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Summit Touts Open Source Hardware, Q+A with Co-Creators; Music Hardware?

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Summit co-chairs Ayah Bdeir (left) and Alicia Gibb (right) are hoping to galvanize a community around open source hardware, from NASA to Arduino. And that could have an impact on music and audio – if creators of gear for musicians get onboard, that is.

Open source software has proven itself in technological, economic, and cultural terms – it’s simply a matter of reality. This site runs atop free software nginx, WordPress, MySQL, and (Red Hat Enterprise) Linux; in music, we have Csound, SuperCollider, Pd, Ardour, JACK, Processing, and so on. Csound has even appeared on karaoke machines. These tools run alongside and interoperate with commercial, closed-source solutions. They’re a part of our technological ecosystem, both in general-purpose computing and in music and visuals.

But what about hardware? Facing scarcity and fabrication, hardware combines all of the challenges of software with new problems. And unlike software, open source hardware lacks clear licenses and definitions.

There’s clearly a role open source hardware could play in music. There are already components, like USB chipsets, that are available in open source form that can benefit music projects. And while true open source hardware has been rare or available only in limited runs, there have been hardware projects with open source components. Most notably, the fully open source software that powers the monome has been instrumental in facilitating the passionate community around that device. Here’s what the monome project proclaims on its official site:

we believe that open source is commercially viable and mutually beneficial for our collective and the consumer. in opening our software we eliminate wasteful, redundant coding for ourselves by incorporating proven libraries and frameworks. we in turn provide these same benefits to others who wish to incorporate our development efforts into their projects. we believe distributed development leads to more stable software and more creative application design. we believe open applications provide more flexibility for users to adapt tools to their specific needs, encourage creative use of software and hardware, and produce a greater diversity output from users.

But even given the monome manifesto above, music gear embracing open source hardware has been relatively scarce – even more so if you apply the definition adopted by many advocates.

This Thursday in New York, on the eve of Maker Faire, the Open Hardware Summit promises to break new ground. It features a packed schedule of thinkers from NASA to Texas Instruments to the Arduino project, and the introduction of a first working definition of open source hardware.

I spoke to project co-chairs Alicia Gibb and Ayah Bdeir about the origins and goals of the event, and some of the unique challenges of doing open source hardware.

At the same time, I couldn’t help but notice the absence of music and audio figures on the program. That to me suggests that this discussion is not less relevant, but more so – if there is a disconnect between musical creators working with these ideas and the rest of the community, it’s worth exploring why that is, given that musical expression is such a fundamental part of our culture. More on that at the end, as we don’t yet have a good catalog of active, available projects for open source music.

A sound project made of small, interconnected, open source components called LittleBits – the brainchild of Ayah Bdeir, co-chair of the upcoming Open Hardware Summit. Photo courtesy LittleBits.

CDM: Can you tell us how this project, and the Summit, came about?

Alicia: About 7 months ago, in January Peter [Semmelhack, of BUG Labs] said to me, “Hey, I’ve been getting a lot of people from hardware companies calling me and asking for advice. We have learned a lot of lessons in producing hardware and others shouldn’t have to make those same mistakes. Is there a way we could get all kinds of people who work with open source hardware together and all share information, a conference or summit – like an Open Hardware Summit or something.” And I replied to him – “Peter, this is going to be epic, consider it done.” I began working and thinking of key players to involve on this Open Hardware Summit.

Separately, in March, Ayah brought many excellent minds together at the Opening Hardware Workshop sponsored by Eyebeam and CC, it was such an impressive collection, to begin forming a definition of what open source hardware entails. (In the first video on the Eyebeam project site, Ayah explains a bit about how that event was brought together.) The definition that you have come across is the definition that was spurred from that workshop. It was there that I began talking to a couple people about the conference and Chris Anderson [Wired] said “Have you thought about doing it around … Maker Faire?”

Sherry Huss, Dale Dougherty and Becky Stern [all of Make] all sat down to chat with me and loved the idea of having it the day before Maker Faire, they invited me along to scope out the space and treated me as family. They got NYSCI on board as our venue sponsor for the New York Hall of Science. They were absolutely instrumental in getting the Summit off the ground. Ayah mentioned that with her new fellowship at Creative Commons, one of the things they wanted to do was a conference around Open Hardware. Becky told her she should come talk to me – and really, the rest is history

I do have to say it is such an honor to plan this with Ayah, I read her work as a grad student and as Peter texted me after our first meeting with all the key players in the Summit, “I think the fact that the first Open Hardware Summit is being chaired by women is a terrific signal”. I feel very fortunate to have a job that allows me to make my dreams happen, and CEO who truly has his heart in the right place when it comes to open source. Peter’s ability to be a successful business man while not forgetting the importance of sharing, giving back, and maintaining transparency in open source projects has been inspirational to me.

Ayah and I are the co-chairs of the Summit. However as we plan more and more we hope to bring on other volunteers for help. The other key players that we consider catalysts to this event are: Bug Labs, Creative Commons, littleBits, MAKE, Maker Faire, NYSCI, and Eyebeam.

littleBits intro from ayah bdeir on Vimeo.

Ayah, can you talk a little about your background in this, particularly since Opening Hardware was a project you created at Eyebeam?

