc algorithm (see ▸paper ). CD-DAs were ripped and the resulting files were saved into appropriate formats for on-line fruition, and iconographic material was scanned at a professional quality. Each composition was linked to the PDF file that contains the corresponding score. Finally, a web player was designed, implemented and released. The project was officially presented on Wednesday June 22, 2016 at La Scala Theatre Museum (see ▸press release ).
Tasks
- Selection of composers and works
- Audio ripping
- Graphical materials digital acquisition
- Links to music scores
- Implementation of the web framework
Project figures
- 135 composers
- 410 music works
- 1500 digitized media
- 81000 audio files
- 3600 image files
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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Bach Digital
IEEE 1599 encoding and an interactive web application for exploring works from the Bach repertoire, developed for Bach Archiv Leipzig.
Project details
Bach Archiv Leipzig asked LIM to apply the IEEE 1599 technology to some pieces of Bach repertoire, in order to build a section of its official Web site presenting advanced dissemination and fruition features.
Tasks
- IEEE 1599 encoding
- Content synchronization
- Development of the Web application
Project figures
- 4 pieces
- 11 audio tracks
- 13 scores
- 100 score pages
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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Pearson VideoStudio
An IEEE 1599 learning environment for Pearson music textbooks, combining synchronized scores, karaoke, instrumental video tutorials, and animations.
Project details
VideoStudio is a software tool created by LIM that enriches the educational experience of Pearson music textbooks for the middle school. VideoStudio embeds three functionalities in a unique web learning environment (see ▸demo ), that includes: a karaoke with audio-score sync, color codes associated with pitches (designed for students who have specific learning disabilities), configurable metronome, possibility to start from any note of the song by selecting it with the mouse; a video tutorial showing three musical instruments played by professional instrumentalists; animations of the three instruments supporting colored pitches. The application, based on the IEEE 1599 standard, is distributed with the text "C'è musica per tutti" by Vasco Vacchi and through the Didastore web platform.
Tasks
- IEEE 1599 music encoding
- Design and implementation of the web player
Project figures
- 3 musical instruments
- 106 exercises
- 43 videos
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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EMIPIU
Enhanced Music Interactive Platform for Internet User
An IEEE 1599 documentation portal and web player offering about 70 synchronized music examples, developed with LIRMM and Didael KTS.
Project details
The EMIPIU project stems from a scientific cooperation between LIM and the Laboratoire d'Informatique, de Robotique et de Microélectronique de Montpellier (LIRMM), Université Montpellier 2. The main goal is the development of music and multimedia technologies for the exploitation of digital archives and musical documents in digital format. As a part of the project the portal EMIPIU was designed and released. Such a portal is the reference for the documentation of the IEEE 1599 standard and the exemplification of its potential. In the Music Box area, there is an advanced Web viewer for music content, and about 70 IEEE 1599 examples are made available to the public. The format is applied to a range of musical genres, from classical to jazz, from opera to folk, from Gregorian chant to ballet. As it regards musical symbols, examples show not only the Common Western Notation but also neumes, tablatures for lute, Labanotation, etc. Moreover, in addition to traditional music pieces there are movie soundtracks, storytelling and applications of the standard to CLIL. The project is co-financed by the Lombardy Region, and includes Didael KTS S.r.l. as main industrial partner.
Tasks
- IEEE 1599 documentation
- Release of an IEEE 1599 Web player
- Encoding of about 70 examples
Project figures
- 20 staff members
- 70 pieces
- 5 hours of on-line free music
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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TIVal - Certosa di Pavia
Integrated Technologies for the Documentation and Promotion of Lombard Cultural Heritage
Digitization and IEEE 1599 encoding of musical heritage from the Certosa di Pavia, with an online interface for exploring synchronized chant sources.
Project details
The main goal of TIVal project, funded by the Lombardy Region and developed by a consortium of 4 Lombard universities (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Università degli Studi di Milano, Università degli Studi di Pavia e Politecnico di Milano) was the integration of innovative analytical techniques for the definition of an original proposal of exploitation of the Certosa of Pavia. In this context, LIM was required to deal with the musical aspects, specifically the collection of graduals preserved at the library. At the end of the digitization campaign, the gradual 814 was chosen to apply the most advanced fruition technologies. Its contents were transcribed and coded in IEEE 1599 format, synchronized with other graphic and audio materials, and finally made available online through an advanced score-following interface.
Tasks
- IEEE 1599 encoding of materials
- Release of the Web interface
Project figures
- 15 liturgical pieces
- 31 scanned pages
- 3 transcriptions
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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laVerdi: Messa da Requiem
An interactive score-following application for laVerdi’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem, synchronizing the orchestral score with six video takes and 24 audio channels.
