Playing Patterns

Patterns provide a facility for easily exploring generative music/algorithmic composition. Rather than making single synthesis events, we’re looking much more at how we schedule lots of events over time. – Nick Collins [Col]

UGens are the basic building blocks for our synth, i.e., instruments, i.e., a number generator that via our loudspeakers produces sound. Sound design in SC is the process of combining unit generators, i.e., to build a unit generator graph function that spits out the floating-point numbers we desire. Through the rigid coupling of air molekules (medium) sound (form) is constructed (see Medium and Form). This coupling is realized by technology, in our case a digital synthesizer specified by code and this code (form) is the rigid coupling of words from a programming language (medium).

Next we understand this form (sound) as our new medium. We want to create rhythms, textures, harmony, and melodies—we want to create music. Interestingly, we find the corresponding representations for our new medium and form within our code. Our synthesizer-code, and what the languages provides us with to use this code, build up a new medium. It is our task to select from the new horizon of possibilities.

There are different ways to do this. First of all, as mentioned in The Ecosystem, there are other software packages such as Sonic Pi, TidalCycle or FoxDot which are designed to play synths and samples. Sonic Pi goes the imperative way of combining iteration and threading in a single concept called live_loops. These threaded loops can be synced with other loops and follow a strict timing concept. FoxDot uses the concept of players. Each player can play a synth repeatedly and is synchronized to a clock. TidalCycle went the functional route. It also uses players but lets the user manipulate a signal in a functional style. Each of these tools offers a distinct language and, therefore a way of thinking—a specific medium and it can be a creative pleasure to be limited by a certain medium.

However, SuperCollider offers its own excellent and powerful possibilities for composing a musical piece. Within the language, we can use plain iteration and threading via Routines and Tasks, see section Rountines and Tasks. The advantage of using routines is that there is not much to remember or new to learn. You build everything by the basic imperative programming concepts, i.e., loops, cases, arrays and functions. As a programmer this medium feels familiar. However, the freedom comes at a cost: a lot of typing. Furthermore, your code becomes quite unreadable very fast.

Another option is the so-called Pattern library which uses Pattern, Streams, and Events to abstract most of the technical burden away. Instead of writing how your code operates, you can write what you want. It is a switch from the imperative to the declarative paradigm. Patterns are not better or worse than ‘closer-to-metal’ concepts like routines. With routines you can start right away. Using patterns requires you to learn a new vocabulary and until one has a critical mass of knowledge about the different pattern, it can be hard to trust them. Furthermore, if there is not a pattern that does quite what you want, then it might take some ingenuity to combine patterns into new designs. (Custom behaviors can always be written using Prout.)

Later we will see how we can use the live programming interface to enhance our ability to create rhythms and melodic textures on the fly.