Ayah: From my end, i have been working on Open hardware for my own project littleBits (www.littleBits.cc) with advisor John Wilbanks of Creative Commons for a while. Our talks were so interesting that we decided to host a small workshop in March where we would invited interested hardware makers and have a discussion between the open hardware community and creative commons to better understand the issues and licensing options. In the workshop we saw that a license would not be the way to go but rather a community-approved set of norms or definition might work best.

Who is actively involved in that community effort?

Ayah: The Opening Hardware workshop was organized by me, with eyebeam, ted ullrich and celine assaf, and sponsored by CC. we then set up a mailing list and hosted discussions on the definition, where a bunch of us were actively involved in the drafting (dave mellis prodding people to hash out the version 0.1 draft and Windell did most of the writing for the current (0.3) draft (adopting from the DFSG and the OSI OSS definition)). Although lots of people contributed both comments and text including: Arduino, Adafruit, Buglabs, MakerBot, Chumby as well as Jonathan Kuniholm (Open Prosthetics), Chris Anderson (Wired), Mako Hill (OLPC, Wikipedia), Jon Philips (Qi), Shigeru Kobayashi (Gainer), Becky Stern (Make) and Thinh Nguyen and John Wilbanks (CC) and us (littleBits, Eyebeam), Parallax, Sparkfun, Lilypad.

What drove this effort; what made it come about?

It seemed like so many of us that were interested in porting the open source movement to hardware were struggling with adapting it, and its restrictions and specificities. We believe it is such a worthwile movement to fuel creativity in the world that we really wanted to share it with others.

Participants in the Open Source Hardware Workshop at Eyebeam. Photo (CC-BY-NC) Ted Ullrich.

The most common question I hear asked is by creators, who are concerned that people will simply set up cheap manufacture to clone products, undercutting costs and reducing their ability to invest in support and further development. Is there anything in this definition that would protect against this?

Ayah: From David Mellis, Arduino:

I think the best strategy is to provide good products at a reasonable price, offer good customer service, and establish a brand that people trust. We do mention in the introduction that you can’t imply your products are supported or or sanctioned by another manufacture or use someone else’s trademarks – both intended to help protect a company’s brand and reputation.

Ed.: Okay, there’s quite a lot more to discuss here, I know – so consider this the beginning of this conversation, not the end. I think what David suggests is one compelling answer, but I hope we do have a larger discussion of the issues here, as this a significantly multi-dimensional question. -PK

What’s essential to this definition in your view and what’s up for discussion? For instance, some (though not all) makers believe that some sort of non-commercial
restriction is needed to prevent cloning, but that’s explicitly forbidden in this draft. Is it possible that a future definition might include other tiers, like Creative Commons’ non-commercial license for creative works? Or is that anathema to the definition of open source hardware?

Ayah: We’re trying to define open-source hardware (not create a license). We mostly think non-commercial clauses are antithesis to open source. However, some want a really idealistic application for open source to hardware, but others, (like me) think it’s ok if different companies and individuals have different flavors so that the movement can gain the most traction and people can find their own ways to be sustainable.

BUG Labs’ modular hardware is an early entry in the open source hardware field, a platform on which new hardware and software gadgets can be created – including music and sound tools. Photo (CC-BY) Roland Tanglao.

What will the role of the hardware summit be?

Ayah: The summit will be a venue to share and discuss issues, problems and solutions in open hardware. This is also an opportunity for us to bring Creative Commons into the discussion with the community.

There will be a very deliberate attempt to remain practical and not too academic/theoretical, and we want to get work done in terms of the movement. We are also hoping to get more comments before the summit and be able to release version 1.0 of the definition to the world!

Where does Creative Commons fit in?

Ayah: CC committed, albeit in an early stage to support the open hardware movement, which can be seen by their awarding me of a fellowship to support the field and focus on open hardware. Even if it will not be throught creating licenses for us, they are interested in being involved in the discussion, and have been very generous supporters.

Are there any usable license models now that someone could look at? Definitions aside, is there a sense of best-practices for someone who has a hardware design now and wants to take the plunge?

Ayah: Again, from David Mellis:

I would recommend people share whatever they feel comfortable with. Open-source hardware doesn’t make sense for all companies or all products, and everyone should decide what makes sense for their own situation. On the other hand, we believe in the value of open-source as applied to hardware in the ways stated in the definition, and so we would encourage its use where possible.

If people want to get involved in the discussion, what’s he best way to do that?

www.openhardwaresummit.org/forum

What are some of the highlights of what you have scheduled for Thursday? What can people expect to hear?

Everything is a highlight for Thursday! The response and interest to the summit has been so incredible that we really tried to pack the best in. The panels are particularly going to be interesting, with such great participants from various fields, we expect to get lots of great questions and answers.
TOne of our most important goals for the Summit is to keep the event very action-driven and solution-driven. This means talking about best practices, advice on how to better make open hardware, and staying away from the theoretical jargon and bikeshedding. We expect there to be a lot of young makers and companies starting out in open hardware, so the more specific/real-world experiences and advice we can give them the better! Another particular highlight we are selfishly hoping for is to hash out the Open Hardware definition and take it from version 0.3 to version 1.0!

Since we’re talking to a music/sound (and on motion, visual) audience, anything likely to be specifically relevant to them?

The sprint talks will be specifically interesting to them. The speakers are showing their projects, in space research, art, design and education. We think it will be particularly interesting eye candy for your audience, as well as have a lot of value in terms of relating to the speakers and the problems/opportunities they face with their work.

