February 2012 - chuck-users - lists.cs.princeton.edu

Re: [chuck-users] Most recent Chuck for Lion?
by Anthony Bowyer-Lowe 09 Apr '12

09 Apr '12

> > I've been running Chuck on a MacPro with a Cinema Display, and I notice > that the audio device switching isn't handled well by either the > hardware/OS, or other audio apps. Often I have to diddle around with the > Sound Preferences output to get Amadeus or Reaper to play to my headphones, > or the display audio, instead of the internal speaker. So perhaps this has > something to do with it. > I can't promise this will help, but I'm a fan of running Rogue Amoeba's free Sound Source app on OS X which makes selecting the machine's audio output really quick and simple: http://rogueamoeba.com/freebies/ (bottom of page) It overrides the Mac's automatic device switching so just may be a fix. I don't know if it works on Lion - it's a bit old - but it functions great on Snow Leopard. Anthony.

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public class connections mystery
by David Ogborn 05 Mar '12

05 Mar '12

Hello again Chuckists, This is the second time today that I harangue the list with a question about some unexpected behaviour from code (unexpected to me, anyways!). This one is a bit more complicated… I declare a public class that maintains a static array of oscillators and envelopes (through a helper class). A function in the public class creates a new oscillator and envelope, and connects them both to the dac. Another function in the public class makes the envelope "go". Now here's the funny thing, to my mind: (1) If I call the creation function and the "go" function from the same (second) shred, everything works. (2) If I call the creation function in one shred and the "go" function in another shred, there is no sound - and a little investigation seems to reveal that the ugens all exist and are accessible, but are no longer connected to each other. (3) If I call a special "connect" function - _from any shred_ - that simply reestablishes the connections, then the "go" function works when called _from any shred. Here is an example of "calling shreds" and below that is the public class code: // one possible shred… Cells.sinOsc("low",28); // I want this to work from a separate shred but there is no sound/connections Cells.ad("low",5::ms,5::ms); // However, the above starts to work again if this is called from any shred Cells.connect("low"); // public class code in a separate file and shred class Cell { Osc o; Envelope e; } public class Cells { static Cell @cells[]; function static void sinOsc(string name, float nn) { Cell c; new SinOsc @=> c.o; nn => Std.mtof => c.o.freq; new Envelope @=> c.e; c.o => c.e => dac; c @=> cells[name]; } function static void ad(string name, dur att,dur dec) { cells[name] @=> Cell c; 1 => c.e.target; att => c.e.duration => now; 0 => c.e.target; dec => c.e.duration => now; } // the function below shouldn't be necessary, I don't think // but it is… unless connect is called on a given cell from // a shred other than the shred that calls sinOsc, the // ugens are not connected to the dac! ??? function static void connect(string name) { cells[name] @=> Cell c; c.o => c.e => dac; } function static void note(string name, float nn) { nn => Std.mtof => cells[name].o.freq; } } Cell theCells[0] @=> Cells.cells; while(true) { <<< "public class Cells is still alive" >>>; 10::second => now; } // Thanks for any help! // Yours truly, // David ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. David Ogborn, Assistant Professor Communication Studies & Multimedia Director, Cybernetic Orchestra & ESP Studio McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada ogbornd --at-- mcmaster.ca http://davidogborn.net http://twitter.com/ogbornd http://esp.mcmaster.ca (Cybernetic Orchestra) 1-905-525-9140 ext 27603

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The iLes Project
by Lester Hall 04 Mar '12

04 Mar '12

Hello ChucKists! I have been away from the list for a while and I am back now with a new project. Basically I am doing motion control of music for exercise and weight loss purposes, plus also for performance art. A friend has provided many samples of things like drums, robots, light sabres, thunder, etc. and I am also using the ChucK instruments in addition to the samples. The idea is that for a music programming geek like me, it will be a fun adventure to develop software and hardware combinations that permit me to dance my way to a better state of physical fitness. So far I have been working on gestures recognized from the (x,y) inputs of my Gyration Air Mouse, and soon I will get an iPod Touch for this purpose as well. Then I will have a sensor for each hand / arm, both of which interface with ChucK, plus the iPod Touch can be used in a standalone mode using the right apps. So far my best program is the flute and I have added frequency scale and time quantization at my friend's suggestion which really helps it sound good. I am also creating a music album for release on the EdP netlabel and video blogging my progress on electro-music.com, the home of the ChucK forum. If you have any questions or suggestions, I welcome them - and have a great day! Les

