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The Experimental Sound Mini-Compo #1

The Experimental Sound Mini-Compo #1

by MsxKun on 28-03-2012, 10:18
Topic: Challenges
Tags: algorithmic, ESMC, generation, music, sound
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Algorithmic music generation has for many years been a bit of a holy grail among music technologists. There are plenty small tools out there that generate music, but they typically come up with organized sound, rather than music your mother-in-law will enjoy. Not exactly your average mainstream charts success, to put it mildly. How nice it would be.. you tweak a few parameters, you give a random seed value, and a tool gives you Paul McCartney's Yesterday in return. Who needs composers anyway?

Well, at the Karoshi forum you can have a go at a challenge like this. Next to the MSXdev'12 contest (another initiative by the Karoshi forum) there's now the Experimental Sound Mini-Compo. In a nutshell: create a program that has its own unique new way to create music and/or sound. You can use any MSX generation, while for sound you can use PSG and MSX-MUSIC. The simplest example would be a random generator which outputs pitches and amplitudes. The chances that such a 3-line program would create the next evergreen are pretty slim.. can you do better? More details about the rules can be found in the Karoshi forum.

Relevant link: Karoshi - Experimental Sound Mini-Compo

Comments (9)

By MsxKun

Paragon (1115)

MsxKun's picture

28-03-2012, 12:19

Ty for being so quick! Smile
And I love the pic!

Btw.. there is a little mistake.. after "you you"...  You can use PSG and MSX-Music, yes, but you're not limited to that, as you can use the PPI's famous click cllik click click if you want! 1 bit sound, see Beepertron as example! Thx!

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10094)

wolf_'s picture

28-03-2012, 12:54

click.. click.. click.. dunno.. should we click? Tongue I think the challenge of creating "mainstream" music with it is an interesting one. And anyone with knowlegde of BASIC and music could give it a try.

By Manuel

Ascended (19307)

Manuel's picture

28-03-2012, 18:50

So, no SCC? Tongue

By MsxKun

Paragon (1115)

MsxKun's picture

28-03-2012, 20:12

Hehe, sorry, not at this time. The idea is make all the mad scientist experiments with just the machine, without external hardware (audio/video). Cause allowing SCC should allow also Music Module, Moonsound, Playsoniq's SID... And as not everybody has those extensions, I kept the simpliest config (allowing at same time any MSX generation, and I know that's a bit of contradiction Evil &nbspWink. So, just your machine. Of course, MSX-Music can be external, but some MSX have it internally, so it's a bit of an exception. Oh, yes, OCM has internal SCC, but as it's not a real MSX... Wink 

Well, that was the idea. A tiny simple and quick thing to explore what a simple MSX machine can do about noise generation (alone, without help). After all, the goal is creativity and not the quality of the sound itself. By now.

If there is some funny stuff coming out from this, maybe next time ANY sound generator can be used. Why not?
An anyway anybody can make some SCC, SID, MM, Moonsound program out of contest, as there is no prize it won't make so much difference. It would be nice to see! Smile 

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10094)

wolf_'s picture

28-03-2012, 20:45

Quick question: should an entry (say, a BASIC program) make sound itself, or could that entry also generate MML and save those strings to a file, meaning you'd have to load that file to playback music?

By hap

Paragon (2042)

hap's picture

28-03-2012, 21:14

I think I have an entry available! Smile
It was made a few years ago. I never released the program to the public so it should be ok to enter it into this contest.
(/me awaiting karoshi admin approval to login to their forum and will submit it then)

By MsxKun

Paragon (1115)

MsxKun's picture

28-03-2012, 23:18

@Wolf: Hehe, nice question. I guess... the program should generate sound itself, unless it generates the MML and you make another program in the same pack (not an existing one but one you make), to play that MML later, even if it's on a more simple way than an already existing soft could ALSO do. I'd say then it's ok, tho people will say Smile

By MsxKun

Paragon (1115)

MsxKun's picture

28-03-2012, 23:19

I think I have an entry available! Smile
It was made a few years ago. I never released the program to the public so it should be ok to enter it into this contest.
(/me awaiting karoshi admin approval to login to their forum and will submit it then)

Good Big smile  

By pitpan

Prophet (3155)

pitpan's picture

29-03-2012, 00:17

hap user enabled @Karoshi! ;D

For other people: just private message me or mail me at eduardo AD robsy DOT com

There are something like +500 fake users/spammers trying to join everyday and I'm not reading the whole list to check it. Sad