Project details
The Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (Symphony Orchestra of Milan Giuseppe Verdi, a.k.a. laVerdi) commissioned LIM a score-following application with audio/score synchronization of the Requiem Mass by Giuseppe Verdi. The software includes six video takes and 24-channel multitrack recording, allowing users to select in real time both the point of view to watch and the filtered audio to listen to. Synchronization among orchestral score, audio and video takes fully exploits the IEEE 1599 standard and the related technologies developed by LIM.
Tasks
- IEEE 1599 encoding
- Content synchronization
- Development of the application
Project figures
- 87 minutes of music
- 264 pages
- 24 audio channels
- 6 video takes
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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La Scala Theatre
A thirteen-year collaboration to preserve La Scala’s audio and score collections and integrate the theatre’s archives into a searchable multimedia system.
Project details
The project with the Teatro alla Scala in Milan lasted a total of 13 years, embracing different activities. July 1996: the phonic archive rescue project begins. Goffredo Haus is the scientific coordinator of the project. At LIM the archive recordings of the theater since 1951 are digitized or ripped, for a total of about 5000 media and 10000 hours of music. The original materials consisted of open-reel analog tapes (from 1951 to 1990) and DAT (from 1990 to present). Analog media have been thermally pre-treated to recover the original audio information, then contents have been edited for track separation. January 1997: the experimental project for the digitalization of music scores begins, and it is completely carried out at LIM. October 1998: the D.A.M. project (standing for Digital Asset Management / Depositi Archivi Magazzini) begins. The goal is to digitize and integrate all aspects of the theater archives: scores, audio, photographs and playbills, sketches and fashion plates, props, costumes and accessories, monographs. The scientific coordination of the project is given to Goffredo Haus; the execution of the project is entrusted to Andersen Consulting (later Accenture) for multimedia files and to LIM for the music archive (audio and scores). October 2002: the integration of the theater archives into a single environment begins. LIM designs and implements: a multimedia database common to all archives; data-loading and cataloging applications; an interface to launch integrated queries on the archives via the intranet. Technical partners include Accenture, Fastweb, Hewlett Packard, Oracle, and TDK. In this framework, particularly advanced technologies have been developed. It is worth citing the software application called M.A.I.S. (Musical Archive Information System), which provides access to both the audio recordings and the corresponding scores in an integrated environment. Contents - i.e. scores and recordings - can be retrieved by humming or by writing a few notes on the screen.
Tasks
- Audio media rescue and digitization
- Integrated multimedia database
- Back-end applications for uploading data and content
- Web interface to query the integrated database via intranet
- Experimentation of advanced methods and technologies
Project figures
- 13 years of collaboration
- 50 years of content
- 5000 tapes
- 8 archives
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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RAI Studio of Phonology
Multimedia archives and interactive applications for the reconstructed RAI Studio of Phonology at Milan’s Castello Sforzesco.
Project details
In 2008, in the context of the MiTo Festival, the RAI Studio of Phonology was rebuilt and opened to the public at the Museum of Musical Instruments of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan. LIM contributed to this initiative by equipping 4 PC stations with multimedia applications. First, a rich multimedia digital library was built in cooperation with RAI archive's responsible, Maddalena Novati. The database contained movies, photographs, sound samples and scores from RAI archives, and an ad-hoc application was released to query its digital content. Moreover, LIM staff implemented an application for a guided musicological analysis of Bruno Maderna's works, based on research results by Angela Ida De Benedictis.
Tasks
- Multimedia database of RAI historical archives
- Application to query the archive
- Application for musicological analysis
Project figures
- 4 PC stations
- 150 composers
- 500 music works
- 8000 images
- 100 audio tracks
- 50 videos
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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Ricordi Historical Archive
Digitization, cataloguing, and web access to the Ricordi Historical Archive, linking music works with scores, photographs, drawings, and other historical documents.
Project details
The project aimed to let users query data and metadata of the historical archive's music works via the Web. In particular, for each composition the information on composers and productions was entered and linked to a number of digital objects: scores, photos, drawings, stage maps, handwritten letters, etc. The digitisation project was promoted and funded by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, and it was part of a wider cataloguing and digitisation programme involving the most important Italian musical institutions. The digitisation of documents adhered to international standards, and the resulting digital documents are available on the Ministry's portal known as InternetCulturale .
Tasks
- Scientific coordination of the digitization campaign
- Study and development of standards for cataloging
- Design and realization of the multimedia database
- Design and implementation of the Web application, including a back-end interface
Project figures
- 6500 documents
- 12500 scans
- 105 music works
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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RSI - J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
An IEEE 1599 score-following application for Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, combining RSI recordings with multiple synchronized video views in collaboration with SUPSI.
Project details
The project has the goal of listening and viewing audio/video materials recorded by RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera and referring to a performance of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by J.S. Bach. The format used to synchronize materials is the IEEE 1599 standard. Compared to other similar experiences of advanced score following, here the key aspect is the presence of 40 independent video tracks, enjoyable together up to 5, which allow to analyze in detail the gestures and movements of each music player. The project is in cooperation with the Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI).
