Mac OS X (was Re: Microtonal pedagogy)

On Thursday, April 15, 2004, at 03:38 , MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com wrote:

> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 14:38:22 -0700
> From: Rick McGowan <rick@...>
> Subject: Re: Re: Microtonal pedagogy
>
> Joel remarked...
>
>> This is not quite the case, at least not any more. Macs running OS X,
>> especially new fast machines with OS X v10.3.x run more applications
>> than *any* other computing platform on this planet.
>
> Ah... Because it's now Unix? ;-) Anyway, I don't want to get into an
> argument here about software availability. Your mileage may vary; my
> experience may differ from yours.

No need for an argument Rick :-) it's true ;-) For example, an enormous number of command-line *nix apps are just a './configure', 'make', 'make install' away. As for GUI *nix apps, more and more of those will be accessible too since OS X 10.3.x includes X-windows.

Real-time audio & MIDI applications are a different matter as it requires platform specific code. But there are already thousands of native applications for OS X.

Also, if one *could* (but why ? why ?? why ???) run Windows XP within Virtual PC on a Mac.

So, you can simultaneously (and interactively) run apps in (at least) 3 different environments.

> As long as we're talking environments... What makes audiounits superior > to
> VST? Can someone provide a brief synopsis of features?

I've seen it mentioned in several places, but don't have a proper reference at hand. Anyway, it seems that it may be that AudioUnits run at the OS level, while VST runs at the application level. i.e., it's part of Apple's Core Audio API, which is part of OS X.
http://developer.apple.com/referencelibrary/GettingStarted/GS_MusicAudio/index.
html

Anyway, on the more complicated side of things, SuperCollider is now open source and runs natively on OS X - there is pre-built application, or you can compile it yourself on your own machine from the source code.
http://www.audiosynth.com/

Another resource to find thousands of audio/midi & other OS X apps :
http://osx.hyperjeff.net/Apps/

- Joel

>Also, if one *could* (but why ? why ?? why ???) run Windows XP within
>Virtual PC on a Mac.
>
>So, you can simultaneously (and interactively) run apps in (at least)
>3 different environments.

Must... not... reply.... Help Jon!

-Carl

Carl (and Joel and others),

{you wrote...}
> >Also, if one *could* (but why ? why ?? why ???) run Windows XP within
> >Virtual PC on a Mac.
> >
> >So, you can simultaneously (and interactively) run apps in (at least)
> >3 different environments.
>
>Must... not... reply.... Help Jon!

It is always important, when discussing computing needs for music work, to be clear on the platform one is going to be using. But it would be reallllly nice if we can keep our posts in that light, and avoid platform/OS wars. I think there are very, very few people on these lists that don't have a reason for using a particular setup, and let's not waste our precious time trying to convince someone to do or use something else.

Unless they ask, of course.

Yours truly,
ListMom

for what it's worth (not much, probably!), i play with non-standard tunings
on mac os x in two ways.. it took me a bit of time to work it out after
moving from os 8 and/or a winbox with win2k.. and i have only just scratched
the surface in the hour or two per month of time i find these days for music
making (..sigh).

but anyway, the quick and dirty, free and slow way i have
is to write up the music in scala's "seq" format, use scala (ScalaX for os x,
thanks manuel!) to convert to a midi file, and then play that via whatever
midi player is handy (originally a freeware player called mighty midi, more
recently via protools/mbox) either to external synths or to the semi-painful
built-in quicktime synth.

the more sophisticated, technicality annoying, non-free way i have been
exploring is to build my own synths/samplers/whatever in max-msp, turn them
into protools RTAS plugins with pluggo (all that now in os x, thanks cycling74!
pluggo can make other types of plugins too, incl, i think, VST) -- and then
playing the plugin synth from within protools either by mouse entering midi
notes or just playing on a keyboard and sending the data to the plugin.
of course, experimentation can be done completely within max-msp with much
less technical irritation.. and i do that.. but protools seems a much better
place (for me) to do the dirty work of multi-track mixing and finalizing.

the second way is far more rewarding, once the technicalities are set up and
i've made the plugins the way i want (which is never, it turns out -- they are
always not quite what i want). the first way is nice in that scala's .seq
format seems a quick and easy way to try out ideas in whatever random tuning
the day calls for.

i've also explored the max-msp object maker for alternate tunings (mtof) that comes
with.. um.. magic microtuner i think (it's been a while)...

anyway, i just thought i'd write up some osx methods i've been exploring --
would be curious to hear of others.. one of these days, i will get back to
music making more deeply, really! if only i could ditch this "job" thing.. :)

pfly

(i can't recall what music i last posted here. there are a couple hexany
tests i made but they seem to not be online at the moment. in boring old
12-TET there are a few oddities of late:
www.pfly.net/misc/mp3/pfly.GeArpeMooge.mp3 -- a snippet from Grosse Fugue
on wet analogy synths, made one night to annoy a friend
www.neuron.net/~pfly/ear/mp3s/bachair-fyehmyx.mp3 -- a weird orchestration
and meter-skew of bach's famous "air". someday all this chaos will be
organized and well-presented on pfly.net... but, i seem to keep finding myself
at this job thing all day!)

I can mention that porting of the GUI-version of
Scala to Mac OS X is making good progress now.
Still cannot say when it will be released but hopefully
not a really long time anymore.

Cheers,

Manuel

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, 2357111317 <spigot@n...> wrote:

> but anyway, the quick and dirty, free and slow way i have
> is to write up the music in scala's "seq" format, use scala (ScalaX
for os x,
> thanks manuel!) to convert to a midi file, and then play that via
whatever
> midi player is handy (originally a freeware player called mighty
midi, more
> recently via protools/mbox) either to external synths or to the
semi-painful
> built-in quicktime synth.

Sounds familiar. However, you don't need to stop there; you can go on
and render the midi file.

On Sat, Apr 17, 2004 at 12:06:08AM +0200, Manuel Op de Coul wrote:
> I can mention that porting of the GUI-version of
> Scala to Mac OS X is making good progress now.

joy!