The LFO 2.1 for Ableton Live

A lot of things has begun with this device.

Here is a new version popped out here : http://designthemedia.com/lfo

Ableton has probably changed something related to the signal process from Max for Live, and I guess they did it for some reasons totally honorable.
But it makes some devices behave strangely. Usually, side effects appear like that.

Especially, my LFO did.

I fixed it.

If you already bought it, you only have to go to the LFO page and grab the new one.

I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Oh .. another thing: it is now provided in 2 versions, MIDI FX & AUDIO FX.
I had a lot of requests of people wanting to use it sometimes in AUdio tracks sometimes in MIDI tracks..
It is now possible, just drag’n'drop the good one (the audio one is called 2.1a when the midi one is called 2.1)

Teasing The Granulizator for Live

You know me.. I’m one of those never really happy with tools I found before.
As a huge diy guy, I decided (again) to build my own granulator machine.
This one has that grain I wanted, I needed for my own music.

RELEASED HERE
I named it The Granulizator because it sounded & sounds fine, no?
My friend (and almost partner) Tristan Heau suggested Sound Blender. I loved that too.Though, I wanted to keep a reference to the grain, this small element you’ll love to manipulate with this device for Ableton Live / Max for Live.

Here are 2 sound records I already publish in a previous post

Here is the video I made.

I have to say something too.
I will compose an ep exclusively with it.
I really like textures I can make and it deserves to be explored further.

It would be released soon, probably as usual on saturday evening.
Stay tuned on the newsletter & twitter.

Designing my granulator machine

Granular synthesis is fascinating.

It is basically based on the sampling technic, but with a very unconditional feature.

AVAILABLE HERE ! 

Here are 2 samples coming that sound blender named THE GRANULIZATOR.

To understand the granular synthesis, you have to get that.
Take a sample.
Play a little slice, then another one.
Change the order of playing, size the slices differently & dynamically, add a bit of noise (randomness) in the play making the playing window moving a bit around a global controlled and moving value…
The slice is named the grain.

The name of synthesis is important here: indeed, there is a literally synthesized new output coming from the sample named here : the source.

Then, we can add some interesting features at a macro level (the global parameters like the manner the playing window moves) or at a very micro level (the grains themselves)

Here are some links about this field:
- http://granularsynthesis.com (nice portal)
- http://ftwem.com/forums/techniques/granular-synthesis-and-microsound-primer (nice forum post)
- http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec05/articles/granularworkshop.htm (VERY nice article by SoS)

I’ll release finally this new synthesis tool asap on designthemedia.com
I could also port it to … iOS. I’d love. Granular synthesis, especially if it involves a huge number of voices/grains, is a bit hardcore for the chip/cpu. It means I have to experiment a bit.
Of course, it will be possible. Some people already did it (with more or less success, I have to confess)

Stay Tuned!

The latest weekend release…

Available here, I launched the protoclidean on latest saturday night.
I want to thank you all for your enthusiasm.
Launching tools for you is everytime a huge experience.

Synthtopia reviews website already reviewed and featured it.
I really appreciate that and I’m each time more honored.

Someone wrote about the fact it would contain an accent feature.
My euclidean sequencer probably won’t feature it.
I’d prefer to have constant velocity in each channel and a real scaler between each channel.
It is a bit the sequence approach I introduced with the Uncanny Sequencer with the one note per channel mode.

It forces the mind to build the sequencer VERY differently compared to usual sequencers.
There is not a process like “that channel contains different notes” but more “each channel contains one notes offering a micro approach, but the global sequencer contains 8 channels offering a more global approach”

Let’s see what YOU think about that.

The Protoclidean sequencer for Ableton Live

Announcing the next sequencer for Ableton Live. Based on euclidean algorithm, it offers a very nice & flexible way to distribute your notes in a time interval.

It will be available very soon at http://designthemedia.com/theprotoclidean 

I enjoyed to design it because I tried to use the sketch javascript object inside JSUI Max6 object.
This is a very nice way to embed UI + engine inside something that is … very fast.

I hope you’ll like this new unusual sequencer.
As you already know, I don’t like boring usual stuff.

Break the line, go where noone waits for you then become unique!

Ability to cleanly destroy LiveAPI’s callbacks ?

I initiated a post on the Cycling 74 forum.
It was about the fact that if you instantiate LiveAPI objects, setting up callbacks, through javascript, I had doubts about how those callbacks could be cleanly, I mean: with a REAL memory liberation, destroyed and garbage collected.

