new version: microcsound20090813 available

Hi all,

I fixed a bug related to Unicode characters in Python parsing routines
which involved the notation of 11 and 13 limit in symbolic diatonic
letter notation (basically, I'm using a quasi-HEWM notation scheme,
where 5 commas are '\' and '/', 7-commas are '<' and '>', 11-commas
are '!' and '¡' and 13-commas (33:32) are '?' and '¿'...the upside
down 11 and 13 high-ASCII characters where misbehaving....

I also added a great new feature--rational notation...so the JI/RI
fans can now dig in to using Csound in a very compact unlimited
way...it supports free-style modulation with tonal center
'transposition' too, so you don't need to worry about ever larger
numerators and denominators as you get away from 1/1, you can just
move 1/1 to another reference point! The program uses colons to denote
pitches in rational space, e.g. '7:4' instead of '7/4', this is b/c
the fraction form was already reserved for rhythmic default length
indicators.

Grab a copy from http://www.akjmusic.com/packages/microcsound20090813.tgz

As always, the latest tutorial is at
http://www.akjmusic.com/microcsound_tutorial.txt

It's FREE....should work out of the box for Linux and Mac...Windows, I
dunno, not tested, but shouldn't be hard. I'm happy to help with any
installation or usage issues, just contact me.

If anyone uses this tool to create some music, any music, let me
know...I'd love to hear your experience. If you a good enough
programmer in say Python or Perl or what have you, once you understand
the syntax, it should be easy for anyone to output some algorithmic
stuff as text input to this program, too....

Best,
AKJ

--

Aaron Krister Johnson
http://www.akjmusic.com
http://www.untwelve.org

Dear Aaron,

Nice work! I like your concise notation, the microtonal flexibility
and the fact that you allow much flexibility by supporting arbitrary
Csound instrument numbers and p-fields.

I understand that you directly render pieces from your notation with
Csound. If this is the case then you might consider some extension in
future: some form of tempo curves (and possibly even curves for
things like the dynamics or other synth parameters). As you know,
flexibility in timing is as important as flexibility in tuning and
timbre :) Time-shift functions are rather easy to implement. Time-
shift functions and other approaches are explained and compared, e.g., by Henkjan Honing (http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/
10.1162/014892601753189538)

Best
Torsten

On Aug 13, 2009, at 8:17 PM, Aaron Johnson wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I fixed a bug related to Unicode characters in Python parsing routines
> which involved the notation of 11 and 13 limit in symbolic diatonic
> letter notation (basically, I'm using a quasi-HEWM notation scheme,
> where 5 commas are '\' and '/', 7-commas are '<' and '>', 11-commas
> are '!' and '¡' and 13-commas (33:32) are '?' and '¿'...the upside
> down 11 and 13 high-ASCII characters where misbehaving....
>
> I also added a great new feature--rational notation...so the JI/RI
> fans can now dig in to using Csound in a very compact unlimited
> way...it supports free-style modulation with tonal center
> 'transposition' too, so you don't need to worry about ever larger
> numerators and denominators as you get away from 1/1, you can just
> move 1/1 to another reference point! The program uses colons to denote
> pitches in rational space, e.g. '7:4' instead of '7/4', this is b/c
> the fraction form was already reserved for rhythmic default length
> indicators.
>
> Grab a copy from http://www.akjmusic.com/packages/
> microcsound20090813.tgz
>
> As always, the latest tutorial is at
> http://www.akjmusic.com/microcsound_tutorial.txt
>
> It's FREE....should work out of the box for Linux and Mac...Windows, I
> dunno, not tested, but shouldn't be hard. I'm happy to help with any
> installation or usage issues, just contact me.
>
> If anyone uses this tool to create some music, any music, let me
> know...I'd love to hear your experience. If you a good enough
> programmer in say Python or Perl or what have you, once you understand
> the syntax, it should be easy for anyone to output some algorithmic
> stuff as text input to this program, too....
>
> Best,
> AKJ
>
> --
>
> Aaron Krister Johnson
> http://www.akjmusic.com
> http://www.untwelve.org
>
>

