[Pd] my "microtonal" sequencer

bigswift at cox.net bigswift at cox.net
Wed Aug 30 22:28:14 CEST 2006


sounds awesome Chuck!

i will try it tonight!

thanks for posting

Pat Pagano
instrument curator & deposed pope
South East Just Intonation Society




---- Chuckk Hubbard <badmuthahubbard at gmail.com> wrote: 
> OK, here goes...
> 
> This patch is for composing in extended just intonation tunings.  The
> idea is that every interval between two notes is based on a small
> integer ratio of the frequencies.  DO is always 1/1, and in my program
> this starts as middle C.
> Csound and Scala both have text-based score formats for writing this
> way, in which any arbitrary frequency can be used; I made this for a
> couple of reasons.  Mainly, you can enter JI (just intonation) notes
> with the mouse and see them on the screen.  Of course, you could do
> this with any sequencer, if you fed it a series of samples that were
> pretuned to just ratios.  But with my program, you can transpose the
> whole score to a new "1/1" with one keystroke, allowing you to
> sequence themes, modulate, etc, without having to do all the fraction
> multiplication.
> 
> If you don't feel like going through all this, at least try opening a
> few of the scores I included.  The actual scores are the .ji files.
> 
> The instructions for using it are pretty dense.  Here's a primer, and
> I'll see if I can write it up more conciselyl later.
> 
> _LIBRARIES_
> The patch uses toxy, cyclone, and zexy.
> 
> _OPERATION_
> The patch to open is JI.pd.  This should open a control window and a
> blank score.
> The 8 "JIvoice" abstractions in the main control window are the
> instruments.  Each has a different color, since they are all on the
> same spread.  The numberbox next to each JIvoice is for assigning MIDI
> program numbers to colors.  The vertical radio buttons are for
> selecting which voice to add to the score.  The colored toggles right
> next to the JIvoice abstractions were to be for muting, but this
> hasn't yet been implemented.  Underneath the JIvoice boxes is a
> horizontal radio with three options.  MIDI turns off all audio
> processing and sends pitch bends, program changes, and notes to MIDI
> out; this won't work with any softsynths I know, because each note is
> sent to a different channel.  It will only work with samplers or
> soundfonts.  By default, PD output is turned on, and audio is on.
> This will generate audio according to the parameters for each voice:
> click on a JIvoice to see the parameters.  The only thing I'll say
> about this window is that the FOF parameters at the bottom are only
> set up for MIDI control as of now; changing the numbers manually won't
> work.  The only other thing I'll say is that the preset system has
> been getting jiggy with it... use caution if you use presets.  They
> are saved in the .prs file with the same name as the .ji file for each
> score.
> 
> To open a piece, click on the symbol box under "Filename" in the upper
> right.  Type in, for instance, "sonata04rondo" and hit enter, then
> click the "load" messagebox.  You should see the score for the 4th
> movement of my JI sonata.  Next click on the gray and purple JIvoice
> boxes in turn, and play with some of the parameters.  Just make sure
> there is some kind of waveform in the box.  Click the PLAY toggle in
> either the main window or a JIvoice panel.  Music.
> 
> _TRANSPORT_
> 
> The buttons should be self-explanatory.  To record to an audio file,
> select wave or AIFF under the RECORD button.  Type the name for the
> output file, hit enter, and hit RECORD/STOP once.  The num2 GUIs in
> the middle of the main window show the time in minutes and seconds for
> PLAY, but not for RECORD
> The transport can be controlled with the keyboard.  Control-I starts
> playback, and "I" alone stops it.  Control-PageUp moves the playback
> cursor back one quarter-note, and Ctl-PageDown moves it forward one
> quarter note.  Clt-Home moves the playback cursor to the beginning.
> Under Windows, Ctl-Help and Ctl-Delete move the cursor forward and
> back by 4 quarter notes at a time.
> 
> _SCORE EDITING_
> 
> This is the main reason for this patch to exist.  With the main window
> active, switch to the score window.  This should enable the mouse
> control.
> The important keys to know:
> 
> Q: prepares the mouse cursor to enter notes.  You should see a black
> preview note jump to the mouse when you hit Q, and it cycles through
> common note ratios when you move the mouse.  If you now click the
> mouse, you create a note.
> 
> E: disables note entry so it's safe to click on the score, and sets
