Presented at SNU Data Science Seminar

A comprehensive overview of the AI revolution in software engineering, tracing the evolution from early chatbots to the era of autonomous 'Vibe Coding' and multi-agent orchestration. The second part reflects on my unconventional career journey from a computer musician in Korea to a Google engineering manager in Silicon Valley, offering practical lessons on resilience, domain knowledge, and navigating major career pivots in the age of generative AI.

Presented at Leonardo Journal, Volume 57, Issue 5

Outlining the design philosophy of SIREN, this article presents a web app for democratizing data sonification. It provides an accessible framework using web technologies to make sophisticated auditory data display more widely available, bridging the gap between existing complex tools and potential users.

Presented at Web Audio Conference

Detailing the sound synthesis architecture of the SIREN web app, this paper explains how its module system enables custom synthesizers. The design balances a low threshold for entry with a high ceiling for creative auditory display, empowering users to create aesthetic sonifications.

Presented at W3C TPAC

From the W3C Audio Working Group, this presentation showcases recent developments and demos of new standardized capabilities. Topics include API progress and efforts to improve cross-browser compatibility and performance, outlining the evolution of the web's audio infrastructure.

Presented at The Audio Programmer Podcast

An interview covers Hongchan's role at Google Chrome and as co-chair of the W3C Audio Working Group, which sets web standards for audio. Key topics include the challenges of building browser-based audio tools, the importance of low-level APIs like AudioWorklet, and future visions for web audio, emphasizing hybrid applications and leveraging browser strengths.

Presented at Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Auditory Display

An updated version of the SIREN web app is presented for sophisticated sonification. It uses a robust "tracks and regions" model similar to DAWs, lowering the accessibility barrier for users to explore complex parameter mappings and sonic choices without programming.

Presented at Web Audio Conference

Reflecting on the progress of the Web Audio API, this keynote looks toward its future. It covers the platform's maturation with AudioWorklet and WebAssembly and discusses future challenges like performance, WebCodecs, and bridging the gap between web and native applications.

Presented at Audio Developer Conference

Modern techniques for creating music online are discussed, covering WebAssembly in AudioWorklets for high-performance processing. The talk also introduces the emerging WebCodecs API, which allows developers to leverage native browser codecs for efficient audio encoding and decoding.

Presented at Music Hackspace

An interview discussing a role on the Google Chrome team advocating for the Web Audio API's development. The work involves collaborating with partners and developers to understand their needs, shifting focus from hands-on coding to supporting the broader developer community.

Presented at Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Auditory Display

SIREN is an open-source web workstation for data sonification introduced in this paper. It uses a familiar DAW workflow, allowing users to map data to audio parameters on a track-based layout, enabling meaningful auditory displays without deep programming knowledge.

Presented at Chrome for Developers

Demonstrating how to build a simple drum machine, this tutorial notes the API's finalization for cross-browser stability. It also highlights using AudioWorklet and WebAssembly for advanced audio software. A link to the code is provided for viewers.

Presented at W3C Workshop on Web Games

Focusing on low-level audio input/output, this talk covers recent progress and future directions for the API. It presents updates aimed at improving performance and reducing latency, making the web a more viable platform for high-performance applications like games.

Presented at Google I/O

A unified approach to high-performance audio on Android and Chrome is presented. The talk shows how a shared C++ audio engine can power both native and web apps via WebAssembly and AudioWorklet, enabling developers to write code once and and deploy everywhere.

Presented at International Computer Music Conference

The AudioWorklet, a modern replacement for ScriptProcessorNode, is detailed in this paper. It solves critical performance issues by running code on a dedicated audio thread, preventing glitches and enabling low-latency processing for high-performance audio applications on the web.

Presented at WebAudioPDX

An introduction to the AudioWorklet, a feature replacing ScriptProcessorNode. The talk explains the system's architecture, which moves audio processing off the main thread for low-latency, glitch-free performance in high-performance web applications.

Presented at W3C Workshop on Web and Virtual Reality

Omnitone, an open-source library for rendering full-sphere spatial audio (ambisonics) in-browser, is introduced here. It addresses the need for immersive audio for 360° video and VR, highlighting challenges like compressed formats and audio/video synchronization on the web platform.

Presented at Stanford University

The technical foundation for real-time, collaborative musical performance (“musicking”) using open web standards is laid out in this dissertation. Its research explores creating accessible systems for networked musical interaction, arguing for the web as an ideal platform for distributing interactive music applications.

Presented at CCRMA

Research on enabling real-time, networked musical collaboration using web technologies is presented in this thesis defense. It explores frameworks for distributed "musicking" and covers challenges like latency, highlighting the potential for web apps to increase access to collaborative music creation.

Presented at The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

An audio-visual instrument where drawing sounds are processed in real-time is presented in this paper. A magnetometer tracks a magnetized pencil's position to modulate audio, creating a tight feedback loop between gesture and sonic output. The hardware and software are also discussed.

Presented at Proceedings of the international conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

WAAX, a library to simplify and extend the Web Audio API, is introduced in this paper. It provides a high-level framework for managing the low-level node graph using abstract "units" for common tasks and includes tools for visualization and GUI control to accelerate development.

Presented at CCRMA Colloquium

Presented in a colloquium, WAAX is a library for simplifying the Web Audio API. The talk covers concepts like abstracting node graphs into reusable "units" and showcases tools for rapid development and visualization, making the API more accessible for sketching musical ideas.

Presented at Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Auditory Display

A novel implementation of Vector-Based Amplitude Panning (VBAP) for sonified data is presented here. The system includes a graphical interface for composing 3D sound trajectories, adapting computer graphics techniques for real-time panning, and simulating distance for immersive auditory displays.

Presented at Proceedings of the international conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

The Deckle Project, an ensemble performing with electroacoustic drawing boards, is described in this paper. Its instruments use embedded systems and sensors to couple drawing gestures to sound production, detailing three position tracking techniques to explore drawing as real-time musical performance.

Presented at Proceedings of the international conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

The LUSH system for creating organic, interactive, or generative music is presented in this publication. Predating the widespread adoption of the Web Audio API, it likely focuses on different technologies for creating interactive music systems and new interfaces for musical expression.