Hi Torsten,

Right now, you can change tempo with 't=' commands, and you can do ramping of any parameter, etc., but I assume you mean arbitrary curves of all sorts with f-tables, right? I've not gotten into such spohisticated tempo morphing in Csound, and would have to read how to do it...but off the top of my head, anything f-table related (besides choosing an f-table perhaps with one of the extra p-field access functionality I provide) ought to be in the realm of orchestra design, I think....but maybe I could provide an 'f-table builder' syntax so that one could define such things in a header of the .mc file

Cheers,
AKJ

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Aaron,
>
> Nice work! I like your concise notation, the microtonal flexibility
> and the fact that you allow much flexibility by supporting arbitrary
> Csound instrument numbers and p-fields.
>
> I understand that you directly render pieces from your notation with
> Csound. If this is the case then you might consider some extension in
> future: some form of tempo curves (and possibly even curves for
> things like the dynamics or other synth parameters). As you know,
> flexibility in timing is as important as flexibility in tuning and
> timbre :) Time-shift functions are rather easy to implement. Time-
> shift functions and other approaches are explained and compared,
> e.g., by Henkjan Honing (http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/
> 10.1162/014892601753189538)
>
> Best
> Torsten
>
>
>
> On Aug 13, 2009, at 8:17 PM, Aaron Johnson wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I fixed a bug related to Unicode characters in Python parsing routines
> > which involved the notation of 11 and 13 limit in symbolic diatonic
> > letter notation (basically, I'm using a quasi-HEWM notation scheme,
> > where 5 commas are '\' and '/', 7-commas are '<' and '>', 11-commas
> > are '!' and '¡' and 13-commas (33:32) are '?' and '¿'...the upside
> > down 11 and 13 high-ASCII characters where misbehaving....
> >
> > I also added a great new feature--rational notation...so the JI/RI
> > fans can now dig in to using Csound in a very compact unlimited
> > way...it supports free-style modulation with tonal center
> > 'transposition' too, so you don't need to worry about ever larger
> > numerators and denominators as you get away from 1/1, you can just
> > move 1/1 to another reference point! The program uses colons to denote
> > pitches in rational space, e.g. '7:4' instead of '7/4', this is b/c
> > the fraction form was already reserved for rhythmic default length
> > indicators.
> >
> > Grab a copy from http://www.akjmusic.com/packages/
> > microcsound20090813.tgz
> >
> > As always, the latest tutorial is at
> > http://www.akjmusic.com/microcsound_tutorial.txt
> >
> > It's FREE....should work out of the box for Linux and Mac...Windows, I
> > dunno, not tested, but shouldn't be hard. I'm happy to help with any
> > installation or usage issues, just contact me.
> >
> > If anyone uses this tool to create some music, any music, let me
> > know...I'd love to hear your experience. If you a good enough
> > programmer in say Python or Perl or what have you, once you understand
> > the syntax, it should be easy for anyone to output some algorithmic
> > stuff as text input to this program, too....
> >
> > Best,
> > AKJ
> >
> > --
> >
> > Aaron Krister Johnson
> > http://www.akjmusic.com
> > http://www.untwelve.org
> >
> >
>

Dear Aaron,

In your language you introduce some higher-level notation forpitches, which is then translated into plain Csound events. Perhaps
you would like to add some more expressive timing.
I just noticed from the piece you recently posted here that it was
rigidly quantised rhythmically.

> I assume you mean arbitrary curves of all sorts with f-tables, right?

I mean either some simple breakpoint function or even arbitrary
curves of all sorts some, integrated into your language. You could
translate a tempo curve simply into a sequence of Csound t-
statements. Some time shift function (e.g. expressing some groove
map, or some rubato) could be translated into shifted start times of
Csound events. Time shift functions even easily support combinations
(e.g. groove map and some rubato, possibly nested hierachically).

