Tuesday 15 April 2008

CC2 - Week 6 - Messaging and Routing


I have made something similiar to the 'stochastic note list' in plogue bidule.

I added a multiplier of the tempo setting it will randomly choose between. Then I added a probability fader to these multiplier selections...

I added a 'drunk' object to the pitch of the delayed notes.
The modulation wheel will change potential step size from preceding note to each suceeding delayed note.


Notes_ using background objects (eg panels) make things annoying to select/move/edit.
_Using the keyboard while keyboard shortcuts are on, can make things interesting... mmm, a keyboard shortcut off switch...
_Adding things over weeks can lead to a disorganised mess. Start again for neatness.
_Left to right ordering is amazingly important !!!

debugging_One of my objects 'constantUrn', is designed to behave like 'Urn', but without the pause at the end of the cycle.. mine, when choosing 3 as the number range, seems to constantly spit out the same cycle :?
_'randsequence' seems to need a seperate reset after loading before it works right.



It's all in a zip at
http://ed.growerscollective.com/uni/cc2/week06/edward_cc2_week06.zip

inside is a folder with all files as .txt in case of incompatibility..


EDIT: I have neatened and updated the patch. 15 05 08.
MORE EDIT: forgot to save .txt version. 18 05 08.




References
Haines, Christain. 2008. CC2 - Week 6 - Messaging and Routing - Planner.pdf

Cycling'74 2006, Max Tutorial, 11/1/2007,
http://www.cycling74.com/twiki/bin/view/ProductDocumentation

Sunday 13 April 2008

aa2 - week 06 - recording strings

I wish I had a brown microphone.


A few problems this week.
- Found it impossible to find a string player at university that fit in with potentials :(
- Then my laptop spontaneously died ::( leaving me without some valuable resources...

So, borrowing another laptop I recorded my neighbour playing violin at home using a Rode NT3.

This first recording of a scale was done from above about 1 ft away pointi ng halfway between f-holes and the top of the body. Some eq in the form of a HPF, and a upper shelf to reduce some other noise.
http://ed.growerscollective.com/uni/aa2/week06/scale.mp3

Second the mic pointing more at the f-hole. One of those things that appeared after the recording (in "production") some nasty frequencies appeared in this one :(
Again a HPF, high shelf, and a bit of a bell at around 1150Hz.
http://ed.growerscollective.com/uni/aa2/week06/jigger.mp3

Third, much closer mic for some pizzicato style. Using the HPF and high shelf.
http://ed.growerscollective.com/uni/aa2/week06/pizzi.mp3


Observations included; annoyance at not having a soundproof recording area. Usefulness of a diversity of mic technique when working with limited resources. String players seem much harder to please (university ones that is).




REFERENCES
Grice, David. 01 April 2008. Recording Brass/Woodwind Lecture. Adelaide University.

Thursday 10 April 2008

forum - w33k 6 - david harris sez...


distribution of david harris listings across the United States

i walked in late to this one. I always enjoy the feeling of having no idea what's going on !! It generally is a good way of watching 98% of movies/television - if you miss the beginning then to a certain extent you don't even know who the baddie is !!

anyhoo, crazy mash up, mmm... after a while into the first extended example I got into the appreciation of different sound qualities overlayed. There were sections where there seemed little interest in "production', more in novelty. This led to interesting sound qualities.
Two days ago I listened to some online demo's of the Rode NT3 microphone, one featured the sound of acoustic guitar through a reverb, with an interesting effect where playing variations would accentuate the high end which would be highlighted in the reverb.
The layering of poorly "produced" vocal samples over highly "produced" rock, was curiously similiar.

then David Harris (unlikely to be represented in above graph), presented his own mash up video to more of Vicki Bennet's mashed muzak. More "bad" pop, and just when I got bored, in came the horrible buzzing noise !! hurrah !!.

random quote from mash-up "the most unwanted music".

related quote from myself "art can be so tedious".

Other related thoughts; this Ms Bennet seems to also have a fine set of ears, and a discerning judge of layering. The pieces were constructed very well, but I felt overall contained far too much clarity in the attention to maintaining recognisability.
I think perhaps these pieces are constructed with the idea of novelty as a selling point !!






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REFERENCES
Harris, David. Music Technology Forum, presented at the EMU recording space, Adelaide University. 10 April 2008

"Rode Microphones - NT3". http://www.rodemic.com/microphone.php?product=NT3 (10 April 2008)

Tuesday 8 April 2008

cc2 - WEEK 05 - UI Controls and Application State



I though the delay would be easy using some sort of self looping function, but was unable to think of how with the two variables of velocity/pitch. If I'd tried a bit harder perhaps I would have done a few more of those infinite loop thingy errors.

