Re: random tone, and midi data generators

[James Keepnews <keepnews@node.net>]

> Subject: random tone, and midi data generators
> Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 20:36:11 EDT
> From: Kriist@aol.com
> To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com, oddmusic@onelist.com,
>      lowercase-sound@onelist.com, noise@onelist.com
>
> does anybody know of any company(or persons)
> that make any of these things?
>
> particularly the random midi info generation
> or fx processor
> hell, any of it
>
> i have the k2000 which has a hidden random dsp thing but its a pain to 
>work
> with
>
> appreciate the help
>
> rodrigo
>
>    ----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject: Re: random tone, and midi data generators
> Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 23:46:03 -0400
> From: Tim Nelson <tcn62@ici.net>
> To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com
> I'm not sure if this is the sort of thing you're talking about, but
> you
> might enjoy the Koan generative software by SSEYO.
> <http://www.sseyo.com/>
> It's used by Jamuud of Loop Guru, Brian Eno, etc.
>
> Also, I've seen some mention of using fractal software for sound
> generation, but haven't tried it myself. Try a search of the fractal
> sites,
> and you might find something along those lines.
>
> Tim
>
>

I think I'm coming off like a broken record on this -- synonymous, don't
you know, with looping (have there been any threads to date on record
skips and the loopers who love them? Perhaps on the next Oprah...) --
but MAX has got your number. And it's a random number. As an
object-oriented programming environment, there are several pre-existing
objects that'd do that trick and several others. Like, say, the object
"random," which, per a prompt, spits out a series of random numbers
within a given range, with the chance to re-seed the parameters of such
"randomness" at any time. One of my favorite objects along these lines
is the "drunk" object, which lists (in at least two senses) back and
forth along a given range of numbers within an equally listful given
range of steps; e.g., a range like 1-7 with a steps range of 3 could
produce a series of numbers like, oh, I don't know, say: 1, 4, 7, 6, 3,
2, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 2, 2, 2, 2, &c. Such strange and wholly perplexing
harmonies have come forth to startle me into an uneasily contemplative
state courtesy of this "drunk" object, on those cool summer evenings
when I put on my chiffon sari and blow off my AA meeting.

Other examples? Yes, sir, I should bleeding well say so, sir; MAX has
got several skinned cats waiting for you when it comes to
randomness/MIDI. All this MAX evangelism should, by rights, land me
marketing gig @ Gibson -- me, I'm holding out for the corporate EDP
time-share...

Koan is sorta cool, although it's a wee too close to those
pre-programmed styles one gets on first-generation Casio portable
keyboards for some likings; or one liking, even -- rhumba in A minor at
120 BPM, anyone? Fractal music generation software will give you lots of
notes, all right. You might also be interested in the Linn
Drum/Kajagoogoo ("What are the 1980's, Alex?") of interactive computer
software, M, which hews to a similar trajectory as that noted above. The
80's revival continues unabated, with a new version of M being marketed
by Mr. MAX, David Zicarelli, his website being http://www.cycling74.com.
Those more fearless programming types amongst ye might get all
moist-like over http://www.softsynth.com, where you can discover the
wonders of HMSL (Hierarchical Music Specification Language -- MIDI *
Forth = very few contra dance gigs), and implementation of Java to
MIDI/audio files, so as to make such things as websites all random
and/or musical. These are some very powerful tools, provided you can
work past the indignity of having something that sounds so dynamic and
unpredictable declared as both "static" and "void" in your code.

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