Not just using laptops, but coding in a live performance? See this story on BBC News’ web site.
No mentions of what languages are being used, but screen shots seem to suggest Max/MSP and either CSound or ChucK.
This reference site has just about anything you can imagine you’d need, from note names and frequencies, to a chord finder, to a BPM calculator, and much more:
http://www.sengpielaudio.com/Calculations03.htm
I found it when I was looking for the frequency range of a standard 88 note piano, and the MIDI notes that corresponded for a simple MAX patch I was working on. So far, it just plays random piano quarter notes in a minor scale, you pick the root key and the octave span and tempo. I was thinking I could make a robot that does a good Terry Riley impression a la Rainbow in Curved Air.
Here’s one using Stretta‘s inspirational polygomé on the monome as an arpeggiator for both the bass synth and the vibraphone.
#10 “Your Future, Mule Armadillo” (7:05, 9.7MB mp3)
banksy graffiti art on st claude ave
again, using the monome and boiinngg, a quick improvisation.
it’s frighteningly easy to make get a terry riley / steve reich type thing happening.
so much fun, i could do this forever…
inseaish (6:56) mp3 9.6MB
here’s a video of me having fun with the monome. i am using a Max patch called boiinngg to trigger the drums in Ableton Live, using the Impulse plugin.
monome 64 + boiinngg from aleatoric on Vimeo.
can a video be “song of the week”? sure!
… how can something that has no capability to make sound on its own be so inspiring and useful to a musician?
above: the monome64, a totally configurable input/output light/button box that works with Max/MSP, chucK, OSC (Open Sound Control) and MIDI.
designed and built by hand by a couple in the catskills who are committed to open-source and sustainability (as well as a refreshing minimalistic aesthetic). with a really friendly and creative user community, there are loads of free applications for it that you can edit or add to. search vimeo for “monome” on to see what i mean.
image from monome.org.