Best
Torsten

On Aug 14, 2009, at 1:14 AM, Aaron Krister Johnson wrote:

> Hi Torsten,
>
> Right now, you can change tempo with 't=' commands, and you can do
> ramping of any parameter, etc., but I assume you mean arbitrary
> curves of all sorts with f-tables, right? I've not gotten into such
> spohisticated tempo morphing in Csound, and would have to read how
> to do it...but off the top of my head, anything f-table related
> (besides choosing an f-table perhaps with one of the extra p-field
> access functionality I provide) ought to be in the realm of
> orchestra design, I think....but maybe I could provide an 'f-table
> builder' syntax so that one could define such things in a header of
> the .mc file
>
> Cheers,
> AKJ
>
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Aaron,
> >
> > Nice work! I like your concise notation, the microtonal flexibility
> > and the fact that you allow much flexibility by supporting arbitrary
> > Csound instrument numbers and p-fields.
> >
> > I understand that you directly render pieces from your notation with
> > Csound. If this is the case then you might consider some
> extension in
> > future: some form of tempo curves (and possibly even curves for
> > things like the dynamics or other synth parameters). As you know,
> > flexibility in timing is as important as flexibility in tuning and
> > timbre :) Time-shift functions are rather easy to implement. Time-
> > shift functions and other approaches are explained and compared,
> > e.g., by Henkjan Honing (http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/
> > 10.1162/014892601753189538)
> >
> > Best
> > Torsten
> >
> >
> >
> > On Aug 13, 2009, at 8:17 PM, Aaron Johnson wrote:
> >
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > I fixed a bug related to Unicode characters in Python parsing
> routines
> > > which involved the notation of 11 and 13 limit in symbolic
> diatonic
> > > letter notation (basically, I'm using a quasi-HEWM notation
> scheme,
> > > where 5 commas are '\' and '/', 7-commas are '<' and '>', 11-
> commas
> > > are '!' and '¡' and 13-commas (33:32) are '?' and '¿'...the upside
> > > down 11 and 13 high-ASCII characters where misbehaving....
> > >
> > > I also added a great new feature--rational notation...so the JI/RI
> > > fans can now dig in to using Csound in a very compact unlimited
> > > way...it supports free-style modulation with tonal center
> > > 'transposition' too, so you don't need to worry about ever larger
> > > numerators and denominators as you get away from 1/1, you can just
> > > move 1/1 to another reference point! The program uses colons to
> denote
> > > pitches in rational space, e.g. '7:4' instead of '7/4', this is
> b/c
> > > the fraction form was already reserved for rhythmic default length
> > > indicators.
> > >
> > > Grab a copy from http://www.akjmusic.com/packages/
> > > microcsound20090813.tgz
> > >
> > > As always, the latest tutorial is at
> > > http://www.akjmusic.com/microcsound_tutorial.txt
> > >
> > > It's FREE....should work out of the box for Linux and
> Mac...Windows, I
> > > dunno, not tested, but shouldn't be hard. I'm happy to help
> with any
> > > installation or usage issues, just contact me.
> > >
> > > If anyone uses this tool to create some music, any music, let me
> > > know...I'd love to hear your experience. If you a good enough
> > > programmer in say Python or Perl or what have you, once you
> understand
> > > the syntax, it should be easy for anyone to output some
> algorithmic
> > > stuff as text input to this program, too....
> > >
> > > Best,
> > > AKJ
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > Aaron Krister Johnson
> > > http://www.akjmusic.com
> > > http://www.untwelve.org
> > >
> > >
> >
>

--
Torsten Anders
Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research
University of Plymouth
Office: +44-1752-586219
Private: +44-1752-558917
http://strasheela.sourceforge.net
http://www.torsten-anders.de

Hi Torsten,

You must have missed in the documentation that I have expressive randomization Gaussian offset variables, so that the timing of individual lines isn't locked in a metonomic 'grid'. Tempo is another thing. I like to have precise control over tempo when necessary, like a conductor, so I would 't=' statements for something Mahler-ish, or for accelerandi or ritards. But I suppose some kind of curves could be accomodated. Right now 't=' statement are translated into such curves, b/c they become 't statements', a tempo map of the entire score, if you will, at the top of the score. Tempo is done by section in Csound, so I'd have to have some tweaking to create multi-sectioned scores to have more flexibility than I have now (i.e. arbitrary embedded symbolically defined tempo maps anywhere in the .mc file)

As for my piece, the aesthetic was "chiptune" so the strict metronomic style was deliberate, b/c it is the style. You know, like old 80's video game music? Not post-romantic! I did however, change tempo in a plateau-like manner alot.

Best,
Aaron.

