256a-fall-2021/hw3

Homework #3: Interactive AudioVisual Music Sequencer

NOTE: this image is here mostly for its colors, PLEASE DON'T (NECESSARILY) MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THIS!

timeline:

• HW3 milestone 1 (research + on-paper design), create webpage and be prepared to present
• HW3 milestone 2 (demo/something working), be prepared to present in-class
• HW3 done (demo/semi-polished playable prototype)), be prepared to present in-class

Almost inevitably at some point in one's music software design journey, you'll be asked/tempted to make a step sequencer. In this assignment, we are going to get that off our chest/out of our system, and make a real-time, audio-visual software, driven by some kind of music sequencer!

(Part 1 of 3): Research + Preliminary Design

• create webpage / be prepared to briefly present in class
• do research on music sequencers!
• compile a list of useful references on various types of step sequencers / designs (articles, papers, images, etc.)
• do the CHICKEN SEQUENCER tutorial video (note: this is only one type of sequencer and is rather incomplete)
  • files from the tutorial chickencer.unitypackage
    • (NOTE: this is mainly to show how to integrate timing; copy/paste as it is helpful but this is NOT meant to be "starter code" -- every sequencer may be quite different)
• sketch your own preliminary designs of a real-time audio-visual step sequencer! make 3 different designs, maximally different from each other.
• what features to include?
  • what does it look like? linear? circular? spherical? mobius?!? a game? a galaxy??
  • sequencing of pitch? dynamics (loundness)? envelopes (attack/decay/sustain/release)?
  • how many parallel tracks / layers / or different types of sound? (e.g., track 1 synth, track 2 drum etc)
  • how input the sequence (in real-time)?
  • how does it sound? will it use synthesis? load audio samples?
  • can you save/load sequences? what file format? should we have a common Music256a/476a format?!
  • how to control/depict tempo?
• sketch as much as detail as possible, even if you don't end implementing most of them!
• hand in scans of your paper designs and be ready to present on Monday! (scans of these design sketches can go onto your website for this project)

(Part 2 of 3) Something Working

• IMPORTANT! timing must be audio-driven to ensure precision' (i.e., driven from audio/chuck, not from graphics/unit)
• deliverable: update webpage, including a 1 minute video demo
• have something working in software, towards your core idea/aesthetics!
  • driving the timing of a repeating sound event from chuck
  • having the time between sound events be variable and controlled from unity
  • driving the animation corresponding to it from a value in chuck, NOT a value in unity
  • (this is essential because chuck's timing is much tighter than unity's)
• decide on a design + set of features for a real-time audio-visual step sequencer; the design decisions should account for the questions raised in part 1 above!
• implement a working prototype of your step sequencer
• should use:
  • Chunity
    • see chunity tutorials (skip the "setup" step)
    • see chunity reference for complete documentation
    • may wish to refer to Unity Execution Order
    • may wish to refer to Unity Colliders Overview for which colliders interact with which colliders and how
    • may wish to refer to Unity Object.Instantiate for programmatically instantiating a prefab (see more here )
• potential things to sequence:
  • pitch
  • dynamics
  • different timbres / instruments
  • envelopes
• requirements / high-level functional aesthetic goals
  • must be graphical
  • must be interactive
  • must be musical
  • should be flexible in usability
  • should support some narrative complexity
  • should feel satisfying to use
• "hints"
  • think of user/interaction design **and** software/system design
  • create an audio engine, as well as a graphics engine; how do they interact?
  • having a "grid" can be very useful (but not strictly necessary)!

(Part 3 of 3) "Playable Prototype"

• aim for a semi-polished playable prototype
• Musical Statement + In-Class Presentation
  • using your sequencer, create a short musical statement
  • create a short but polished video of a "mini-performance" of your sequencer
  • be prepared to present it in class
• as with HW2, update your webpage for your audiovisual sequencer, which must contain:
  • name of your sequencer
  • one or more screenshots
  • your polished sequencer "mini-performance" video
  • your initial design sketches + research, motivate and articulate how you made your design decisions
  • system design: how is your software architected? we recommend a class diagram.
  • (optional) code for download

Note

• As always, have fun with it, make the user feel something, make it satisfying.
• you are welcome to work together, but you must do your own work
• comment your code!

Final Deliverables

a website containing:

• 1) design sketches (scan them in if necessary)
• 2) a polished video of your step sequencer in action, and your musical statement
• 3) screenshots of your step sequencer in action
• 4) (optional) source code/executable to the project
• 5) instructions on using your step sequencer
• 6) instructions on building the project (for example, anyone in the class should be able to download)
• 7) readme section describing:
  • any comments you want to share (difficulties and what you enjoyed) on using Chunity
• 8) upload the website URL to Canvas

(default: CCRMA webpage: http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~YOURID/256a/hw3/)