AGNULA. This session will present the objectives of this new European project, funded by the European Commission under the IST programme, aiming at proposing a distribution of free software tools in the music sector. Partners of the consortium are : Centro Temporeale, Florence , IRCAM, Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/musique de Paris KTH, Kung Tekniska Högsolan of Stockholm Universita Pompeu Fabra of Barcelona Free Software Foundation Europe

The composition " verblich " has been realized during the yearlong Course at Ircam. I used the developments of Ircam to generate sounds as well as to treat pre-recorded sounds. I want to demonstrate how I proceeded and which where the aims of my work technically and also aesthetically. Some examples :
 I used smallest time-sections to build larger time-sections. This proceeding follows the idea of traditional tape-work and goes beyond it because of the possibilities of shorter sections and of more layers.
 I used Omchroma to generate sinus-sounds and to create glissandi and transpositions of them. I used Omchroma also to detune sounds and series, which were produced in Open Music.
 In AudioSculpt I filtered sound-files and cut out frequencies of recordings, done during the last years on streets, in landscapes and in rooms.
 With Max I treated recordings in order to receive periodic vibrations, but also extremely noisy sounds.
 Max/Msp is used for treating the double-bass in real-time.

The ID-Studiolab is a group of multi-disciplinary experts related to the field of user-product interaction. Our vision is to design products that are aesthetic, engaging and pleasurable to use, not necessarily easy. We try to realize this vision by 'research through design'. An approach where designing is an integral part of doing research. One of the research topics in the ID-Studiolab is Expressive Interaction. In Expressive Interaction we aim to improve communication between user and product by focusing on people's skills and capabilities. We make working prototypes to experience and evaluate these interactions. To make these prototypes we use dataflow programming through Max/MSP. We will present some of these projects that we have been working on in the past year. Also we will be discussing why Max/MSP is a valued tool in our work environment.

The DIPS, "Digital Image Processing with Sound", is a set of Max objects that handles the real-time visual image processing events and the OpenGL functions in the jMax GUI programming environment. It enables the interaction between audio events and visual events in the Max patch, thus strongly supports composers and artists to realize the real-time interactive multimedia art.

The DIPS objects include more than a hundred OpenGL functions, Videoln and QuickTime objects, various video effect objects, movie file handling objects, 3D model and particle handling objects, and so on. Since it doesn't need to be compiled we can work heuristically in real-time.

The DIPS for SGI computers was presented at the ICMC 2000 in Berlin. And DIPS for Mac OS X and Linux, release from http://www/dacreation/dips.html under GPL in July 2002, was presented at the ICMC 2002 in Goeteborg. Today we would like to present its newest version with some example patches and discuss DIPS programming technique.

Two exemple work-in-progress applications will be presented, based on previous OpenSource, project Prizvuk, organised by Ministry of Science and Technology of Croatia :

1) FHTCore - a basic phase vocoder program, based on Hartley Transform, with capability of exporting IRCAM format partials. 2) SculptView - a visual IRCAM partial files editor/resynthesizer

I believe presenting these programs belongs to the Forum workshops, because they both deal with software concepts and data formats, commonly used by the Forum. Both of those programs, once completed will be free and open source, which means they will be also available to all interested FORUM members.

A brief description, demonstration focused on both development-technical and usage-musical aspect of the topic will be given.

Software runs on SGI Workstation, O2, O2+ or Octane, running IRIX 6.5.x

This application relies on a transfer protocol between Max and OpenMusic. The real time capacities of Max are enhanced by artificial intelligence extensions provided by OpenMusic. This system is used in the modelisation of compositional techniques developed by Djs playing live electronic music. We will show examples of house music, a style influenced by jazz. One of them consists in mixing audio loops processed by Max and MIDI jazz sequences computed by OpenMusic (by means of harmonic substitution grammars), which are transferred to Max in real time.

