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Unlimited Art - Generating multi-part music while drawing Reload page to restart example
In this example we use three instances of the SoundCipher class to generate polyphonic music with three parts. Each instance can have its own instrument setting and plays independently. They are all synchronised by the draw() thread which is operating at a low frame rate. In other tutorials, particularly those in the Callback section, there are examples of how to use SoundCipher's own scheduling capabilities that allow more musical use of beats and tempi in beats per minute.

Three significant algorithmic composition techniques are used here (and elsewhere in the tutorials) they are: 1) probability through constrained randomness; 2) imposing regularity through modulus over an ever-accumulating counter - in this case the frame counter - and; 3) pitch organisation using a pitch set and transposition.



The import statement makes the SoundChiper library available for this program. The asterix indicates that all classes in the library should be available.

Three instances of the SoundCipher class are instantiated; they are labeled sc, sc2 and sc3.

A pitch set in created as an array of floats. These notes are a C pentatonic over a couple of octaves. Notice that the root and dominant pitches are repeated several times in the list, this is to bias their likelihood of selection when we randomly choose from the array.

Other variables set at this point include the length of the pitchSet array (because we will use that a few times), the key or root note offset which is used to transpose the pitches when required, and the note density setting which is changed as the music proceeds to create more spare or more intense passages.

The setup() method sets the frame rate for the draw thread to 8 frames per second, and sets the instrument for sc3 to number 49. The JavaSound synthesizer on which the music is played has sounds that correspond to the General MIDI specification in which sound 49 is "String Ensemble". A complete list of the GM Instruments is available at Wikipedia's General MIDI entry. The first two parts use the default instrument - acoustic piano.

The draw() function does all the real work in the program. It is called 8 times a second and each time may or may not play a note on each of the three SoundCipher instances. The first part is evaluated if a random number is less than the denisty. If so a note is played, a fill colour selected, and a rectangle drawn. Parameter values for these are subject to degrees of randomness that provide variety and change in the output.

The second part executes every 32 frames. When it does it changes the keyRoot value so that the music is transposed, the density value is recomputed, and a long low pedal tone is played.

The third part is triggered every 16 frames and it selects pitches for a chord and then plays that chord with a somewhat random dynamic. This was the part that used the String Ensemble sound. Notice that the chord pitches are transposed down an octave (-12) from the pitch set, which moves them into a lower register than the piano melody and somewhat above the pedal tone.