posted 15 November 2001 11:02            

Thanks,

posted 15 November 2001 16:54            

If you have a Mac check out the shareware version of the Pulsar Generator available at the CREATE web site. http://create.ucsb.edu/ (there is a link in the news and upcoming events on the front page)
PG is constructed with SuperCollider and has been available since March. It is novel and some fun sounds can result, however it is far from a peformance based tool. It doesn't have that accurate of an interface yet, so constructing something detailed within the program is a little tedious. It is great for generating samples for processing.

I will try to give a rundown from my recollection as I don't have a Mac and I only worked with the program for a couple of days a few months ago, you were allowed to input a sound file of either 4096 samples or 8192 (92ms to 185ms). You had control of the frequency of a square wave envelope on the short audio clip. You could vary the frequency at haptic values to produces a rhythm or move above 20 cycles to create a pitch. You also had control of amplitude envelopes and formants over the entire sequence. One neat feature is that any waveform can be loaded in to control the frequency, amp envelopes, or formant capability. Otherwise you are required to draw all that information in by hand and there is no quantize or indicator in regard to timing at the moment.

>I am not quite ready to buy the book for $48.

Check out a detailed table of contents at the CREATE web site. In the current projects there is a "microsound" link. Beyond the technical information on microsound this is probably Roads' effort to place microsound into the compositional continuum.

I created a track using the Pulsar Generator and AudioMulch that is located here: http://catharsis.egregious.net/tracks/cafe_orbital.mp3

I am leaving for the concert at CREATE tonight in a couple of hours, so I will see Roads' work on his home turf with the "Creatophone". I am rather excited to hear the latest work from Horacio Vaggione.

posted 16 November 2001 13:46            

Cheers,

- DM