In recent years a wide range of applications incorporating Artificial Neural Networks have been created. These include areas like pattern recognition, signal processing, classification and identification. Also in musical context a number of experiments and applications have been developed using Artificial Neural Networks. In this presentation we describe an object called "nn" we developed for the jMax real-time music environment, which is capable of handling Artificial Neural Networks both for training, testing and real-time performance. The neural network object is fully integrated into the jMax environment. "nn" is based on the Stuttgart Neural Network Simulator (SNNS) a custom open source neural network simulator, offering a wide range of different network architectures, like Feed-forward Networks, Time Delay Networks, Self Organizing Maps and more. A specific layout of a network is designed using jMax messages, where design parameters are passed to the object as message parameters. Created networks and related pattern-sets can be saved/loaded to/from a file. A loaded network can be trained with an appropriate pattern-set. A trained network can be tested and used in the jMax environment in real-time. Although "nn" can be fully controlled from within the jMax environment the standard SNNS graphical tool for the design of the network can be used. The graphical tool makes it easy to design and test more complex structures, which then directly can be loaded into the "nn" object. A recorder object was developed in jMax to capture real-time data for generating pattern-files for training and testing the neural networks,. This object records multidimensional data, f.e. video data. For this a "grabber" object based on the general purpose btv chip was developed to provide a video stream and a "window" object to display the video or graphical data. "Recorder" provides necessary edit functions like playback, cut, copy and delete. As an example we will present an application for recognizing hand gestures based on the analysis of video through the "nn" object to control sound synthesis. We describe the different stages of the process from recording and editing data, to the design and training of a network to finally the usage of the network in real-time.

In 2001 a new university degree in the area of video games was created by the IT department of the CNAM (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers) the La Rochelle and Poitier Universities, in collaboration with the IRCAM, the CNAM Poitou-Charentes, the CNBDI (Centre National de la Bande Dessinée et de l'Image) and some French private enterprises. The DESS (Specialized higher education diploma) is called "Jeux Video et Média Interactifs" (JVMI : "video games and interactive media"). It is built along the principles of a school for media studies. The students specialize in one area among : ergonomic and cognition, IT and image processing, sound conception, programming and game design / project management. As part of their requirements the students have, in production teams, to invent a game and to develop a prototype. After a brief presentation of the problems of sound in games and of the "sound conception" curriculum within the DESS JVIM, some students will present examples from their "sound design" work of the academic year 2001-2002.

The end of old time Role playing game in 3D This game takes place in a hypothetical decadent future where the entire population has been enslaved. Opposing this oppressive superiority of the state over the individual secrets societies have organized themselves. Each of these relies on specific foundations differentiating it from all the others. The player has to save humanity with the help of three members of different secret societies : Judith, Diane and Joseph. Moon dust Adventure game in 3D in a real as well as dreamlike environment August 2152 : the only city on the moon, Selene, has had difficulties providing for itself since the start of the colonization of new planets of the solar system. The lack of maintenance as well as the extreme poverty of its population bare the city from knowing the joyful atmosphere of times past. The increase in unexplained cases of madness adds on to its many problems. A new night guard starts his round in the glass-covered city. Upon returning home he discovers his daughter in a deep coma, the first symptom of the mysterious madness. His only aim is now to save her. The inquiry starts… Genetik Warriors Multi map strategy game 2D 3D 2080 : conquest of the moon. Corporations have seized our satellite in order to take advantage of a relative judicial void concerning genetic experimentation. A battle of conquest rages between them, engaging their successive discoveries : robotic, cybernetic and insect like units.

For the composition of this piece I was inspired by engravings of the Spanish artist Manos Valdes. It's a set stemming from the same silhouette of a dancer, in which Manos Valdes use processes of gap and variations of colours. In this piece cello part symbolizes original silhouette wich I shadowed with the help of electronic process : delay, harmonizer, frequency modulation to wich I added a variety of sounds and colours. Cello and electronics create a " double outline" which is the title of the piece.