Fraietta, Angelo

Angelo Fraietta started playing the guitar at the age of 15 while completing an Electronics Technician apprenticeship in the RAAF.  Since that time, music and electronics have been an integral part of Angelo's creative being. After serving in the RAAF for twelve years and attaining the rank of sergeant, Angelo was awarded the Associate Diploma of Engineering in Electronics. Angelo discharged from the RAAF to pursue full time music study at the University of Western Sydney (UWS).

During his study, Angelo's expert knowledge of electronics allowed him to collaborate with other students, which led to the development of the Laser Harp by Alex Cockburn, and the Virtual Drum Kit by Guy Robinson.  The Laser Harp is an instrument that is performed by cutting laser beams with the body, while the Virtual Drum Kit entails a performer playing an invisible drum kit. Angelo also composed and performed various quadraphonic sound-scapes based on his Christian beliefs. In his final year, Angelo developed a compositional tool for personal computers called Algorithmic Composer, which enables composers to construct musical structures by connecting virtual objects with virtual patch cables. The performer can then interact with the structures using a mouse, keyboard, and Midi device.  Angelo was awarded the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts Award in Theoretical Studies and a Bachelor of Arts (Music) with First Class Honours.

After completing his study at UWS, Angelo was employed at Hunter Watertech (now Serek Controls), as a firmware engineer, where he developed software for programmable logic control (PLC) embedded telemetry systems, which were used to monitor and control water pump stations. His involvement with this type of technology gave him the idea of developing the Smart Controller - a portable hardware device that allows performers to create music using Programmable Logic Control.

Angelo Fraietta is currently completing his Ph.D. under the auspices of an Australian Post Graduate Award (APA) and an Apple University Consortium (AUC) Seeding Grant. In the course of his research, Angelo designed and built the Dumb and Smart Controllers. The Smart Controller is a stand alone device capable of reducing the number of electronic modules required, particularly the requirement of a laptop computer, in a live performance or installation. The Smart Controller is used in Anne Norman's “ Bell Garden ,” which was funded through an Australia Council Sounding-out grant. The Dumb Controller is a subset of the Smart Controller and provides control voltage to MIDI and MIDI to control voltage conversion. The Dumb Controller is used in Donna Hewitt's “ E-mic,” which was also funded by an Australia Council Sounding-out grant. The Dumb Controller was also used by Gordon Monro in his composition Red Grains , which was a prize winner at the Kaleidoscope Festival . Angelo currently builds and sells both these devices through the internet.

Online Resources

• Fraietta, Angelo, 'Smart Budgeting for a Smart Controller.', in Waveform 2001: the Australasian Computer Music Conference, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2001, http://www.users.bigpond.com/angelo_f/smartcontroller SmartBudgetingForASmartController.pdf. [ Details... ]
• Fraietta, Angelo, 'Smart Controller -- Artist Talk', in Form, Space, Time: The Australasian Computer Music Conference, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 2002, http://www.iii.rmit.edu.au/sonology/ACMC2002/ACMC2002_Web_Proceedings 149-152_Fraietta-AT.pdf. [ Details... ]
• Fraietta, Angelo, 'Incremental Sound Installation Development Using the Smart Controller', in Converging Technologies: The Australasian Computer Music Conference, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University, 2003, http://acmc.waapa.ecu.edu.au/036-042Fraietta.pdf. [ Details... ]
• Fraietta, Angelo, 'The Smart Controller - Shifting Performance Boundaries', in National University of Singapore (ed.), Boundaryless Music:The International Computer Music Conference, 2003, http://www.users.bigpond.com/angelo_f/smartcontroller/boundaries.htm. [ Details... ]