(CDM) Call for Open Source Music Hardware

My read of the situation is that this is the beginning (or even a prelude) rather than the end of the story. So that means, since there really isn’t much, if any, representation of audio and music platforms at the summit (unless you count Arduino, or a possible cameo by a x0xb0x), maybe it’s time to do a tally of those platforms.

What projects do you consider “open source hardware” for music? Are there any you’ve seen recently, or use actively?

What would you want in an open source hardware platform?

And do you have a project you’ve considered for an open source license yourself?

I’ve actually seen a few projects recently that I’m excited about, either available now or coming soon, so I’ll be covering those, but at the risk of proposing a list that’s incomplete, I’ll leave them out for now and listen to what you think.

The Summit…

http://www.openhardwaresummit.org/

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Summit Touts Open Source Hardware, Q+A with Co-Creators; Music Hardware?

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Max for Live Solutions: Full Control Surface Support, Mac Trackpad as Controller

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

There’s not much to say about this news: if it’s the kind of thing you’ve been anxiously awaiting, you’ll know you’re in luck just from the screenshots.

First, for anyone with a recent MacBook and a copy of Max for Live, Juan Pablo Carrascal has come up with a lovely solution for on-the-go production. Using the trackpad’s multitouch input support, his Max patch transforms your laptop into a MIDI control device, for those times when you don’t have a controller handy. (See also a great, open source Mac touchpad tool.) I don’t have a compatible Mac on which to test this, but it looks great. And because it is a Max for Live patch, you could use this as a basis for other, similar tools.

Juan Pablo writes a detailed look at how he put the patch together and how to use it:

Macbook trackpad as controller for Ableton Live (with Max for Live)

You just need an external mouse, since this will take over the use of your trackpad. It could also be handy for adding an extra touch controller in a live performance (especially in cramped performance spaces).

Second, for Max for Live developers, Peter aka ShelLuser on the Live forums has come up with a patch entitled LOM.Navigator that gives you full access to every single function provided by Live’s internal control surface support. It’d be nice if Ableton had designed that control surface object in a more logical, consistent way, or properly documented it. (ahem) But Live hacker to the rescue: LOM.Navigator lets you explore all the capabilities Max for Live can control, opening up lots of possibilities for live performance. Full message thread:

LOM.Navigator v1.0 – With *full* control surface support. [Ableton forum; thanks, Mudo!]

Continued here:
Max for Live Solutions: Full Control Surface Support, Mac Trackpad as Controller

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Extreme Time-stretched Hamsterdance and Free and Open Source Sound Treasures

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Before Bieber, there was Hamsterdance – what in 1998 counted for viral on the Internet. In today’s ever-geekier times, even obscure sound software can go viral. Photo (CC-BY) twodolla / Wendy.

In this age of the 24-hour news cycle and instant publication of stories, sometimes it’s good to slow down and wait. And thus, while for whatever reason I didn’t get around to mentioning the extreme audio stretching of a certain Justin Bieber track (see Synthtopia), I can’t let an ethereal, ambient reworking of 1998 Internet hit Hamsterdance go unnoticed, here shared on SoundCloud.

As it happens, while folks have taken notice of one of the tools, this strange Web meme opens a door on a lot of free and open source sound software goodness.

HamsterDance Stretched to 800% by Stefan Anion

Thanks to creator Stefan Anion aka Stefan Weise for sending his work our way.

The technique is catching on; now we get to play the game of spotting which producers slip this software into tracks coming out in the next 12-24 months. You can thank free and open source software: Paul Nasca aka Nasca Octavian PAUL has released two tools that use the magic of FFTs, a mathematical process by which it’s possible to transform time and frequency information quickly. HyperMammut (another cool tool that does huge, single-window FFTs on sound and image) and Paul’s Extreme Stretch (the tool used on Justin’s track) are GPLv2-licensed. Lifehacker even did their own how-to on the topic.

http://hypermammut.sourceforge.net/paulstretch/ Documentation and software page
http://sourceforge.net/projects/hypermammut/ SourceForge home of both Extreme Stretch and HyperMammut (Windows binary, Linux source)
Paulstretch Mac Port for PPC/Intel – your mileage may vary, as this is an unofficial port; let us know how it goes for you in comments, Mac users

Note that Paul is also the author of the terrific ZynAddSubFX open-source soft synth. (Look closely, closely at the title and guess at the feature set and synthesis technique.)

See also the software Mammut on which HyperMammut was based; the former is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Via Anders in comments:

I would like to mention that hypermammut is based on NOTAM ´s (Norwegian Center for technology in music and the arts) Mammut programmed by Øivind Hammer and Kjetil Matheussen

Download: http://www.notam02.no/index.php?/eng/Technology-and-text/Software/Mammut

I’d love to see some of the basic notions of this technique adapted to similar real-time patches. (Pd, ho!) Ideas, sonic wizards?

After I was first introduced to the program in the early 90s at a program at Oberlin’s TIMARA electronic tech center, I spent much of that decade addicted to convolution in Tom Erbe’s strange and wonderful SoundHack, another free sound-shaping tool for the Mac. I watched as the convolution process evolved from something I let run overnight (literally) to something that took an hour or so to something that became near-instantaneous, corresponding to the extraordinary forward march of processing speed.

It’s clear that some of these more obscure processes are going mainstream. It’s likewise evident that, as this audio has gone viral, SoundCloud really has become the “Flickr of audio” I predicted it might when it was launched back in 2008. So, I guess we’ll have to go and find some new sound design secret. We’d better just not tell the rest of you. I know I’m good at keeping lots of secr… doh!

