256a-fall-2019/hw2

Homework #2: Interactive AudioVisual Music Sequencer

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

timeline:

• part 1 (research + on-paper design + something working), in-class (be prepared to present)
• part 2 (demo/mini-performance)), in-class (be prepared to present)

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 crazy, real-time, audio-visual software, driven by some type of step sequencer!

(Part 1 of 2): Research + Preliminary Design + Something Working

• due in-class (also upload to Canvas)
• do research on music sequencers!
• compile a list of useful references on various types of step sequencers / designs (articles, papers, images, etc.)
• 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? MIDI?
  • 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 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!)
• have something working in software, towards your core idea/aesthetics!
  • can start from the Chunity Example script "ChunityExampleTimeAdvancerWithHelperComponents.cs" for an example of:
    • 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
    • (which is valuable because chuck's timing is tighter than unity's)

(Part 2 of 2): Implementation

• decide on a design + set of features for an 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:
  • unity
  • chunity
    • see chunity tutorials (skip the "setup" step)
    • 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
  • timing should be tight (driven from audio/chuck, not from graphics callback)
  • 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" is optional!
• create a webpage for your audiovisual sequencer, which must contain:
  • one or more screenshot(s)
  • your initial design sketches + research, motivate and articulate how you made your design decisions
  • system design: how is your software architected? recommend a class diagram!
  • the code for download
  • (your musical statement: stuff from part 3 below)

Musical Statement + In-Class Presentation

• using your sequencer, create a short musical statement
• make a VIDEO of you performing it
• do a live presentation of your step sequencer in class

Note

• as always, have fun with it! Also: make it satisfying
• comment your code!
• you are welcome to work together, but you must do/turn in your own work (you'll likely get more out of it this way)

Deliverables

An HTML website containing:

• 1) source code to the project (entire zipped Unity project folder)
• 2) design sketches (scan them in if necessary)
• 3) your musical statement!
• 4) screenshots of your step sequencer in action
• 5) a video of your step sequencer in action, and your musical statement
• 6) instructions on building the project (for example, anyone in the class should be able to download)
• 7) instructions on using your step sequencer
• 8) readme section describing:
  • any comments you want to share (difficulties and what you enjoyed) on using Chunity
  • any comments you want to share (difficulties and what you enjoyed) on using Unity
  • any comments you want to share (difficulties and what you enjoyed) on using ChucK in general
• 9) upload the website URL / submit all necessary files (code, images, videos, etc) to canvas!

(default: CCRMA webpage: http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~YOURID/256a/hw2/)