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Most recent Chuck for Lion?
by Charles Turner 28 Feb '12

28 Feb '12

Hi all- Finally got back to Chuck and Lion, but I wonder if I have the most recent version? > etla:/usr/local/src/chuck-1.2.1.3/examples$ chuck --version > > chuck version: 1.2.1.4-beta-1 (dracula) > exe target: mac os x : universal binary > http://chuck.cs.princeton.edu/ > > etla:/usr/local/src/chuck-1.2.1.3/examples$ chuck status.ck > [chuck](VM): status (now == 0h0m0s, 0.0 samps) ... > [shred id]: 1 [source]: status.ck [spork time]: 0.00s ago [Chuck hangs here…] > ^C[chuck]: cleaning up... > > RtApiCore::closeStream(): no open stream to close! > > etla:/usr/local/src/chuck-1.2.1.3/examples$ Where's the most recent version located? Thanks, Charles

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WiiLes Project
by Lester Hall 27 Feb '12

27 Feb '12

I'm not sure if my prior message got through as it was mixed up with rejoining the group, but in that message i posted that I was working on an iPod Touch based motion control system. I have since reconsidered and went for a WiiMote approach. This was due to the fact that a friend told me that Osculator had "grown up" into a full-fledged windowed application which is a lot easier for me to use than the unix command line solution it was before (been there, not my thing anymore). So now I have four brand new WiiMotes, a copy of Osculator, and a three year old Mac mini with ChucK miniAudicle on it. I have set up Osculator to send MIDI CC messages for two of the WiiMotes including raw accels and all buttons but not including the IR sensor (yet). Also I have written some programs, the main resulting effort of which is a flute/drum program with good sound and acceptable control setup. Next I will work on improving the control gestures of the flute/drum program and possibly replacing the drums with a saxophone. Also I need to work out some kind of physical arrangement for holding the ankle or foot mounted WiiMotes. I am also updating the video blog and text record of the progress and recording songs for an album. Your suggestions and comments are very welcome, thanks in advance for your time! Les

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ChucK Latency on laptop
by Matt Bard 26 Feb '12

26 Feb '12

Hello all, I've recently begun looking into using ChucK a little for odds and ends. It's a very interesting language. In fact, I just wrote a guitar (audio) looper capable of simple looping and overdubbing (to replace a stompbox). While it appears that everything works just fine, I am encountering enough latency to cause noticeable problems in my musical timing. I've tried reducing the buffersize down to 64 and I've attempted to use the --level110 command, but --level always informs me that it isn't capable of changing the schedule for some reason. I'm running Windows 7 on a simple laptop with the default soundcard (yes, I know that's pretty rough). Regardless, I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to lower the latency? And how could I adjust the priority of ChucK? Thanks,Matt

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functions returning arrays
by David Ogborn 24 Feb '12

24 Feb '12

Hi Chuckists, A question about arrays in Chuck: the manual briefly mentions "functions that have arrays as arguments or return type" but I can't seem to find an actual example of a function with an array as a return type. Does anyone know if this works, or there is a way to make it work? If I call the function below, for instance, I get a "NullPointerException: (array access)" when I do anything with the result: fun float[] t(float x,float nn[]) { float rr[]; for(0 => int n;n<nn.size();n++) { nn[n] + x => rr[n]; } return rr; } Yours truly, David ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. David Ogborn, Assistant Professor Communication Studies & Multimedia Director, Cybernetic Orchestra & ESP Studio McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada ogbornd --at-- mcmaster.ca http://davidogborn.net http://twitter.com/ogbornd http://esp.mcmaster.ca (Cybernetic Orchestra) 1-905-525-9140 ext 27603

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[BUG] otf blocks at error
by Kassen 15 Feb '12