See the article here:
Extreme Time-stretched Hamsterdance and Free and Open Source Sound Treasures

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Apple Logic Speed Run: Production Timelapse

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Japanese fusion “underground music unit” Human Boot Project have a clever take on the music video, one that – well, let’s face it, probably appeals only to music production nerds like us.

Using the free/open source software Gawker (Mac-only screen capture, not to be confused with thegossip blog), they take an extended timelapse of their production session in Apple Logic, as arrangements and various plug-ins flash by. You get to see the track, “Xen,” assembled before your eyes.

I’ll let you play “spot the plug-in” first, then have a look after the jump for what they used.

Artist Masashi tells CDM the toolkit:

Native Instruments Battery 3
Sugar Bytes EFFECTRIX
RNDigital Inspector XL
Audio Damage DubStation
Smart Electronix LiveCut
Logic Plugin (Amp Designer, Space Designer, EXS24, ES2, etc.)

Human Boot Project have a new album “Don’t Forget the Sheep”.
The album will be available at most major online stores.
here is link of album sample.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/523635/SMAPLE.mp3

Human Boot Project New Album “Don’t Forget the Sheep”
Tracklisting:
1. Super Bathroom (4:17)
2. Yuri (3:36)
3. Dying Forest (4:09)
4. Xan (3:18)
5. Ember (4:03)
6. Sneaking Sheep (3:52)
7. Dawn (3:01)
8. Decoy (3:31)
9. Flatline (3:25)
10. U (2:42)

Human Boot Project
http://www.humanboot.com/
Red Robot Records
http://redrobotrecords.com/

?Human Boot Project?
HumanBootProject are a Japanese underground music unit.This is a genre breaker fusing Jazz with Rock and Drum and Bass and one to get the synapses twinging. (Red Robot Records)

Fun fact: this is what Richard Devine looks like in real time. Honest. Or me, if I get enough coffee.

Go here to see the original:
Apple Logic Speed Run: Production Timelapse

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MIDI Mobilizer, iOS Hardware MIDI Adapter, Roundup and Open SDK

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

2010, meet 1984. For all the wonderfully-futuristic qualities of the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, electronic musicians have reason to scoff now and then: sometimes you want to be able to plug into good, old-fashioned, physical MIDI hardware.

Line 6′s MIDI Mobilizer is a nifty little gadget that provides MIDI input and output via the Apple Dock Connector, on iPhone, iPod touch, and (while it’s not listed on their site at the moment) iPad. As-is, it’s a decent purchase, but as was the case with MIDI on the computer back in the 80s, software is really the key. Line 6′s bundled MIDI Memo Recorder app does basic recording and playback, but that’s it. It’s very cool to be able to use your iPhone or iPod touch as a pocketable MIDI recorder, but with all the unusual software designed for the platform, why not grant MIDI to everything?

Since the announcement of MIDI Mobilizer earlier this year, we’ve seen a couple of apps that have expanded what it can do. But open development is clearly what we’d need to make this hardware truly useful. And this week, it appears, we’re getting just that: Line 6 has announced they’ve decided to make its SDK open to all interested developers, not just a handful of selected partners. (You still have to send them an email, but they otherwise say it’s free.) MusicRadar catches the story, and asks, iPhone and iPad to get more MIDI-capable apps?. I don’t want to go out on a limb before I know all the details, but I’d reply, “iPhone and iPad to get more MIDI-capable apps!”

Here’s a look at what MIDI Mobilizer can do currently, and the new developer announcement. (For an overview, see SonicState’s review on the iPad, top. And yes, I’m jealous of your Jupiter.)

MIDI Mobilizer Features and Reviews

Basic MIDI backup and playback, what Line 6 describes as “MIDI memos,” is already pretty useful, especially on the pocket-sized iPhone and iPod touch. That’s the reason that back in the MIDI hardware heyday, MIDI recorders were readily available.

A number of the existing reviews focus on this feature. Line 6, for their part, sums it up:

And here’s a test by our friend, PalmSounds:

Line 6 also demonstrates how to use the MIDI Memo App for backing up MIDI settings.

Matrixsynth has an excellent, extended written review from back in May:
Direct MIDI for the iPad is Here

Additional Apps

Line 6 worked with developer Audiofile Engineering to develop MIDI Surface, a US$5.99 app that makes iOS devices into a MIDI controller device, with keyboards and pads, via the MIDI Mobilizer hardware. That’s handy, though still not quite in the territory of killer app, just because a velocity-sensitive keyboard or set of pads is still going to be more playable. (There’s also not yet a native iPad version.)
MIDI Surface – iTunes link
MIDI Surface on Palm Sounds

MIDI Live, by Garren Langford, went further, with an app that allows realtime modification, though the interface is more than a little primitive and the app costs GBP23.99.
iTunes link

An Open SDK

I raised concerns and had some harsh words for the iOS platform earlier this year when Line 6 first announced the restrictions on developing for the device. It may have seemed I was simply savaging Apple’s platform, but I at least got feedback from iOS developers that my criticism wasn’t far off the mark. It was unclear at the time – partly because of vague wording on the part of Apple – how much fault could rest with Line 6 and how much with Apple’s hardware platform in general, though at least some blame fell in the latter category.
Of MIDI, iPhones and iPads, and a Restrictive Future for Hardware?