Indeed, javascript’s Max implementations provide all stuff from classic javascript.
It means the garbage collector is also totally working.

So, if I want to make a LiveAPI call (instantiation) from javascript, I can do that:

trackObject= new LiveAPI(this.patcher, “live_set tracks 5″);

This row call the object in the LOM and “put it” in trackObject variable, basically for further access.

I can also do that:

trackObject= new LiveAPI(this.patcher,track_callback,”live_set tracks 5″);
trackObject.name = trackObject.get(“name”) ;
trackObject.property = “name”;
function track_callback()
{
post(“The track 5 is named:” + this.name;
}

This piece of code instantiate an object and observe if something changes and react by doing something.
Here, if the name of the track 5 changes, the callback is executed and pops out the new name.

If trackObject is out of scope (I mean, NOONE calls/runs the part of the code where it has been declared), the javascript’s (precious) garbage collector destroy and free the part of the memory where there was this variable.
It works.
BUT the problem is on the LiveAPI (and Live) side.
How could I be sure the callback is totally collected ?

Especially, I have been surprised by using the same piece of code by creating a HUGE table of LiveAPI objects, using callbacks and other stuff.
The Memory was a bit … busy and even the CPU (callbacks were working)

So I decided to … basically as I used to do in javascript: to try:
- myArray.length = 0; (this totally weird tip works fine usually)
-  myArray = null; (no comment)

Nothing worked fine BECAUSE there were those callbacks still working or even sleepy zombified or ?!

So the question became: How to really free memory from this callbacks ?

Tom answered and give an important information in the thread I began there.

cb_private seems to be a property for all LiveAPI objects (I guess it is trivial for those which don’t have a callback)

So, inside the callback, Tom suggests to add

delete liveAPIObject.cb_private

Where liveAPIObject is the related object for which you need to free the memory addressed for the callback.

Let’s test that in case we need it.

I suppose C74′s dudes will answer soon, but it is a nice news/clue/tip to test.
 

Maybe the next sequencer…

Those who have followed that lead know already I’m working on (amongst many things) an euclidean sequencer.
As many know, I already worked and currently proposing alternative sequencers for you all bored by straight sequences.

Especially, people seems to like a lot :
- The MatriX
- The Uncanny Sequencer

Here is a little view, totally unfinished view of the jsui object in max6 containing the whole javascript engine inspired by basic algorithms and a research text (The Euclidean Algorithm Generates Traditional Musical Rhythms ; Godfried Toussaint, School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal,  Quebec,  Canada)

Basically, euclidean algorithm solves a classical problem: how to distribute the most evenly possible x object into y slots ?
It involves to divide integers etc etc. (feel free to ask more in comments)

This sequencer engine is a new experiment for me.
It is based on a basic concept:
- the UI is made of classical UI elements + a JSUI providing a visualization but driving the engine too (all in one!)
- the sequences are fired from the JSUI engine into a seq~ object (event-driven sequencer object in Max)
- the seq~ is triggered by a phasor object locked on the Ableton Live transport

Seems efficient enough to be proposed to Design the Media, I mean, to be proposed to you.

Let’s make music only now

The MatriX is waiting for you
I just released my latest sequencer for Ableton Live.
The official post is here

I liked to design it and I’ll be happy to improve it too.
I already had some nice feedbacks and I’m very curious of what you’ll design with it
It is a tool for me, but especially for all of us too!

Let me know if you want me to publish one of your nice sequence!

Now, let’s prepare the 2 shows
I’m now totally finishing to prepare my 2 live performances in UK on next friday & saturday.
I’m happy to fly there to meet Cycling 74 CEO & developers. Those gurus are cool & fun & .. GURUS.
I don’t regret too much to have declined the invitation to speak. My keynote wasn’t finished and I didn’t want to rush things & make a bad lecture.

I can announce here I’ll probably try to make it in french (!) in Marseille and after that, I’ll publish my Keynote slideshows.
The subject is : Max6 & Max for Live as the framework alternative to pure C++ programming

The MatriX sequencer as a composition tool

The new MatriX sequencer for Ableton Live I almost finished is a huge tool to design MIDI Clips too.
I’m already using it like that

Check this video:

Do you like it ?
Do you imagine how you would be able to use it ?