Towards a poetics of restriction
Jung In Jung
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PhD in Music and Music Technology
Centre for Research in New Music
University of Huddersfield
jungin.j@gmail.com
Appendix B
This is additional information for Section 2.1.2. Locus. This is an overview of the workflow between the vvvv and Max patches in /3.Max_vvvv_patches/2.1.2.Locus/Locus_vvvv/0.Locus_main.4vp, /3.Max_vvvv_patches/2.1.2.Locus/Locus_Max/0.TOP_Locus.maxpat, and /3.Max_vvvv_patches/2.1.2. Locus/Locus_Max /1.muxshield_master.maxpat in Windows 7 using Bootcamp.
First, before loading any Max patches, the folder /Locus_Max should be added to the Max search path in the Options> File Preferences menu. Otherwise it won’t load any Gametrak simulation files or sound files for buffer~ object.
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** If any error occurs when loading sound files for buffer~ object even though the folder is added to the Max search, the issue may be resolved if the entire folder /Locus_Max is copied and pasted to the desktop, and the Max patch is opened from the desktop directly instead of from the USB drive.
The Gametrak controllers are connected to the Arduino microcontroller (see Video 1.2) and the received data is monitored through the patch muxshield_master.maxpat. To start reading the data, the Arduino board from the dropdown menu should be selected, and the ‘Read Arduino’ toggle should be on.
I recorded some input data from the Gametrak controllers in Max using seq~ object so that I could simulate the interactive environment to test my patch without an actual performance. The simulation data is stored in the folder /Locus_Max/simulation. When 1.muxshield _master.maxpat is open, it automatically loads the simulation files for eight Gametrak controllers.
When the ‘Play Gametrak Simulation Data’ is on, the simulation data starts to flow. To play the simulation data, the audio in Max should be on as seq~ object is an event sequencer that is driven by a signal input.
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** The simulation data only lasts for about two minutes.
Both the data from the Arduino board and the simulation data are sent to the main Max patch 0.TOP_Locus.maxpat. The far left of the screen shows the master volume control. On the right, I can choose whether I want to receive the data from the Arduino board (Gametrak real data) or the simulation data. These data, as well as all other data for the visuals, are sent to the vvvv patch 0.Locus_main.4vp via Open Sound Control (OSC).
Before running the Max patch, the vvvv patch should be loaded as well because some parts of the Max patch are controlled by the vvvv patch. Below is the main vvvv patch of Locus. The entire communication flow between Max and vvvv can be seen in the sub-patches entireflow and maxcomu1. The Gametrak data sent to these sub-patches are scaled to control the visual parameters in each section of the composition.
The screen below shows the first part of the composition consisting of three variations (see here in Section 2.1.2) in the Max patch. Before running the entire composition, (1) the Reset button should be pressed several times to reset every part of the composition. The composition can then be started by pressing (2) the start button.
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The first variation Seq 1. Glass – Purple has a counter object so that it can count the gong sound thirty times before playing the second variation. In the second variation, the clock counts for two minutes. When it reaches this point, it stops the current variation and plays the next one. The third variation is the same as the second one.
Whenever there are transitions in sound between variations or sections, information is sent to the sections “vvvv screen switch” and “vvvv flow control” to change the images and control the visual effect parameters in vvvv.
In the sub-patch maxcomu1 the z values from the Gametrak controllers are scaled to control the visual parameters in the first section.
Below is the sub-patch first_cn_seq. Each piece of the glass window image is called up as texture and distributed to each cnlayer sub-patches. Each cnlayer patch controls the colour, brightness, and blurring effects over the glass window images.
This is the second part of the composition in Max (see here in Section 2.1.2).
sphere_seq and door_seq are the sub-patches for the second and third parts of the composition.
This is the first part of the sub-patch sphere_seq which creates the glitch-like rotating movement of the sphere.
This is the second part of the sub-patch sphere_seq. The x and y values of the Gametrak data are sent here to change the locations of the spheres according to the data coordination and draw the lines between the spheres.
This is the third part of the composition in Max (see here in Section 2.1.2).
This is the third part of the composition in vvvv. This is the sub-patch of door_seq.
