Joined: Oct 13, 2007 Posts: 6221 Location: near Austin, Tx, USA
Audio files: 270
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 8:02 am Post subject:
Computer Generated Music Contest Subject description: Let's have some fun...
Since the topic of algorithmic composition and computer generated music keeps popping up from time to time, and folks appear to be pleased with their own efforts in this category, I thought it would be fun to have a contest, with a prize and everything.
I happen to be a chainmaille hobbyist - note that is not chain mail, but chainmaille - the art of creating objects out of middle ages armor techniques. You know, metal rings painstakingly woven together. I also happen to be the guy who figured out how to make spheres out of chainmaille - well, a particular type of sphere that is hollow, rigid-shell, and made of only one ring size. So I thought I would offer one of my hard-earned spheres as a prize to make things interesting. You can read more about my spheres on my site, http://www.freedomodds.com/chainmaille/, and you can see the image of a pile of spheres below.
But enough about prizes, on to the contest! Here are the rules:
1. To enter you must post a computer-generated music piece of your own creation (or a link to one).
2. Entries may contain non-computer generated audio as long as the main focus of the sound is on the computer generated part.
3. All competitors are judges, each getting one vote to cast for their favorite entry.
4. Competitors may not vote for themselves.
5. If the winner chooses not to give out a snail mail address, I suppose it will go to second place and then on down the line.
I will post my entry soon. Good luck to all, and may the spheres be with you!
PileOfSpheresLarge.jpg
Description:
The prize is one of these lovely chainmaille spheres!
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84.22 KB
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This image has been reduced to fit the page. Click on it to enlarge.
_________________ "Let's make noise for peace." - Kijjaz
Joined: Oct 13, 2007 Posts: 6221 Location: near Austin, Tx, USA
Audio files: 270
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 8:29 am Post subject:
Here is my contest entry, it is called "KNoW Octaves". KNow stands for Kijjaz No Wave because the music is No wave style from the '80's, and Kijjaz because he made so many contributions to the generator. It is called "Octaves" because the guitar and sax are allowed to algorithmically wander over three octaves of a scale. I hope you like it.
KNoW_Octaves.mp3
Description:
KNoW Octaves
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2.56 MB
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2771 Time(s)
_________________ "Let's make noise for peace." - Kijjaz
Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 4145 Location: Sweden
Audio files: 373
G2 patch files: 100
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 11:11 am Post subject:
Ooh goody, an excuse for noodling around a bit! Nice initiative.
I like your entry, Inventor - nice variations that still stick to the concept.
Here's my entry, done in an automated Nord Modular G2 performance called "Cing Me a Cong" (well, it has to be called something, right?). I'm attaching the patch and an mp3 excerpt. If anyone wants to try it, you should click all dice buttons between the muxes in slot A - I didn't bother connecting them to an initializer.
Joined: Oct 13, 2007 Posts: 6221 Location: near Austin, Tx, USA
Audio files: 270
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 11:24 am Post subject:
Stefan, your entry made me feel like I was on a fantasia planet watching little water creatures chirp at each other playfully. What a nicely uplifting piece - not my usual in-yer-face rock-n-roll, so a refreshing change. _________________ "Let's make noise for peace." - Kijjaz
Joined: Nov 29, 2008 Posts: 149 Location: Cheshire, UK
Audio files: 7
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 11:57 am Post subject:
Well you knew I'd be here didn't you? Cool stuff has been coming in already!
Here's the immediate predecessor to all the harmonograph stuff I've been going on about elsewhere - this one is based on strange attractor images instead.
There are two versions - the atonal Polar Transform (for Ligeti / Scelsi / Grisey fans only ) and this one that I'm entering, Equatorial Transform, which is much easier on the ear for most people. I think this one broke my polyphony record - and my algorithmic-ness record too! Everything apart from the changing instrumentation, and the acoustic cymbal part, is algorithmic. Don't go thinking for a minute that I'm a remotely competent violinist though - I'm simply competent at editing out my mistakes!
Even though I don't like contests I do think it's nice when people post some work here .. and so ... I'll beam something up as well. I'll politely refuse to vote though.