I just went and peeked at Doug's, and realised I've spent far too long on making it look like a keyboard (ish), ha !!! This is software, for doing funny things, not to emulate a physical device and please gear junkies.
That said I take a certain pleasure in its lopsidedness.

I couldn't access my ftp site (at uni) so have posted the patch as text at
http://harmonicornaments.blogspot.com/2008/04/cc2-week-05-ui-controls-and-application.html


What do you know, just had a look once I'd posted everything, and...... I'd forgotten the program change and midi channel.
So a quick copy and paste from week 05, then mapping them to the arrow keys... and hurrah!!!
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REFERENCES
Haines, Christain. 2008. CC2 - Week 5 - UI Controls and Application State - Planner.pdf

Cycling'74 2006, Max Tutorial, 11/1/2007.

Monday 7 April 2008

MTF - WEEK 05 - PIERRE HENRY

this picture is not at all related


A novelty this week was the coincidence of filmic presentations in my study life. By the time I got to forum and the presentation of a documentary about Pierre Henry, my filmic nerves were well strung. Hence what was potentially an interesting doco was slightly wasted on me. Not to say I didn't enjoy moments !! Monsieur Henry does seem to have a very delicate and well directed ear.

I have previously enjoyed Henry's "Variations for a door and a sigh", an amazingly delicate experience, not at all like his presentation of La Dixome, or his work with psychedelic rock. As I mentioned, he does have a fine honed sense of sound, it is not always necessarily pointed in the same direction as my own.

Unfortunately I was not ready to sit through another hour long non-interactive piece of film, nor was I ready to read all the subtitles !! So I sat in the corner, inspired by two other laptop typing students, to get my own out and perform our own symphony of key pressings to the accompaniment of the doco and it's following selections of other works - perhaps we were a bit rude/distracting, but I was at the time uncaring :(

I would like to offer apologies to anyone who was offended by the laptop frenzy in the corner, and for my part in it.
Although perhaps this was the interactive element in the normally interactive environment of the forum :?

I had previously been discussing the potential contents of the forum, and was excited by the potential of Stephen Whittington sharing some of his recent work/projects, and the following descent into video hell was no doubt worsened by my disappointment.

So I would like to finish this post with a suggestion that perhaps Stephen and even Christian (whose work I have been curious about for a while) would like to present a short dissertation on one of their recent participations :)




in regard to :
Music Technology Forum, presented at the EMU recording space, Adelaide University. 03 April 2008

Sunday 6 April 2008

AA2 - WEEK 05 - RECORDING WIND


This week I recorded a saxopohone.

For whatever reason when I went into the studio there were but two microphone leads :?
So I recorded several takes with two microphones.

I used variously an AKG C-414, a Shure beta 56-A, and a pair of Rhode NT-5's.

For this first recording I made a little percussion loop which I got Nick the saxophonist to improvise over - this was to extend the useability of the recordings and give me a chance to place it in a mix.
Using the C-414 about 1.5m above the bell pointing down, and the 56-A sort of at the side pointing at the body below the bell.
A lot of room in this mic, which I've further added more reverb and a bit of EQ and compression to sit it in the mix.
http://ed.growerscollective.com/uni/aa2/week05/beepySax.mp3

This example has the 414 and 56-A in opposite positions to the previous example. Stereo panning, different volumes and a bit of compression.
http://ed.growerscollective.com/uni/aa2/week05/414bell56Aabove.mp3

Next example was recorded using the two NT-5's in an X-Y stereo position, vertically along the length of the sax, about 1 ft away.
This is presented here with no processing whatever - some interesting sax artifacts in the first little bit.
http://ed.growerscollective.com/uni/aa2/week05/frey.mp3

Next example features the two NT-5's, one above the sax about 1.5m pointing down, and the other pointing into the bell 20cm awayish. This is a mix of the two mic's, with some stereo panning and a bit of compression.
http://ed.growerscollective.com/uni/aa2/week05/nt5abovebelow.mp3





REFERENCES
Grice, David. 01 April 2008. Recording Brass/Woodwind Lecture. Adelaide University.

Gemmell, Keith. 2003. Recording brass and woodwind. Music Tech magazine.

Robjohns, Hugh. 1999. TOP BRASS, Recording Brass & Reeds. Sound On Sound magazine.