since the category 'visuals' is underrepresented in this blog and i don't like to embed video in my standard [html] pages, i thought i'd include this old piece here. this is the shorter abridged version of the full piece. the quality isn't the best - it's pixelated and stuttering. one day i should re-render it in 60fps at a higher resolution. it looks a lot better when running in realtime from a computer.
Ström by Mattias Petersson (music) and Fredrik Olofsson (video) is, in its full version, a 45 minute minimalistic piece for five loudspeakers, live-electronics and live-video, based on an open-minded, artistic approach towards electricity. The piece is an attempt to transfer electric currents via sound to the audience. The five speakers in the surround system struggles to take over the sonic stream like electro-magnets. Sine waves and noise rotates with breakneck speeds around the listeners, tries to charge them with static electricity and, as an ultimate goal, even make them levitate. The video part is in direct connection with the sound and is generated out of five discrete lines – one for each channel in the surround system. The lines are treated in different ways, and as the high voltage builds up in the music they look more and more like electric wires, inflicting each other with violent discharges and eruptions. This version was made for a promotional DVD release on Swedish sound art.
Ndef(\shades).play ( Ndef(\shades,{Mix({|i| var x= SinOsc.ar(0,SinOsc.ar(0.01*i+0.03, i, 2pi)); var y= SelectX.ar(x.range(0,4),[WhiteNoise.ar,GrayNoise.ar,PinkNoise.ar,BrownNoise.ar]); var z= Pan2.ar(y, x*0.4); BPF.ar(Rotate2.ar(z[0], z[1], i/3*2-1), i+1*500,SinOsc.kr(0,SinOsc.ar(i*0.02+0.01, i, pi)).range(1,10),0.3); }!4)}); ) Ndef(\shades).stop
in june i cleaned up and released my red-framework for managing max/jitter patches. it is hosted here and you can get it via anonymous svn checkout.
the framework is for stacking, chaining and mixing max/jitter patches and shows my way of organising patches. i've been working on/with it since 2006 and it now contains >100 modules. it can handle jitter, control data, midi and also softvns video under max4.5.
welcome to join the project if you are interested. it is easy to write your own modules.
installation...
(for osx 10.4 and earlier you'll first need to install svn separately)
in the terminal type:
then press (p) to accept permanently.
last add the red-framework folder to max's file preferences.
it is licensed under gnu gpl v2 and requires max5+jitter for osx. it has not been tested on windows xp yet but should run.
concept...
modules: generators, modulators, outputs
faders: cross, gain, etc.
slots = module+fader
chain = slots in series
stack = slots in parallel
mixer = go from parallel to serial
//--module:
a max/jitter patch following a simple standard
it must have 2 inlets: in, ctrl
and 2 outlets: out, info
the module can be generator, modulator or output
//--slot:
a slot is a fader + a module
slots also have 2 inlets: in, ctrl
and 2 outlets: out, info
//--stack:
builds a stack of slots - serial in and parallel out
//--chain:
builds a chain of slots - serial in and serial out
//--mixer:
a mixer of slots - parallel in and serial out
pros and cons...
why use red-framework?
same for jitter, midi, controldata, softvns
reusable patches
generalised and efficient
i have made various bigger performance patches using red-framework
special gui/bpatchers for stacks, chains, mixers
drawbacks?
only discrete events - no msp
no opengl or shaders
too complicated to perform with
went back to my old os9 patch
eg. learning the effect chain - not re-ordering!
here's a screencast of some of the examples coming with the redUniverse quark.
some are just simple processes while others are a little bit more 'intelligent' (boids mainly).
i recently made my first short video for skare. we like to make things a little bit complicated for ourselves and we also have a hook up on ice, snow and all other variations on cold water.
first - to get some cheap audiovisual correlation - i put an old cd in the freezer for two weeks. then one night i took it out and placed it over the bass element of a speaker. as the piece of plastic slowly adapted to room temperature, i let it vibrate to the deep fat bass found in the track 'To the Other Shore' (released on glacial movements). this was all filmed twice, close up and in nightshot mode.
i then wrote a little max/jitter patch that mixed the two takes, matched it with the audiofile and saved the whole thing to disk. the resulting video is here
for a recent application i dug up some old klipp av demos we did in march 2004 at steim - more specific in the kitchen of their guest house.
they're here under 'historical examples'.
nick and i had all forgotten about these :-)