[WAVE+FORM] v1.0
— E_Noodle
https://enoodle.bandcamp.com/album/wave-form
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REQUIREMENTS:
Pd vanilla. [0.55.1 used in development]
External Libraries:
GEM. [visualizer functions. *uses webcam feed]
Cyclone. [auto-pilot + bit-crush functions]
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[WAVE+FORM] is a sequence-based electronic instrument that provides six sound modules to play, responding to mouse inputs on a single screen of Graphic User Interface (GUI). Interactable elements are all point-and-click operated, and include buttons, switches, sliders, and graphs, of which each function is labelled by a unique icon. There are three drum modules for rhythm, and three tonal modules for harmony, each corresponding to a respective color. Elements across the top two rows are global controls, affecting the six modules by controlling muting, a sequence reset, the tempo, effects, and randomization. At any moment, users are able to change individual modules to control which notes are hit, along with their volume, pitch, length, tuning, and more.

A key feature of the instrument involves randomizing parameters automatically for you in order to generate patterns quickly and easily. The instrument is also semi-autonomous, letting the PC control the performance on its own after some time of user inactivity. When this autopilot mode engages, the computer will repeatedly randomize each module at varying intervals, creating a chance-based generative composition. Doing so, the machine-driven instrument displays its capabilities to viewers, inviting them to interact.

The accompanying visualizer is influenced by the control elements, synchronized with six on-screen forms representing modules of matching color. As the values are manipulated, forms respond by changing shape, color saturation, movement behavior, and timing to the beat. Topping things off, a live webcam feed is mapped across the room housing everything, which also distorts in appearance based on global settings, suggesting how both users and the digital system influence each other as they interact.

In other words, the project aims to emphasize a “dissolution of the distinction between composer, performer, and programmer.”
(Miller Puckette, “Four Surprises of Electronic Music”)