Research Seminar in Computer Generated Music
Logan Kibler
Below is a video of my finalized working plugin.
Download the plugin here. This plugin was built on my Mac with an Intel system and on OS Sonoma 14.5. Put the file wherever your computer searches for user plugins, likely in the user/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 folder. To free your plugin from Apple's security clutches, run: sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine path/to/file.
This week I finished and administered the survey linked below. I also decided on my interface designs based on the survey results and my own opinions. Next week I will finalize the implementation and have the working plugin for class on Wednesday.
First, I summarized the data I got from my previous interface survey. The data is summarized in the two images below.
I used this information to inform some of my design decisions for my 5 initial interface designs. I used Photoshop Web to generate images based on prompts to create designs that fit the style and images I wanted. I will be conducting a survey to decide what my three final interfaces will look like using the survey linked here.
This week I created 3 different distortion sounds that will underly the 3 different interfaces. The sounds I chose are in the video below. I plan to design 5 different images of possible interfaces this week. I then plan to run a survey in order to decide what the three interfaces I design will look like.
This week I gathered more data and plan to summarize that data next week. I am aiming for 16-20 people's worth of data. I also wrote a basic distortion plugin in Juce to experiment with different distortion algorithms. I decided that different interfaces of the plugin will create slightly different distortion sounds likely through some filtering on the input or output. Below is a quick video of the basic hyperbolic tangent waveshaping distortion plugin I will be experimenting with.
In order to start designing the interfaces and distortion sounds, I created a survey to get ideas of music producer's favorite plugins. I asked about distortion sounds, interfaces and other parameters they liked. A copy of the survey is linked here and the data I collected will be summarized later in the term.
I decided that I will be exploring creating a distortion effect plugin. This week, I explored if it was possible to have a plugin change its user interface using a discrete knob. I would like to create a distortion plugin that has slightly different user interface modes that also create slightly different timbre distortions in ways that match the interface. Below is a proof of concept that changing a knob can change a different knob's style and the background image.
Project Introduction: I plan to use my experience creating audio plugins using Juce to explore audio effect digital signal processing and user interface design. I am interested in exploring how to create a more productive and pleasant working environment for all producer identities through audio effect plugin design. I plan to pick an audio effect and create different sound and visuals for the same effect. I then plan to ask music producers to evaluate the continuity of the interfaces and sounds, and which interface designs they like for different reasons.