DATA & JITTERS ROLE IN THE PATCH

The Voronoi noise-map, (shown in the example screen-shots), is easily created using the jit.bfg (Basis Function & Generators) object. This very useful, and really rather cool object will output its functions to a regular jit.matrix, to be used for analysis & further processing.

The jit.bfg object is capable of many basis functions, including distance functions (such as Voronoi; based on distance-weighting), fractal, noise, filter, & transfer functions. Some examples (taken from the Jitter Tutorials documentation) are shown below, to the right.

Many other function noise-maps may be very useful in creating musical compositions; I intend to try out others using jit.bfg, and also to replace the noise-maps with images & photos. The elliptical orbit mean the system creates repeating loops; where the data-map itself can be shifted & rotated under the playhead. For this reason, most interesting 2D maps/images should render good results.

  FROM NOISE TO MUSIC

The TOPOLOGY MUSIC patch is controlled using the following sets of parameters, for controlling noise-maps, the elliptical play-heads & the MIDI output:

NOISE-MAP:

• NOISE-TYPE: Sets which function is used (i.e. Voronoi, Simplex etc.) - new patch versions allow for multiple function-types, including: NOISE, FRACTAL, TRANSFER etc.)
• ORIGIN: The function's 0,0 point, and the centre of rotation
• ROTATION: Angle of rotation around origin
• OFFSET: Translation of map (move background under screen area)
• SCALE: Relative size of map (from origin); alters detail
• WEIGHT: Translates to stronger pixel values, and higher pitches

PLAY-HEAD:

• SIZE: The radius of the playhead (in pixels)
• STEPS: The amount of 'points' in the circle; and therefore the amount of notes in the repeating loop
• INTEGER/FLOAT (STEPS): This toggle allows the user to set the STEPS value in whole-numbers or floating-point fractions

NOTE OUTPUT:

• SCALE/BIAS or MOD/BIAS: Toggle
  • SCALE/BIAS: The noise-map data is scaled by a factor (from 0.-1.) and transposed by an addition value. (this retains the original data's shape)
  • MOD/BIAS: The noise-map data is wrapped into a specified range using modulo arithmetic, then transposed (the output can be very different than the original noise data)
• MIDI OUT: The pitch data joins the following for MIDI output:
  • A choice of a MIDI device
  • MIDI channel
  • Velocity & Duration values
  • ..and an additional random element for Velocity & Duration
• Max SYNTH OUTPUT: You can also send note-data to a synthesis patch, such as SIMPLE_SYNTH, or the WAVE_SHAPER, including presets

COOL STUFF TO TRY:

It can sometimes take some jiggling of parameters to get a good, controlled musical jam going with the topology patch; but some specific techniques often render good results:

SHORT LOOPED HARMONIES & PHASE SHIFT:

What looks great in the visual aspect of the TOPOLOGY patch does not always sound best. Using loops with many-many STEPS looks good, but shorter loops of only around 8 notes tend to sound more musical. By setting both channels to, for example, 8 STEPS, with similar SIZE & rhythm, a melodic harmony can be created by changing the output interval of one of the channels to a 3rd (for example: set channel 1 to octave 3, with a C note on the keyboard interface; and channel 2 to octave 3, with an E)
Then, you are free to experiment with the SCALE QUANTISATION, to change the key of the music, and to try extending one of the channel's loops' STEPS value by 1, to create a phase-shift in loop-lengths.

NOISE ROTATION & TRANSLATION AUTOMATION:
(may cause timing problems on slower machines!)

In the bottom-left area of the patch GUI (of the latest version) is a noise-map automation system. This allows you to automate slow changes in the noise-map's ROTATION and WEIGHT values over time.
This is done using Max's line object, and requires a destination value for the rotation or weight parameters, and a time (in seconds) for this destination to be reached.

...again, visually, this system looks best when the rotation is fast enough to see; but due to fine resolution of the noise-map, it sounds much more musical if it is performed VERY slowly. This way the changes are heard as a gradual musical progression, and not a semi-random stream of notes.

Similar automation of the WEIGHT parameter can sound like a rising or falling progression in an arpeggiated sequence. V-Nice!