Feedback & Cybernetics
What is Cybernetics?
Norbert Wiener's Vision (1948)
- Communication and Control — universal principles in animals and machines
- Information feedback loops — fundamental mechanisms of nature
- Systems thinking — everything is connected
Core concept: Input → Processing → Output → Feedback → Input
The Universal Pattern of Feedback
[SYSTEM] → [OUTPUT] → [ENVIRONMENT] → [FEEDBACK] → [SYSTEM]Examples everywhere:
- Thermostat — temperature regulation
- Nervous system — sensory-motor loops
- Learning — try, fail, adjust, repeat
- Music performance — continuous real-time adjustment
Cybernetic Loop Diagrams
Basic Cybernetic Loop
Core components:
- Sensor: Perceives the current state
- Controller/Comparator: Compares target with current state, determines control action
- Actuator: Executes control action, forms a closed loop through feedback
Thermostat Example
Key Characteristics of Cybernetic Loops
- Closed-loop structure: Output influences input through feedback
- Real-time adjustment: Continuous sense-decide-act cycle
- Goal-oriented: System always adjusts toward preset target
- Self-correcting: Automatically corrects deviations through feedback
Feedback is NOT Optional in Music
Feedback is not a tool to "make music alive" — it IS the mechanism by which music exists and evolves.
Inherent feedback loops:
- Performer ↔ Instrument — tactile and auditory response
- Performer ↔ Audience — energy exchange in live performance
- Sound ↔ Space — acoustic environment shaping
- Tradition ↔ Innovation — cultural evolution
Feedback Across Media
Theater: Brechtian Alienation Effect
Verfremdungseffekt
- Audience awareness breaks the "fourth wall"
- Meta-feedback: consciousness of the performance mechanism
- Disruption creates new understanding
Digital Platforms
- Bilibili: Danmu comments, likes, coins
- TikTok: Hearts, shares, algorithm response
- Viral loops: Content → Engagement → Visibility → More Content
History of Feedback Music
- 1960s: Jimi Hendrix, The Velvet Underground
- 1970s: No Wave, Industrial Music
- 1980s: Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine
- 1990s-2000s: Laptop music, Circuit bending
- 2010s-Present: AI, Machine Learning, Social Media Integration
Contemporary cybernetic artists:
- Atau Tanaka — biomusic interfaces
- Marco Donnarumma — muscle sound
- Holly Herndon — AI collaboration
Applications
Cybernetic loops are widely applied in:
- Industrial control: temperature, pressure, flow control
- Transportation: autonomous driving, traffic signal control
- Biological systems: body temperature, blood sugar regulation
- Economic systems: market regulation, monetary policy
- Social systems: organizational management, policy making