SoundPrism

In Ge's class we had to create an audio visualizer using OpenGL that shows the waveform, the spectrum, and some other feature of the audio.  I had never really written anything with OpenGL so this assignment presented an added challenge.  But after learning how the api works and getting my head around the geometry (which is vastly different from the 2D apis I've worked with [Quartz, GDI(+), Juce, AGG, VSTGUI]), I felt like a kid in a graphics programming candy store.  Also significant is that this is (surprisingly) the first time I've worked with FFT data in C++ code.  OpenGL makes it easy to create cool looking stuff, and I think that really rubs off on this program.  I've made a lot of use of it as a scope for my synths, but I'll definitely be using it as an instructional tool as well.

If you have a mac and want to try it out, it's at https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~adam/256a/hw3/

Quick Reflection, and some music

The MST has been keeping me extremely busy.  I can count on one hand the number of hours I spent relaxing last week.  Saturday I spent the entire day writing code for the next 256a assignment (a sound visualization application) and Sunday I spent most of the day doing DSP homework (working out DFTs by hand, proving theorems, analyzing spectral leakage).  Another project (for 250) was using data from the iPhone's accelerometer gathered over wifi to create some music.  I stayed up almost all night last Thursday working on a piece I call "Roil." Roil.m4a.  I've also been messing around with sensors (potentiometers, piezos, force sensing resistors, flex sensing resistors, accelerometers, photocells, and encoders [my favorite]) using the Arduino.  I've found 220a (intro to computer music) and 192a (recording technology) to be rather boring so far since I covered most of these topics in my undergrad, but these aren't particularly time-consuming so I'm glad to be solidifying my prior knowledge through repetition.  Also, 220 involves homework assignments using ChucK, which is forcing me to make use of that awesome language.

Deep Listening

It's tuesday 10/6, but this post is actually about last tuesday, when I was getting over a nasty cold and had a splitting headache.  Every morning in MUS220 we listen to each other's music for about 45 minutes.  Three people get to present their tunes each session, and I went last this time.  15 minutes is *almost* enough time for a single Sweat Shop Boys track, so I grabbed a copy of "440 Hurts" and folded it a little to make it fit.  I should get into the habit of listening deeply early in the morning, because lately I've noticed that my mind is much more sensitive and my body much more relaxed immediately after a shower, a cup o' joe, and a 2 mile bike ride.  Afterwards, Chris (the professor) said he could 'hear the whole class listening' to the music.  Indeed, there was a stillness in the room where usually people start to fidget after a few minutes of long, repetitive music.  He was inspired then to try one of Pauline Oliveros' sonic meditations, which had the whole class droning slow, steady, quiet pitches with our voices.  My headache magically vanished.