15 Feb '12

Fellow ChucKists, When I am running "chuck --loop" in one terminal, then run "chuck + foo.ck" in another, where foo.ck is a file that contains some syntax error (or is just a random file) the last command will block. By that I mean the error is printed correctly (even "chuck -v + foo.ck" prints correctly) but after that I don't get my prompt back until I give it a extra [enter] or Ctrl+c. At the moment of removing the block the terminal running "chuck --loop" will report a "0-length packet" yet it continues to run fine. This is a bug, clearly, but more can be said about it. First of all it need not be a person issuing the otf command, it could be a script, for example if we'd like to run ChucK from a editor that supports highlighting the location of the error -if any- that depends on the compilation of code to return. For such cases plain ChucK doesn't work because when all is well ChucK likely will return a stream of data instead of a single statement. Secondly; if this would indicate a error in the error reporting that might explain the amount of segfaulting VM's at incorrect code we have recently seen. I'd quite like that one to be addressed because the VM has been crashing so easily at incorrect files that livecoding becomes a bit of a risky proposition. Well, more risky :-) This is based on the version from the repository running alsa linux, btw. Yours, Kas.

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Symposium on Laptop Ensembles and Orchestras - Registration Open
by Stephen David Beck 15 Feb '12

15 Feb '12

Please distribute widely... 1st Symposium on Laptop Ensembles & Orchestras (SLEO 2012) - Registration now open. The LSU Center for Computation & Technology is pleased to announce the 1st Symposium on Laptop Ensembles & Orchestras, April 15-17, 2012 on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. The workshop will feature peer-reviewed paper sessions, panel discussions and posters focused on the current state of laptop and mobile music ensembles. Topics will include core tools and technologies for laptops and mobile devices, theoretical and historical approaches, software and hardware management, and composer perspectives. Four workshops will start the symposium, with topics ranging from programming mobile devices, using the GRENDL system for software deployment, basic electronics & circuit bending, and vocal applications for laptop ensembles. Ge Wang, director of the Stanford Laptop Orchestra and founder of Smule will give the keynote address for SLEO. There will also be performances by the Mobile Performance Group (Stetson University), Sideband (Princeton), the European Bridges Ensemble, the Linux Laptop Orchestra (L2Ork), and the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana (the LOLs). Although the final schedule is not yet completed, the general outline of the symposium is as follows: - Sunday, April 15 - Workshops, Opening Reception - Monday, April 16 - Conference Sessions, Keynote Address, Concerts - Tuesday, April 17 - Conference Sessions, Concerts Fees: - Early Registration (until March 15, 2012): US$160 - Late/On-site Registration (beginning March 16, 2012): US$185 - Student Rates: US$110 (Early) / US$135 (Late/On-site) Registration fees for SLEO 2012 include all workshops and symposium sessions, lunches for Monday and Tuesday, concert tickets for Monday and Tuesday evenings, on-campus transportation and the opening reception & crawfish boil. Hotels: The official conference hotel is the Lod Cook Hotel and Conference Center. We have secured a special conference rate of $96 per night. Reservations for the conference hotel must be made through our online registration form. We strongly recommend visitors stay at the Cook Hotel, as it will be the hub for our local transportation services. To get the conference rate, you must make your reservation through the SLEO registration page. Travel: The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) is served by Delta, Continental, US Airways and American Airlines through regional hubs in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte and Memphis. The airport is located 15 minutes north of LSU. We highly recommend flying through this airport. Taxis are available at the airport for local transportation. The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is approximately one hour driving time southeast of Baton Rouge, off of Interstate 10. The airport is served by over a dozen regional, national and international airlines. Rental cars are available, but cab service to Baton Rouge is prohibitively expensive and not recommended. On-line Registration: Please use the following link to register for the conference and make hotel reservations. https://www.cct.lsu.edu/sleo-registration/sleo-submit.php Thank you for your interest and submission to SLEO 2012. We look forward to seeing you in April. Sincerely, Stephen David Beck Jesse Allison Rebecca Fiebrink Nathan Wolek SLEO 2012 Executive Committee

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