Peter Otto

Peter Otto UCSD Music Technology Director
Phone: 858/534-4602
Off: MAND 123
potto@ucsd.edu
Peter Otto studied the cello from an early age, completing a Bachelor's Degree in Music performance from Drake University and concluding his musical training with a Master's Degree in composition from the California Institute of the Arts in 1984. His mentors in computer music and composition were Morton Subotnick and Mel Powell. After several years serving on the faculty at Cal Arts, Otto became Director of Musical Technology at the research institute Tempo Reale in Florence, Italy, where he worked closely with the distinguished composer Luciano Berio. As a composer's assistant and as a music hardware and software developer, several projects were brought to fruition during Otto's years in Italy, including the large scale work "Ofanim" by Berio, and two new musical technologies: the CONTACT Digital Audio Workstation control surface, and the TRAILS multi-channel interactive sound location system. Otto returned to the States to assume teaching and research responsibilities at SUNY Buffalo, where he was Associate Professor (Composition) and Director of the Computer Music Studios for four years. At SUNY Otto was a principal investigator for research projects including "MixNet", a comprehensive networked digital audio production system, and SUNY's Music Library Information Network project. Since 1994 Otto has served on the faculty and as Director of Music Technology at University of California San Diego's prestigious Department of Music. As an educator Mr. Otto has served a key role in the development of UCSD's Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts Major (ICAM) and is Faculty Advisor for the Major. Otto maintains an active role in collaborative performance, facilities development, and as a CRCA/CalIT2 researcher has devoted several years to research and software development on the topics of sound spatialization and multi-channel audio software, networking and hardware systems. His software has been licensed by UCSD to Immersive Media Research LLC, a San Diego media software company he co-founded. Recent collaborations with composers have included software development for Morton Subotnick's Gestures DVD on Mode Records, and development of a new digital version of Subotnick's Before the Butterfly for Orchestra and Computer, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz. He has also collaborated with UCSD composer Roger Reynolds, creating new sound design and spatialization software for Reynolds' opera Justice, and several new works for solo and ensemble instruments with performances and premiers at venues such as Julliard, IRCAM, and the Library of Congress. Recorded work with Reynolds can be heard on DVD and CD releases from Mode and Pogus records. Recent work at UCSD's CalIT2 has involved research in high resolution, low latency multichannel audio streaming, and surround recording with advanced spatial rendering for 4K digital cinema. Other projects involve spatial audio design for immersive environments such as CalIT2's new StarCave installation.