Software Interfaces for Music

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Software Interfaces for Music


How to Use It


For instance, python would launch the pong example.


Examples I've Made



Here is another example of a graphical mixer that does not use faders or knobs. Instead, there are collection of blocks each tied to their own audio loop. When a block is placed inside the center square, or mixing pallette, the audio is heard. Once inside the mixing pallette, the blocks can be moved to affect their sound plaback. Left to right controls pan postion while the y-axis or up and down controls the playback rate of the audio loop. Moving up pitches the sample up and moving down pitches it down.


Be careful when working quickly between the two environments, Python and ChucK, to be sure to change your syntax between the two languages. Python uses no semi-colons or brackets. ChucK uses both of those things but cannot use an equal sign to define a variable. If you aren't careful, you'll find a lot of errors in one or both of the two programming environments.

Future Plans and Implementations

Exploring the use of color as a control parameter could be very interesting. Especially when dealing with multiple levels of transparency in obejects. For example, layering two objects on top of each other could produce a new hue of their colors, and that mixing could translate into additional harmonic overtones of the synthesized sound.

I would like to implement OSC feedback from ChucK into Python. That way, while the sound is being altered, the sound being created could be represented as a visualization to the music being made. For example, in the mixing pallette example, when a block is placed on the mixing area, it could begin making small movements to the rhythm of its audio loop. This would be visually engaging and would further enhance the user experience.

Making a more comprehensive application that had more features and changability than the one trick pony type of interface I'm creating now would be an exciting goal. To create an application that looked good, felt good, sounded good, and was most importantly fun to use.

Links to Interesting SI Pages

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