Attached is an excerpt from a granulated noodle which I made in 2004. Named it "four minutes of 04-013-009" for this occasion. It was recorded directly from the Nord Modular G2, normalized and trimmed to four minutes, nothing else done to it. The patch is here, the granulator part was made by Rob Hordijk and that patch is there.
BTW I noticed that no one except me filled in the mp3 tags for their pieces, which means that when they'll end up "somewhere" there is no way to trace back the artist ... which is a waste IMHO.
Joined: Dec 14, 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Philadelphia
Audio files: 1
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 6:42 pm Post subject:
I'm a new member. I've been to an EM festival when it came to Philadelphia a few years back, though this is the first online music community I've engaged in, (ignoring myspace, etc., which are primarily marketing outlets.)
My laptop was stolen recently, which was quite a loss. I'd already been on the ropes as far as pursuing music, and I found my interest slipping.
Then a few days ago I opened up Reason (3.0) on my Desktop, the only real music program on here, and went playing. Suddenly, I found this song erupting in front of me, and it was completed by morning; the composition process was life changing.
Unfortunately, everyone's subjective perspectives rob any given song of it's maximum potential for experiential glory, but I'm interested in how mine will be received by people of a more relative perspective to my own.
...And I like relics, and those mesh spheres are dandy, so why not start here.
I look forward to meeting everybody!
a_rise_02.mp3
Description:
latest work
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4.05 MB
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2363 Time(s)
_________________ the smell of my blanket as I go to sleep - the sights and sounds, and the body the feels
Joined: Oct 13, 2007 Posts: 6221 Location: near Austin, Tx, USA
Audio files: 270
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 7:25 pm Post subject:
MitraSpec, welcome and nice tune! Now I'm really glad to make this silly contest thingie, to welcome in a new member! Cheers! _________________ "Let's make noise for peace." - Kijjaz
Joined: Dec 14, 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Philadelphia
Audio files: 1
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:23 pm Post subject:
This should be fun; I'm sure I'll learn a ton here.
Oh, and good songs so far; I'll be sure to give each one lots of consideration. _________________ the smell of my blanket as I go to sleep - the sights and sounds, and the body the feels
Joined: Aug 28, 2006 Posts: 858 Location: Guangzhou, China
Audio files: 4
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:35 pm Post subject:
Some sounds I've been playing with lately -- actually they're for a live computer and violin piece that I hope will be played next year (if I can ever finish the damn thing!). The final piece will be much different, but this particular sound is moody and atmospheric, and has a lot of internal movement that... well, it holds my interest anyway.
Joined: Jun 09, 2004 Posts: 165 Location: Sweden
Audio files: 7
G2 patch files: 3
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 5:01 pm Post subject:
Random piano Jazz
Using a drum machine as backup and a cheap Roland sound module may be out of the rules. But except of the beat, it is all played by a series of radom generators, logic modules and keyboard scaling units in the G2.
All of it goes to midi, and to that Roland module.
The increasing intensity is from the eight variation knobs on the G2.
I was inspired by the swedish piano trio EST, who´s genious piano player recently died in a diving accident.
It is not my regular style of music, more of an experiment. But I have used it as backing tracks for TV-documentaries.
Per
ESP3.mp3
Description:
Random in note and apprearance, but not in beat. And a common stupid drum machine added. But I tried to do a piano jazz part. conducted by the random generators and logic modules of the G2
Joined: Nov 29, 2008 Posts: 149 Location: Cheshire, UK
Audio files: 7
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:18 am Post subject:
Re: Random piano Jazz
Per wrote:
Using a drum machine as backup and a cheap Roland sound module may be out of the rules.
Um, I don't think that would be a problem. That would disqualify my entry too, and maybe some others. I got the impression that the rules were something like this (please correct me if I got the wrong idea anywhere)...
A fair proportion of the notes (think of it as the musical score, even though a lot of these pieces have been generated in realtime without the individual midi note events being permanently recorded) should be generated according to a set of rules. This can include random numbers if you like that sort of thing, and I think some people may have also tweaked parameters by ear while the algorithm is running. Also it shouldn't matter whether the rules are coded into a computer or a programmable synth, or worked out with pen & paper.