> the score window to edit mode.  You can now select wrong notes and
> delete them, or whatever.
> 
> Ex2: hitting E again returns from edit mode, but does not prepare the
> score for editing.  This way, you can drag on the right end of a note
> line and change the duration.  Hit Q again to enter more notes.
> 
> 1-0: the number keys change the duration of the preview note.
> 
> Shift+1-8: Shift and numbers 1-8 changes the voice to be entered, as
> well as the color of the preview note.
> 
> T: the most important one of all.  This causes the entire score to
> transpose to the key of the preview note; whatever ratio is showing by
> the mouse cursor will become 1/1 and the whole score changes to
> reflect the new DO (not an abbreviation... DO as in "a female deer").
> 
> G: also important.  If you accidentally hit T without looking, or go
> through a series of changes and lose track of the original key, G will
> return the entire score to 1/1 = Middle C.
> 
> Y and H: Y and H change the volume of the note to be added.  You will
> see the small vertical block on the preview note increase or decrease.
> 
> , and .   OR    < and >:  these change the rhythmic quantizing of the
> preview note placement.  < snaps to 1/6 of a quarter note, and > snaps
> to 1/4 of a quarter note.
> 
> All of the score editing is enabled by the toxy external.  So have it.
> 
> _MEASURES_
> 
> This only works from the main window.  To the right and just down from
> the main Volume, select the number of measures to add, and underneat
> that, select the time signature.  Hit the button to the right of the
> number-of-measures-to-add to add them.  Hit Clear if you want to
> remove all of them.  Changing existing measures is a biaiaitch at this
> point.  Not sure how to fix it.
> 
> _TEMPO_
> 
> The 'Add Breakpoint' button will insert a tempo marker with the
> current value wherever the playback cursor is.  It will be relative to
> whatever note value you select to the right, but this will not be
> visible in the score.  Also, only exponential tempo currently works.
> I came up with a solution to make the tempo change exponentially, and
> never got around to reconnecting the linear tempo change.  "Ignore
> Tempos" will playback a score at whatever speed you select, instead of
> what the markers say.
> 
> _MIXING_
> 
> Open pd mixer if you like, it's hiding to the right of the Tempo
> section of the main window.
> 
> _CAUTIONS_
> 
> There are many other features that I created and don't use much
> anymore, or just aren't as essential.  Experiment, but save your stuff
> if you come up with anything you like.  The save feature won't ask
> about overwriting, so make sure you type a new name for each file
> before saving.  The zoom has worked and not worked correctly at
> various stages; everything I added after the zoom had to incorporate a
> sort of "zoom cosmological constant" called "zoomfact", and I can't
> guarantee I put it everywhere it should be.  The "EDIT THE SCORE"
> section is pretty much replaced by mouse editing.  It still works; it
> highlights individual notes in red... but sometimes leaves them red.
> That whole section is scary.
> The selecting/copy/paste/move/transpose section is also scary, but a
> little more reliable.  It reads the location of the playback cursor
> and selects what's between the Start and End spots.  This "transpose"
> function actually changes the heights and pitches of the selected
> notes, instead of just the ratio names.
> 
> _BIG BIG CAUTION_
> 
> The worst thing you can do is edit the patch itself and save it while
> a score is open.  The preset memory function stores the entire
> waveform for each preset added in memory, and if you save the patch it
> will grow in size giamongously.  If this happens, edit JI.pd in a text
> editor and remove everything between "canvas .... presetmemory" and
> "restore .... presetmemory", and between "canvas ..... score" and
> "restore ..... score".  If you edit the patch itself, I suggest
> closing it using the "Close" messagebox to the right of the Zoom
> function.  This clears the presets and score, and saves and closes the
> patch.
> 
> _LICENSE_
> 
> You may not become a millionaire off of my JI scoring idea and not
> split it with me.  Pretty much anything else is okay.  Unless you're
> already a millionaire, in which case you must pay me to write music.
> 
> -Chuckk
> 
> -- 
> "Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to
> work hard at work worth doing."
> -Theodore Roosevelt

--
Patrick Pagano
Digital Media Specialist
University of Florida
Digital Worlds Institute
352-294-2082





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