One of the best benefits of being an editor is that when I hear about some intriguing new software or gear, I can hire someone to write a tutorial about it. Editing the tutorial then forces me to retrace the author’s footsteps, and I discover cool new techniques.
While walking through our recent tutorial on Spectrasonics Stylus RMX, for example, I got to play with that program’s algorithmic variation generator, Chaos Designer. It takes a basic drum groove and spits out endless variations in real time. (You can hear some examples I created on the second page of the article.) Pretty cool!
A reader then wrote to tell me about some algorithmic drumming software called MuSing. A Java app, it runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
I downloaded the MIDI and audio versions today and gave them a whirl. (The link to the OS X audio version points to the MIDI version as well, so use the Windows or Linux link instead; because MuSing is a Java app, the downloads for all platforms are identical.)
The circular interface looks a lot like IK Multimedia’s pioneering GrooveMaker, another algorithmic music app I’ve always liked. With MuSing, though, you have more control over the variations.
The initial grooves MuSing generated were lame, but as the manual suggested, I kept clicking until I heard something I liked, then Evolved it. (Paul Lehrman wrote a semi-hysterical column in Mix about how that approach would cause the death of music. You can read my response here.) Variations are the spice of music, so I always enjoy it when algorithmic software suggests a new direction.
Speaking of new ways to look at things, the MuSing developer also wrote a program to convert stock data to music. Called Ticktrola, it challenges your ear to pick out financial patterns that might escape your eyes. Indeed, I’ve read that stockbrokers now use audio signals to monitor the numerous data feeds they have to track, because it’s more efficient than watching multiple video screens.
So...heard any good algorithms lately?
What are your favorite creativity kick starts?
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Audio
Comments (2)
Read More Entries by David Battino.
Thanks, Roger.
In a happy coincidence, the Sound of Traffic page includes a link to the Wired article about musical alerts for stockbrokers:
The Sound of Money
David, you should look at something that was a subject of a hint today at OS X Hints, another Java application called the "Sound of Traffic":
http://www.smokinggun.com/projects/soundoftraffic
This samples your network connection and outputs audio using the Java audio. The busier your network, the more audio you get.
Sadly, on my switched network here at work I can't get it to make a lot of sound, but I bet a busy wireless hotspot would be really interesting.
Roger