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Aaron,
>
> In your language you introduce some higher-level notation for
> pitches, which is then translated into plain Csound events. Perhaps
> you would like to add some more expressive timing.
> I just noticed from the piece you recently posted here that it was
> rigidly quantised rhythmically.
>
> > I assume you mean arbitrary curves of all sorts with f-tables, right?
>
>
> I mean either some simple breakpoint function or even arbitrary
> curves of all sorts some, integrated into your language. You could
> translate a tempo curve simply into a sequence of Csound t-
> statements. Some time shift function (e.g. expressing some groove
> map, or some rubato) could be translated into shifted start times of
> Csound events. Time shift functions even easily support combinations
> (e.g. groove map and some rubato, possibly nested hierachically).
>
> Best
> Torsten
>
> On Aug 14, 2009, at 1:14 AM, Aaron Krister Johnson wrote:
>
> > Hi Torsten,
> >
> > Right now, you can change tempo with 't=' commands, and you can do
> > ramping of any parameter, etc., but I assume you mean arbitrary
> > curves of all sorts with f-tables, right? I've not gotten into such
> > spohisticated tempo morphing in Csound, and would have to read how
> > to do it...but off the top of my head, anything f-table related
> > (besides choosing an f-table perhaps with one of the extra p-field
> > access functionality I provide) ought to be in the realm of
> > orchestra design, I think....but maybe I could provide an 'f-table
> > builder' syntax so that one could define such things in a header of
> > the .mc file
> >
> > Cheers,
> > AKJ
> >
> > --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Dear Aaron,
> > >
> > > Nice work! I like your concise notation, the microtonal flexibility
> > > and the fact that you allow much flexibility by supporting arbitrary
> > > Csound instrument numbers and p-fields.
> > >
> > > I understand that you directly render pieces from your notation with
> > > Csound. If this is the case then you might consider some
> > extension in
> > > future: some form of tempo curves (and possibly even curves for
> > > things like the dynamics or other synth parameters). As you know,
> > > flexibility in timing is as important as flexibility in tuning and
> > > timbre :) Time-shift functions are rather easy to implement. Time-
> > > shift functions and other approaches are explained and compared,
> > > e.g., by Henkjan Honing (http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/
> > > 10.1162/014892601753189538)
> > >
> > > Best
> > > Torsten
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Aug 13, 2009, at 8:17 PM, Aaron Johnson wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi all,
> > > >
> > > > I fixed a bug related to Unicode characters in Python parsing
> > routines
> > > > which involved the notation of 11 and 13 limit in symbolic
> > diatonic
> > > > letter notation (basically, I'm using a quasi-HEWM notation
> > scheme,
> > > > where 5 commas are '\' and '/', 7-commas are '<' and '>', 11-
> > commas
> > > > are '!' and '¡' and 13-commas (33:32) are '?' and '¿'...the upside
> > > > down 11 and 13 high-ASCII characters where misbehaving....
> > > >
> > > > I also added a great new feature--rational notation...so the JI/RI
> > > > fans can now dig in to using Csound in a very compact unlimited
> > > > way...it supports free-style modulation with tonal center
> > > > 'transposition' too, so you don't need to worry about ever larger
> > > > numerators and denominators as you get away from 1/1, you can just
> > > > move 1/1 to another reference point! The program uses colons to
> > denote
> > > > pitches in rational space, e.g. '7:4' instead of '7/4', this is
> > b/c
> > > > the fraction form was already reserved for rhythmic default length
> > > > indicators.
> > > >
> > > > Grab a copy from http://www.akjmusic.com/packages/
> > > > microcsound20090813.tgz
> > > >
> > > > As always, the latest tutorial is at
> > > > http://www.akjmusic.com/microcsound_tutorial.txt
> > > >
> > > > It's FREE....should work out of the box for Linux and
> > Mac...Windows, I
> > > > dunno, not tested, but shouldn't be hard. I'm happy to help
> > with any
> > > > installation or usage issues, just contact me.
> > > >
> > > > If anyone uses this tool to create some music, any music, let me
> > > > know...I'd love to hear your experience. If you a good enough
> > > > programmer in say Python or Perl or what have you, once you
> > understand
> > > > the syntax, it should be easy for anyone to output some
> > algorithmic
> > > > stuff as text input to this program, too....
> > > >
> > > > Best,
> > > > AKJ
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > Aaron Krister Johnson
> > > > http://www.akjmusic.com
> > > > http://www.untwelve.org
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
> --
> Torsten Anders
> Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research
> University of Plymouth
> Office: +44-1752-586219
> Private: +44-1752-558917
> http://strasheela.sourceforge.net
> http://www.torsten-anders.de
>

On 14 Aug 2009, at 16:28, Aaron Krister Johnson wrote:
> As for my piece, the aesthetic was "chiptune" so the strict > metronomic style was deliberate, b/c it is the style.