Tasks
- IEEE 1599 encoding of materials
- Development of a score following application with multiple video tracks
Project figures
- 3 movements
- 7 groups of players
- 40 simultaneous video tracks
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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GN ReSound Hearing Aids
Development and comparison of technical, objective, and subjective methods for assessing the audio quality of hearing aids.
Project details
The project with GN ReSound aims at measuring the quality of hearing aids. The goal is to develop a standard methodology for the objective and subjective assessment of the audio quality perceived by hearing aids. After the analysis of the state of the art and the establishment of a theoretical framework, the results from different types of analysis have been compared: Technical characteristics - Measurement of the performance of the hearing aids in laboratory and in real-world situations by means of a suitably equipped dummy head; Objective methods - Comparison of actual and output signals of the hearing aids by means of numerical methods and models (ITU-R PESQ/PEAQ, STIPA, AI, etc.); Subjective assessments - Administration of test batteries on both non-impaired and deaf subjects (ITU-R, etc.).
Tasks
- Measurement of the quality of hearing aids
- Design of methods for the objective evaluation
- Administration of tests for the subjective assessment
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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National Museum of Science and Technology
Renewal of the sound section at Milan’s National Museum of Science and Technology, including interactive stations for exploring audio equipment and signal chains.
Project details
In the years 2003/2004 the project for the renewal of the sound section was started at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. The project was sponsored by TDK Italy. The objectives are to provide to visitors with: a representative overview and historical perspective of the devices for the storage, recording, production, reproduction and enjoyment of phonic information; an interactive station for guided explanatory presentations based on the combined use of the real/virtual instrumentation described above; an interactive self-service station for individual visitors and small groups, based on interaction by images and by sound, with a small amount of information in natural language. It is worth to cite the particularly interesting software developed to simulate the creation of audio chains by combining user-selectable devices.
Tasks
- Historical research on the audio equipment
- Development of interactive stations (supervised and self-service)
Project figures
- 11 object types
- 2 fruition modes
- 15 audio parameters to explore
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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Bolshoi Theatre
Preservation and cataloguing of historic Bolshoi Theatre performances through the digitization of 200 magnetic tapes, with support from TDK.
Project details
The project, carried out in 2000, had the goal to preserve relevant performances of high value in the archives of Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow. Among the recordings, there are great voices of opera. About 200 magnetic tapes were selected and digitized, thus producing 200 CD-ROMs in two copies (original and backup). The contents were also cataloged and organized in a database. The project was sponsored by TDK.
Tasks
- Magnetic tape digitization
- Cataloging and archiving
Project figures
- 200 tapes
- 400 CD-ROMs
Contact: Goffredo Haus
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Intelligent Music Workstation
An integrated software and hardware environment for music and audio processing, culminating in the first CD-ROM published by the IEEE Computer Society Press.
Project details
The idea of the Intelligent Music Workstation project arises from a need to make available a single environment for the numerical elaboration of musical and audio information, so that commercial software and hardware applications can be integrated with the more flexible environments developed in research centres. The steps are: 1) implementation and testing of an advanced user interface (advanced graphics, iconic languages, hypertextual navigation) for the IMW; 2) integration of the musical functionalities in a single workstation with the possibility for the user to operate at the various levels of the musical information representation; 3) integration of the commercial modules with IMW prototypal modules; 4) validation of the IMW through pilot activities made by experts. The resulting IMW configuration is a set of software and hardware modules hierarchically structured in four levels: Hardware Level (general purpose elaboration system, modules for the numerical elaboration of sounds, devices for recording and playing sound, devices for control and for signal distribution); Level S/W 1 (low level modules for sound analysis-synthesis, building and elaboration of samples and timbre models, numerical audio masters production); Level S/W 2 (high-level modules for composition, analysis/synthesis of musical texts and of structures of musical texts, musical and audio visual performance, orchestration, musical DTP); User Interface (high-level hypertextual user interface). The IMW has been developed with funding from the CNR Targeted Project entitled "Sistemi Informatici e Calcolo Parallelo" between 1990 and 1992. The project produced the first CD-ROM published by the IEEE Computer Society Press. CD-ROM SLMI (CNR): VV.AA. (G. Haus, Scientific Direction): "IMW-CD: Stazione di Lavoro Musicale Intelligente (SLMI) - Intelligent Music Workstation (IMW)" , mixed mode CD-ROM (Macintosh HFS + CD-DA), CNR-PFI2, UNI/MI/DSI6, 1993. CD-ROM IMW (IEEE): VV.AA. (G. Haus, Scientific Direction): "The Intelligent Music Workstation (IMW) CD-ROM" , mixed mode CD-ROM (Macintosh HFS + CD-DA), IEEE Computer Society Press, 1994.
Tasks
- Design and implementation of a music-oriented integrated SW/HW architecture
- Release of a CD-ROM sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society
Project figures
- 4 SW/HW levels
- 6 libraries
- 18 software applications
Contact: Goffredo Haus