The sound sources are a separate thing. I used hardware synths, electric violin and a pair of cymbals, but anything is game. Years ago in my first serious go at algorithmic composing I included a washing machine as a sound effect.
That's my interpretation anyway - hope that's near enough to what Inventor was thinking...
Joined: Oct 13, 2007 Posts: 6221 Location: near Austin, Tx, USA
Audio files: 270
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:39 am Post subject:
Sounds about right, Octahedra. I just threw together a quick set of rules to give the contest some focus, but we can take this wherever we want to take it. All of the entries so far qualify as far as I'm concerned.
You know, I didn't realize the international nature of electro-music.com, being such an ethno-centric American. I hope it doesn't cost too much to ship a small sphere internationally. The spheres are small and light so it should be a minimal shipping charge. Or so I hope!
Tell you what, if it's expensive then I'll substitute a finger ring or a bracelet, those can go in a padded envelope which might be cheaper.
I didn't set an end date for the contest, so I guess we'll just keep it open as long as people are actively making submissions. When it slows down we can stop the contest and vote for a winner. Thanks to everyone who's entered so far, this is fun and interesting. _________________ "Let's make noise for peace." - Kijjaz
I don't agree with music contests because it's like voting for what fruit is "better". Hence, I'll chop my virtual vote divided by the number of participants and vote for everyone (merry Christmas!(oh wait, I'm anti-Christmas(I'm such a grinch (am I?))))...
I'll participate because it's cool to see a compilation of computer-generated music. Very nice stuff.
Joined: Oct 13, 2007 Posts: 6221 Location: near Austin, Tx, USA
Audio files: 270
Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:48 pm Post subject:
Well, there haven't been any entries in half a week now, but I won't be able to mail out the prize until the 21st of January, so we have a little time for last minute entries... anyone with a last minute entry this is your chance! _________________ "Let's make noise for peace." - Kijjaz
Joined: Oct 13, 2007 Posts: 6221 Location: near Austin, Tx, USA
Audio files: 270
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 8:55 am Post subject:
Oh, thanks for tickling the thread, gsanchez, it had gone inactive. I guess it's time to vote! I need to review all the contestants first, then I will vote. In the mean time, let's all vote. I will be able to mail out the prize on the 21st of this month so no hurry, but let's vote! _________________ "Let's make noise for peace." - Kijjaz
Joined: Nov 29, 2008 Posts: 149 Location: Cheshire, UK
Audio files: 7
Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:22 pm Post subject:
gsanchez wrote:
Octahedra wrote:
There are two versions - the atonal Polar Transform (for Ligeti / Scelsi / Grisey fans only )
I'd like to listen to it.
Then you shall...
Disclaimer: this music upload is nothing to do the competition - my entry was already posted some time ago.
Polar Transform is based on the same algorithmic data as my competition entry Equatorial Transform, but upside-down and backwards, and is a completely reckless experiment in atonality. Basically it uses every white & black note over a range of about 2 1/2 octaves, and even has a few quarter-tones thrown in. At some points there are 30 different notes playing at the same time. It was great fun to make, although when I hear it now it seems a bit unsubtle at times!
Equatorial Transform sounds much 'nicer' because it uses pentatonic scales based on the dorian, phrygian, locrian and mixolydian modes, so it sounds like not-too-unusual tonal chords.
You are now officially disqualified for posting two pieces. just kidding
I liked the "atonal" version more than the original. I like the consecutive minor second intervals forming the clusters, gives it a nice cacophonic sense.
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Nice initiative.
) and this one that I'm entering, Equatorial Transform, which is much easier on the ear for most people. I think this one broke my polyphony record - and my algorithmic-ness record too! Everything apart from the changing instrumentation, and the acoustic cymbal part, is algorithmic. Don't go thinking for a minute that I'm a remotely competent violinist though - I'm simply competent at editing out my mistakes!
just kidding