Evaluation of Input Devices for Musical Expression: Borrowing Tools from HCI

This article addresses the evaluation of input devices for musical expression. The comparison and evaluation of input devices is a well-developed topic in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research area, a multidisciplinary field that presents several similarities (and many differences) to computer music. We here introduce an overview of various developments from HCI and discuss possible applications of this knowledge to the musical context. Results from previous experiments are commented and a set of musical tasks is suggested and discussed as a first step toward the evaluation of input devices for musical expression.