Oh, sorry that I obviously missed this joke (I probably listened to too much microtonal music unintentionally rendered by some relatively cheap sound synthesis :)

Best
Torsten

--
Torsten Anders
Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research
University of Plymouth
Office: +44-1752-586219
Private: +44-1752-558917
http://strasheela.sourceforge.net
http://www.torsten-anders.de

Hehe,

It was a 'joke', but I wasn't joking about it :)...I happen to like those 'cheap' sounds, where appropriate! (ie, in video game or chiptune music, where they can be both humorous, and oddly poignant)

AKJ

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...> wrote:
>
> On 14 Aug 2009, at 16:28, Aaron Krister Johnson wrote:
> > As for my piece, the aesthetic was "chiptune" so the strict
> > metronomic style was deliberate, b/c it is the style.
>
> Oh, sorry that I obviously missed this joke (I probably listened to
> too much microtonal music unintentionally rendered by some relatively
> cheap sound synthesis :)
>
> Best
> Torsten
>
> --
> Torsten Anders
> Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research
> University of Plymouth
> Office: +44-1752-586219
> Private: +44-1752-558917
> http://strasheela.sourceforge.net
> http://www.torsten-anders.de
>

Fair enough, sorry no harm was intended. Apologies for using the term "cheap". Obviously, much effort went into making this piece varied and interesting.

Best
Torsten

On Aug 19, 2009, at 2:19 AM, Aaron Krister Johnson wrote:
> Hehe,
>
> It was a 'joke', but I wasn't joking about it :)...I happen to like > those 'cheap' sounds, where appropriate! (ie, in video game or > chiptune music, where they can be both humorous, and oddly poignant)
>
> AKJ
>
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...> > wrote:
> >
> > On 14 Aug 2009, at 16:28, Aaron Krister Johnson wrote:
> > > As for my piece, the aesthetic was "chiptune" so the strict
> > > metronomic style was deliberate, b/c it is the style.
> >
> > Oh, sorry that I obviously missed this joke (I probably listened to
> > too much microtonal music unintentionally rendered by some > relatively
> > cheap sound synthesis :)
> >
> > Best
> > Torsten
> >
> > --
> > Torsten Anders
> > Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research
> > University of Plymouth
> > Office: +44-1752-586219
> > Private: +44-1752-558917
> > http://strasheela.sourceforge.net
> > http://www.torsten-anders.de
> >
>
>
>

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...> wrote:
>
> Fair enough, sorry no harm was intended. Apologies for using
> the term "cheap". Obviously, much effort went into making this
> piece varied and interesting.
>
> Best
> Torsten

Torsten- look up "8 bit music" sometime if you're unfamiliar
with the genre! -Carl

Torsten,

No problem, and no offense taken I took the meaning of the word 'cheap' not to refer to the music, but the timbres, which were _deliberately_ on the 'cheap' side, and as Jacob Barton has pointed out, capable of a certain poignancy, too (he's right, IMO).....there's a double meaning, too...the sounds which were not percussive drum sounds were not only designed to sound like 'chiptune' ('cheap'), but were also computationally cheap...

AKJ

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...> wrote:
>
> Fair enough, sorry no harm was intended. Apologies for using the term
> "cheap". Obviously, much effort went into making this piece varied
> and interesting.
>
> Best
> Torsten
>
> On Aug 19, 2009, at 2:19 AM, Aaron Krister Johnson wrote:
> > Hehe,
> >
> > It was a 'joke', but I wasn't joking about it :)...I happen to like
> > those 'cheap' sounds, where appropriate! (ie, in video game or
> > chiptune music, where they can be both humorous, and oddly poignant)
> >
> > AKJ