Writing a New Module

Ok, let me start off this post straight; this isn't a guide for how to make a module, but the starting point of what a module or writing a module even means.

I am, by trade, a software engineer. Without getting into too too much detail about my past, for years I had an antagonistic relationship with my job. I think that might've been one of the reasons why I've been working to get into music because it isn't software development. That said, I know I can code and I have enjoyed it from time to time so it must not be all of my job that I dislike. 

In my other posts, I've been discussing Sonic Pi, a programming language based in Ruby that was design for music making. It's been a really cool way to use the coding skills that I have with a newfound appreciation of music theory.

So, what if we take this a step further. What if I could be like paid to do something like this? I know this is something of a neoliberal sentiment but, hear me out. What are ways that I could further utilize my skills as a developer? 

[Enter Module creation]

Modules are kinda what they sound like. You have a bigger program or system and you can add a little piece of functionality on top of it. The functionality of the module can vary greatly and they can very in complexity.

The programs which the modules can be plugged into vary too. I think you can have Ableton plugins/modules and also custom modules for VCV Rack. They can be free but they can also cost some amount of money. 

If you think about it, especially for something like VCV which is an open source free digital 1modular synth, modules make sense. If you have a physical modular synth you can actually solder your own electronics to make music. It's pretty crazy to think that that is an option. Even though I can hack my way through playing a guitar, I would have little idea about how to make one. Then again...

Back to modules, this is getting really into the nitty gritty of development with respect to electronic music and I think I'll try to do it in the near future. I don't know what I'll do but surely I can do something simple. There are some tutorials about how to do it after all.

I'll try to post my progress here and maybe on Github too if anyone feels inclined. 

Thanks for reading! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Very Sus chords in Sonic Pi

Bottom line: Use Suspended chords (aka sus) like Sus2 and Sus4 to add a bit of tension before releasing to a major or minor chord. So you've got a number of ways to play chords in Sonic Pi. You could use any of the following (I'm adding the sleeps in there so you can copy/paste into your Sonic Pi window) play_chord([60,62,67]) # provide the number which correspond notes (where middle C == 60) sleep 1 play chord(:C3, :major) # provide chord name sleep 1 play_chord([:C, :D, :G]) # provide the names of the notes you want to use  sleep 1  play 60 # play the notes individually without sleeps between them play 62 play 67 For the purposes of the rest of this post, I'll use the second form cause it's compact and we can see the numbers. ------------------------------------------------ Now, we've got major chords, and the music theory the notation is 1-3-5 (ie Base Note + 3 + 5). Similarly, we've got minor chords with the notations 1-2-5. In Sonic Pi l...
Read more

Sonic Pi and Play

Bottom-line: You aren't restricted to whole numbers when it comes to the play command; the microtones possible can yield some really fun results. --------------------------------------- Hello hello! The first thing you learn when starting Sonic Pi is the play command. I won't rehash the tutorial , if you aren't familiar with  play  check it out - it's solid. What I wanted to write about today was something I noticed when writing a post about chords .  When playing notes, you can provide the name of the note or the number that corresponds to that key on the keyboard. 60 is C, for example. What's 61? D? Nah, C#/D♭. 62 is D.   And that makes sense cause you're just moving up the keys on the keyboard.  But then it got me thinkin'....what about 60.5? Boom. It works. And this makes total sense too. After all, Sonic Pi is a programming language and why wouldn't it allow you to use all sorts of numbers for inputs? We can use 0.25 as a valid sleep  value, rig...
Read more

Rolling High Hat Trick with Sonic_Pi

Welcome, readers! I learned a neat trick for spicing up a high hat and a kick loop. Consider the following: live_loop :cymbal do     sample :drum_cymbal_closed, amp: amp_level     sleep 0.25 end    It's your standard loop. Now try modifying the velocity or amp of that cymbal: live_loop :cymbal do     amp_level = (ring 0.5, 1).tick     sample :drum_cymbal_closed, amp: amp_level     sleep 0.25 end  It's subtle but it gives a rolling feel to the sound. It's a really quick way to add some more flavor to the beat. Based on a conversation I had in the Sonic Pi forms , this is a way to streamline this too:  live_loop :cymbal do       sample :drum_cymbal_closed, amp: (ring 0.5, 1).tick       sleep 0.25 end You can put the ring inside the sample line. I'll explore rings more in a future post too so stay tuned! Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments what you think and what you've been work...
Read more