As I concluded at the time, though, I wasn’t going on a rant just because I like the sound of my fingers against my QWERTY keyboard – I hoped the situation would change. Whether via technical changes in Apple’s SDK, changes in the legal agreement Apple makes with developers (a Byzantine document for us non-lawyers to navigate), or some combination, Line 6 has had a change of heart.

MusicRadar’s Ben Rogerson reports:

“With Apple’s new iOS 4 it is now possible for any developer to create MIDI-enabled applications that work with MIDI Mobilizer,” explains Marcus Ryle, SVP of New Business Development at Line 6.

“As an open invitation to developers, we are now providing the SDK at no charge, and are not charging any license fee or royalty.”

Hopefully, this should kickstart the development of MIDI-capable iOS apps – requests for the SDK should be sent to MMdeveloper@line6.com.

I think the potential here is terrific. Sure, not everyone wants to use mobile platforms. Not everyone owns an iOS device. But in the long run, I’d hope that across mobile and desktop platforms, hardware and software, we retain the kind of standards that have made the desktop electronic music revolution possible. That means interconnected software and hardware and steps forward, not backward.

In fact, I imagine high on the priority list could be things like MIDI compatibility with cross-platform versions of Pure Data (Pd) running across desktop and mobile — something that’s very doable, by the way.

Important caveat – “open” probably doesn’t mean free. I expect the SDK itself would not be open source, so it would mean for a project like Pd, having to rely on a non-free license for a dependency. That’s something that, should Android finally get support for this, should be made entirely free on Android. Nor does that preclude commercial projects built on such a library – most Android projects use non-GPL-style licenses.

It seems like it’s also time for the Android community to ask how, with a Linux kernel, the absence of restrictive legal documents like Apple’s developer agreement, and a more open ethos, the Android platform has been beaten to this kind of hardware compatibility by iOS. (After all, that’s what competition is for — not flame-baiting in comment threads, but actually making things better.)

So, if you’re interested in getting something accomplished with this new tool, I invite you to let us know what you’re doing, and to join our Noisepages mobile hack group:
http://noisepages.com/groups/next-gen-mobile-music-visual-dev-hack-group/
(If you need an invite to Noisepages, you can request one from an existing user, and we plan to provide more robust tools on that platform for September.)

And iOS, welcome to the 80s.

MIDI Mobilizer

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MIDI Mobilizer, iOS Hardware MIDI Adapter, Roundup and Open SDK

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Squeaky Shoe Core: Feel Good, Generative Acid Music, Free Patches

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Sneaks are a good thing. Photo (CC-BY) Pink Sherbet Photography / D. Sharon Pruitt.

Let’s start with what’s really important: Chris McCormick’s squeakyshoecore tunes may well make you tap your All Stars and smile. The words “algorithmically-generated acid” and mention of the multimedia patching environment Pd might not suggest feel-goody, cheery, geeky-sounding electronic grooves, but that’s exactly what’s come out. These robots know what they’re doing.

And yes, even a tune named after Chris’ favorite fractal can be good summer fun.

Behind the scenes, Chris’ music is produced generatively using algorithms created in the free and open source visual patching and programming environment Pure Data. The patches actually began as a scene for the iPhone/iPod touch interactive music environment RjDj, but you can now grab all the patches, try them out, and learn them, all with an explicit GPLv3 open source license.

GarageAcidLab

It’s not just about sitting back and letting the robots do the work, either; you can control the results live with a MIDI controller.

Check out the tunes, which are themselves available under a Creative Commons license (BY-NC-SA):
http://sciencegirlrecords.com/chr15m/squeakyshoecore/
On Archive.org / CC-licensed download page

And read the blog:
http://mccormick.cx/news/tags/squeakyshoecore

And great work, Chris. I hope that soon we can work with Chris and others to get some more information for newcomers to Pd on making their own musical creation and performance tools.

Read this article:
Squeaky Shoe Core: Feel Good, Generative Acid Music, Free Patches

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The Most From Free Software: Book Review, Getting Things Made, Un-Procrastination

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Is it time to get a round tuit? Photo (CC-BY-ND) Denise Mattox.

For this book review, we welcome guest writer Andy Farnell, who himself has a terrific book on interactive sound design and free modular patching environment Pure Data, entitled Designing Sound. It began as a review of a book on using free software – but it could be, more than that, a chance to fight procrastination. And while this runs the gamut, including graphics and design and not just sound, that could be even more relevant to those of us who need to delve into those other areas for our creative work. -Ed.

We all have a stack of things to get round to one day. Building a website. Making a video. Writing a book or recording an album. Allow me to share with you ten days that will transform your list of could do, would do, always going to do… into a list of exciting projects you’ve started.

That’s how long it took me to flick through Daniel James’ “Crafting Digital Media”, a light-reading compendium of software wisdom published by APress and weighing in at just under 400 pages.

It takes two of the major excuses for procrastination, “I don’t understand the interface, so I’m waiting for someone to show me.” and “I don’t have the money to buy the latest software”, and stomps them in the face with a giant boot.

There are roughly eight topics, or chunks of knowledge covered.

The first is about photography, with demonstrations in F-Spot, GThumb and GIMP — all the free tools you need to transfer, manipulate, and polish high-quality digital images.

Every software package in the book is a free, open source product that can be legally downloaded and used. These are not shareware or limited trial programs, but full versions of powerful, standards compatible applications — all modern free software with reliable, polished interfaces and powerful features. The book also comes with a CD containing Ubuntu 9.04.

