2 + 2 = 5

.cc - week one.

This semester we are creating our own MSP (Max Signal Processing) libraries, with the aim of pooling them altogether for the final project later on. To begin with we were asked to make the following two objects:

i. Pop-less DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter)

jam.dac.zip

ii. Volume fader

jam.fadeamp.zip

.thoughts.
For the most part the original dac~ object is better than the jam.dac~ object. While my object may not pop to begin with, it instead has a small volume ramp. Having said that, I have not really encountered a problem with the original dac~ popping. On top of this dac~ has other features like the 'stopwindow' message, as well as an endless addition of channels and messages which arrange those channels. If you double click on the dac~ object it opens the Max "DSP Status" window which has heaps of options/preferences for Digital Signal Processing in Max. So while I learned some stuff about MSP making jam.dac~, it's not going take over dsp~ just yet.

.issues.
The only way I know incorporating these objects into other patches is by using the 'bpatcher' object or by creating a 'patcher' and copying the whole objects patch into that window. Having said that, clicking on 'help' for each of my custom objects will only open the 'thispatcher.help' window. And also, I was unable to set the 'Ramp Time' for the jam.fadeamp~ object as a argument (it's only inputted through an inlet).

It is going to be a semester of number crunching. I can smell the blood, sweat and tears already.

.sources.

Haines, Christian 26.07.2007 "Music & Sound Processing." EMU, Adelaide University.

victorian synth

.forum - week one.

victorian synth on youtube

Making a ‘Victorian Synth’ in Music Tech forum was a fun and simple introduction to the realm of instrument construction. As far as I could tell, the two main ways to alter the sound of the speaker being connected to a 9V battery was to, firstly, alter the signal flow between the battery and speaker (like running the connection point over a metal file) or to, secondly, alter the output capability of the speaker itself (like burying the speaker in a bowl of rocks). Using the second of these possibilities, Seb used a paper clip to generate a pitch sweeping pseudo-oscillator tone. For me this was the most impressive used of the victorian synth.

Mitchell Whitelaw’s keynote presentation at ACMC last year featured a video in which a small green dot wobbled around and expanded into different shapes. I was really impressed with by this video. He went on to explain how it was created; by connecting a weird mishmash of electronics into a video input. I am hoping that this ‘Electronics, Instruments and Improvisation’ course touches on other media (particularly visual) at some point.

This kind of experimentation with electronic componentry can obviously have breathtaking results, having said that, I do not think I will ever need to play a victorian synth again. Just on that, if we were to compare what we were doing with the vicorian synth to the tele-visual media, that is, if we were outputting through a screen rather than a speaker, we would then have been perhaps drawing on a screen and putting objects on it, like we were doing to the speaker. However in the visual medium one would tend not to do this, it seems a little stupid, and having said that I am happy working from the behind the output device. The possibilities of what one can create and send to a speaker, rather than what one can create by altering the vibration of that speaker, are greater and preferable.

This course intends for each student to create an instrument, which to then use for improvisation. I have idea for my own interface/intrument, which springs from this dilemma: Oftentimes I am sitting at my computer tapping a beat on the desk then trying to write this into a program like Sibelius or Reason. While both extensive experience with this, and years of aural classes have diminished this problem for me, I still feel that an interface which cuts out the middle man between my desk, my brain and the computer should exist (perhaps one does?). So basically what I am envisaging is an electronic drum kit that is played with your fingers and is primarily (but not exclusively) a tool for composition. As I have said already, the avenues toward visual output are also attractive. Just an idea.

.sources.

Haines, Christian. Tomczak, Seb. Whittington, Stephen. 26.07.07 "Introduction to Electronics, Instruments and Improvisation," EMU, Adelaide University.

game audio

.aa - week one.

Bubble Bobble was released in 1986, before I was born, but was popular enough to make it onto plenty of subsequent game systems. Beginning as an arcade game, its now avaliable for PS2 and xbox 360.

It incorporates two-player cooperative really well (second player can join whenever). It was one of the first games to have multiple endings; finishing the 100 levels in single player mode will only warp the player back to a previous level. Finishing the game with two-players will successfully rescue bub and bobs' girlfriends. Giggity. However, this is not the "true" ending, for that, one must enter the code obtained from rescuing the girlfriends and enter that on the starting screen to unlock 'super' bubble bobble. In this mode the enemies are randomised, making it very difficult for the two-players to complete the game (again) and clock the true ending! Some of the baddies...

Stoner


Baron von Blubba


In the game there is this repetitive song that loops over and over, until the single melody of the song is so ingrained in your head all you can think about is shooting bubbles out of little dragons mouths and bopping along to that silly tune. Apart from that the only sound effects are the sound of the dragons jump and the sound of a bubble popping. Aesthetically, the music blends in nicely with the sound effects and the feel of the whole game generally - bubbly and silly.

There is a remake of the game available for OSX here

.sources.

Haines, Christian 24.07.07, "Introduction to Game Audio," EMU, Adelaide University.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_bobble
accessed 27.07.07