The second chapter concerns illustration and font design. This is a whistle stop tour of modern scalable vector graphics tools and techniques, touching on Inkscape, FontForge, and GIMP again, showing you how to import, export, convert and edit high quality multi-layered scalable graphics.

Next comes 2D animation, where KToon and Synfig are demonstrated, showing the basic concepts of frame sequencing and tweening. And naturally, 3D modelling follows, with a look at Blender, the immensely-powerful 3D object design and rendering package with auxiliary game engine.

Although each section covers a complete production concept, it isn’t tiring or exhaustive. Just enough guidance is given to launch the program, explore the features, introduce the key concepts and leave you to play. If you actually follow along with the software examples, it’s a truly exciting journey, as you go to sleep each night with your head exploding with possibilities.

The art of publishing is the next adventure, with explorations of page layout, document structure, creating PDFs, posters, books and flyers. Subjects like fonts, typography, kerning and color processes are explained through examples with the Scribus application.

As a musician, you might be wondering where the audio tools are. The book doesn’t disappoint. There’s something for even experienced users in this compendium of tools spanning three chapters. Packages such as Mixx, Hydrogen, Jack, Seq24, Alsa Modular, Audacity, Ardour, and JAMin are explored in the context of all the common tasks like podcasting, recording, sequencing, effecting, compressing and mastering, EQ, CD production, and creating your own streaming server.

As an old fart who has just discovered YouTube, I found the next section on video editing to be very helpful since I’ve just started to explore making video tutorials. The now comical proliferation of incompatible video formats and codecs, a depressing indictment of the failure of standards, are cut through in short order. Daniel lays down the basics of formats and their conversion using AVIdemux, cropping and resizing while preserving high quality, and basic editing using Kino and the Open Movie Editor. A quick treatment of audio sync, titles and effects wraps up the section nicely.

Web development is the last chapter on software packages. Arguably there are so many choices for Web2.0 site design that it’s hard to justify any particular one. This book opts for solid and proven Drupal, along with a tour of the industry standard Apache web server, MySQL back-end, and Icecast media server to give a user-driven internet radio station as the chapter example.

Each of these topics is an entire profession in itself, about which shelves of books could be written, so don’t expect to become much of an an expert in any. What “Crafting Digital Media” does is open the door and get you started producing content very quickly. From there the opportunities are up to you.

As well as gently throwing in up-to-date anecdotal knowledge and asides from his encyclopaedic knowledge of modern media software, Daniel ties together the various threads into a whole that leaves you feeling empowered to start any new digital production project.

Let’s face it, the key to most pieces of software is a few simple steps, a few core commands, that seem so easy once you know them that you want to kick yourself for not trying sooner. Getting over that initial barrier is what this book offers.

The book would be a fantastic companion to new users of Ubuntu Studio, Pure:Dyne or 64Studio distributions, though several of the packages are multi-platform, so are available for Mac and Windows too. Ed.: Indeed, a large number of the tools are cross-platform – GIMP, FontForge, and Inkscape run on Mac and Windows, and Ardour on Mac. But then again, if you’ve got a Mac or PC, this is a great time to explore Linux a bit as a second OS, and all this software is available to you. Graphics software should even run acceptably virtualized. -PK

Title: Crafting Digital Media
Author: Daniel James
Publisher: Apress
Year: 2009
ISBN: 9781430218876
Price: $29 (RRP:$40)

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The Most From Free Software: Book Review, Getting Things Made, Un-Procrastination

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Create Analog Music: All-Analog Kick Percussion Joins Compact Boutique Range

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Image courtesy Abstract Data. Rockstar sparkle not included.

Operating small runs out of his basement, Justin Owen is on a mission to bring his idiosyncratic, all-analog sounds to musicians in affordable, portable form.

“Affordable” and “portable” often aren’t associated with analog, though even players as big as KORG have gotten in on the game recently, with KORG’s monotron. Now that musicians are spoiled for choice in “things making noise with numbers or electricity,” though, I think there’s added pressure. For lack of a better way to put it, you have to be interesting.

And Justin’s circuits are indeed interesting. The latest addition is entitled “Kicker,” a 100%-analog “low frequency percussion synth” that’s as specialized as it sounds. At GBP95, I don’t doubt that some of the few dozen of these that will ever be made will find their way into digital workflows. For my part, I’ve hidden my wallet in the other room and placed a block filter on eBay. (Don’t ask about the other evening when James Grahame of Retro Thing and I narrowly avoided investing in multi-port MIDI merge racks.) But I have got some details on this gear for you, and some thoughts from Justin about his approach.

First, the specs on Kicker, Justin’s latest creation.

100% Analog, hand-made and tested in-house
Dual sine-wave oscillators with independent Pitch control
Punch switch for aggressive, high-impact sounds
Attack switch & Envelope Decay control
Can be Triggered using line-level Audio or a CV Pulse
Kick drums, sub drops, bass hits and more
Capable of very low frequencies
Manual available for download as a PDF file
Chrome-plated case & pro hardware
Runs off a standard 12 Volt DC adapter (not included) at approx. 300-500mA with a Negative Tip.
Limited-edition run, on sale while stocks last

You can have a look at the full manual:
Kicker manual [PDF]

Here’s a sense of the sound range of the device – overdubbed, but completely dry:
Kicker Preview 02: Deep Drops, Hard Hits & Bass Percussion by abstractjuz

And here’s the sound of just one of the two kick oscillators:
Kicker Preview 01: Single Oscillator Kick Drum by abstractjuz

“Abstract Data is currently just me and it’s still early days. I run this entirely off my own back out of my basement,” says Justin. “My priority right now is the design and build of affordable, portable, analog instruments and effects that sound good and are good to play.”

I asked about whether he’d consider going open source with his designs, and Justin says he’s interested, though lacks the experience to make that a priority. (Open sourcing hardware is not trivial by any means; I’ll be covering some of those issues later today and through the fall.)

Here’s Justin on his approach to sound:

I have fairly specific views on how analog should sound and part of that is that it’s not always linear and easy to control. Sometimes it’s downright unpredictable. Sometimes that contradicts ‘good’ design rules – so getting it working alongside the digital domain is something that needs to be done right – rather than just poking a micro at it.

FYI – the core circuit is based on my own implementation of the Twin-T oscillator which has been around since at least the 70’s. It’s a *great* circuit with loads of funny little oddities to explore and for people who are into tinkering/modding/hacking I’d definitely recommend they look up some variations of it and get it on a breadboard.

Naturally, unpredictable and non-linear don’t exactly scream “MIDI control,” but that’s something that may be on the horizon, as well:

MIDI control of my instruments is a huge priority and that is coming. OSC is another thing I’ve had my eye on for a while now. Small steps and for now my priority is building ‘instruments’ – not computers.

For now, what you get instead is a unique box full of personality. I can imagine for people with computer-based rigs, having something like this to inject some unpredictable analog goodness can have a lot of appeal.

The Hex range of analog synths and effects are also quite nice to look at; here’s a glimpse of them all in action:

More info on Justin’s official site:
http://abstractdata.biz/

…and his eBay page:
http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/ad_tools

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Create Analog Music: All-Analog Kick Percussion Joins Compact Boutique Range

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mk: All New monome Kit Improves on Original; Q+A with Creator Brian Crabtree

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

It may not look like it yet, but do some simple assembly, add included buttons and your own LEDs, put this into a housing, and you’ll have the cult hit monome grid controller for your music making pleasure.

Open hardware means the ability to create exactly what you want. But it doesn’t have to intimidate the newcomer – not so long as you’re up for a project and a little creativity. The monome grid controller, long a sensation with digital musicians, finally sees a major update in its kit version. The “kit” isn’t built from scratch; instead, it includes the major components largely pre-assembled. A US$60 logic board contains the brain and USB port, with all surface-mount soldering done for you. (You don’t even have to upload firmware to make it run). A $40 driver operates the grid. $120 buys you the main guts – just add LEDs yourself (allowing you to pick a color) – and put the grid and pads into a housing.

Specs on the new version from the monome folks:

USB bus powered

supports up to four 8×8 keypad grids, for a total of 16×16

auxiliary ports for additional digital or analog i/o, such as knobs, joysticks, accelerometers, rotary encoders, switches, LEDs

boot loader for easy firmware updates and customization, no external programmer needed

open source firmware and schematics

we’ve designed a modular system which allows scalability and customization. the individual parts are:

logic: hub which communicates with the computer and other connected modules. easy user firmware updates allow extended functionality.

driver: helper electronics which light up the grid and collect keypad data. connects to the logic section with a single ribbon cable.

grid: 8×8 keypad surface, connects to the driver board directly. customizable LED color (not included).

one driver is needed per grid. for a full 8×8, you’d need 1 logic 1 driver 1 grid. a full 8×16 would require 1 logic 2 driver 2 grid. etc.

Why use the kit? With those additional ins, you could add controls like accelerometers or even the knobs the monome is missing. You can add your own custom enclosure, made from whatever materials you like, so that you have a one-of-a-kind, unique creation no one else has. And you can change the colors of the LEDs, too. Just decide your favorite color. (“Red … no, blue! Aaaaaaa…..”)

I asked co-creator Brian Crabtree to offer some insight into the new kit.

CDM: How is the mk different from the previous kit?

- expanded capabilities while remaining bus powered: up to four 8

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Round-up: What Can You Do with Livid’s Custom-Friendly Controllers?

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

For some time, I’ve been a champion of Livid Instruments’ controller hardware, because I like the principles behind it. The devices are handmade in Texas using sustainable woods and environmentally-friendly stains, are standards-compliant with open specifications, open source software, and driverless class-compliant operation on Mac, Windows, and Linux, and lend themselves to programmability and customization. They certainly have some of the spirit of the open source monome devices, but for anyone who wished the monome grid also had knobs, faders, and such, and didn’t require weird serial-over-USB drivers, it’s nice that we have Livid, too. This is not by way of advertising Livid, either. I really believe that generally, open configurability and small-batch construction result in hardware that’s more fun to own and use.

But, oh yeah – there’s also the question of what you can actually do with your music using these controllers. With grids, crossfaders, and faders at the ready, the Ohm64 and more compact Block each have plenty of control possibilities.
The gang at Livid, and the community of users this niche line has attracted, have been hard at work over the past months inventing new ways of controlling musical and visual applications. Here are a few of the best of those examples.

Of course, the wildest of all is the Renoise work at top by proflific Renoiser hitotori. Do not adjust your computer; there’s not something wrong with the speed of the video at top. (Who needs drugs, really – even caffeine – with music like that? I’ll have what he’s having. Check out his other YouTube uploads, as well.)

Here are some other applications:

Livid might be trying to manipulate our feelings by placing their product next to Poquita the dog, but…. nope. Too late. Already seen it. Already very cute. Photo courtesy Livid Instruments.

Reason + Ohm64

Before Ableton’s mapping features or Novation’s Automap, there was Reason and Remote. And the use of Remote scripts can still be very powerful, as seen here, complete with some keyboard tricks.

Reason Remote mapping for Ohm64 from Livid Instruments on Vimeo.

Ableton Live

See Livid’s forums for the Ohm 64 Remote Script, which should work with any recent 8.x version of Live.

What’s most impressive about it is that, thanks to some ingenious work by Mike Chenetz of max4live.info, it not only “automaps” the Ohm64 but even provides access to the “red box” used by Novation’s Launchpad and Akai’s APC. You don’t even need a copy of Max for Live to pull it off.

Ohm64 Ableton Live Remote Script from Livid Instruments on Vimeo.

There’s also now a script for the Block. I have to say, I like using the Launchpad with Ableton, but I’m constantly reaching for device knobs that … aren’t actually there. (The Launchpad only has buttons.) That means the Block wins out in day-to-day practicality for most users, unless you only ever trigger clips and never so much as adjust a filter cutoff or wet/dry amount.

Block Remote Script for Ableton Live from Livid Instruments on Vimeo.

Some of the most amazing integration comes from nativeKONTROL, the advanced scripting project that began with the KORG nano series. These are really advanced scripts that have elaborate, layered control of everything from sequencing drum racks to muting and arming tracks – more control, even, than you get from the APC40. Because it’s a script, you don’t need a special template (any file will work), and you don’t need Max for Live. nativeKONTROL omComponent handles the Ohm64, and just this week blockLive added the Block, seen below. These are payware, at $22.50 for the Block and $25-45 (depending on how many presets you want bundled in) for the Ohm. But they’re really quite impressive pieces of work.

http://www.nativekontrol.com/

Max for Live

I’m burying the lead a bit here: Livid’s open-sourced LividStep Max for Live device is about the most brilliantly useful patch I’ve seen yet. It finally fills a gap Live itself hasn’t managed to fill: it makes patterns you can step sequence live. Video part 1 below; see also part 2.

LividStep: step sequencer made in Max For Live from Livid Instruments on Vimeo.

Here’s a demo video by user Monoque featuring some nice use of drum pads in Max for Live with Ableton Live. I’ll try to find some other information on the custom plug itself.

M4L – Livid OHM64 integration plug-in v2 from Monoque on Vimeo.

Traktor

The crossfader, faders, and banks of knobs make the Ohm a natural DJ controller. (The Ohm itself was designed by folks who make and use VJ software, so that’s not a coincidence.) Using Traktor Pro DJ from Native Instruments, the Ohm becomes a controller for looping, cues, sync and bpm, mixing, effects, and even navigation of the browser.

Traktor Pro and Livid Ohm64 from Livid Instruments on Vimeo.

MIDI and Hardware

Yes, while it seems almost every other recent controller has dropped the good, old-fashioned MIDI DIN connectors, the Block and Ohm64 each have 5-pin MIDI ins and outs. That means you aren’t only restricted to using them with software, as soillodge illustrates here with an Access Virus B and SU10 sampler, plus a noise swash pedal from the brilliant 4ms pedals.

Visuals

The Ohm64 was designed first and foremost by visualists, so it’s naturally a nice controller for those applications, not just Livid’s own Cell DNA, which comes free in the box.

As covered on CDMotion, the GrandVJ guys have automapped the Ohm to their software, and legendary live visualist Johnny DeKam has a really drool-worthy rig combining the Ohm with a ViXiD video mixer and his custom Vidvox VDMX setup. (Vidvox? Livid? VDMX? Vixid? Vidmx? Vidvid? Vidxvidvidvid? Yeah, it’s tough to keep straight, but it’s my job.)

It’s even possible to display very simple, low-resolution images on the Ohm’s grid.

Pictures on the Ohm64 from Livid Instruments on Vimeo.

Got tips of your own?

The “saint” model. Photo courtesy Livid Instruments.

To me, all of this variety strikes home an important point: we talk a lot about of-the-box integration, but hardware is cooler when it works with more than just one piece of software. Even if you’re not a power user, your own personal needs may be different from someone else’s. In fact, if you’re not a power user, you’re even more likely to expect to be able to connect a piece of control hardware to more than one thing and have it work. We’ve seen that desire not only with the Livid line, but with gear like the KORG nano series and even devices marketed for use with one app, like the Novation Launchpad and Akai APC. That says to me that smarter control and open devices that allow users to easily contribute their own ideas make sense.

The above compilation isn’t even complete. For more on the hardware and techniques for using it:
http://www.lividinstruments.com/
Lots of good discussion, tips, and the latest scripts live on the forums: http://blog.lividinstruments.com/forum/
And for more video tutorials, see Livid’s Vimeo account.

I’ve tried to feature some of the ideas from the community here, but of course the Livid gang have done the most videos, and I’m sure there are plenty I’ve missed. Are you a Livid owner with your own custom rig? Want to share your impressions, tips, templates, etc.? Let us know.

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Round-up: What Can You Do with Livid’s Custom-Friendly Controllers?

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Round-up: What Can You Do with Livid’s Custom-Friendly Controllers?