ACRE

Algorithmic Composition Realtime Environment

Author:	Winfried Ritsch
Contact:	ritsch _at_ algo.mur.at, ritsch _at_ iem.at
Copyright:	winfried ritsch - IEM / algorythmics 2012+
Version:	2.0-rc5
Master:	https://git.iem.at/pd/acre

Introduction

ACRE is collection of PureData patches organized in modules with example applications targeting algorithmic composition in an realtime computermusic environment. ACRE is used in open source projects within Atelier Algorythmics AA and IEM and was made public to be useful for others.

Mission

An Algorithmic Composition Real-time Environment (ACRE) using Pure Data should be assembled, to enable composers to create compositions, computermusic ensembles to share instruments, musicians to build and extend their tools and media artists to include realtime computermusic in their projects. As an artistic research environment ACRE should evolve from within projects and courses, mostly done at the IEM. Therefore an academic development strategy is used: "develop during project phase and publish and share valuable parts afterwards" ;-)

The "Algorithmic Composition Realtime Environment" aka ACRE is a library, assembling and extending modules to implement pieces for robotic instruments and musicians in computer music realtime environments. This artistic research environment will also integrate algorithms for generation and analysis of data-streams for robotic machinery and algorithmic compositions. As an accumulation of ideas and algorithms used in compositions and realizations of art installations at IEM and Atelier Algorythmics [AA] it is also an documentation of this development process.

Documentation

goes in the docu directory and in every module directory named readme.rst and <modulename>.rst

base modules

basemodule acre

base module for common used functions and transformations.

ds

data storage

mxr

general mixer and audio routing functions

ds

data storage

Further modules see acre-<modulename> at https://git.iem.at/pd/ .

Installation and usage

Installation methods:

• download and unpack the directory acre in a Pd search path of your patch.

• clone from git in one of your PD-paths:

  https://git.iem.at/pd/acre
  

• Use deken: search for 'acre', download and install.

Best practice is to set the -stdpath or '-path' to the base directory of acre adding a declare object in the main patch:

[declare -stdpath acre]

so objects can referenced by the namespace of the module: <module>/<object> eg:

[acre/initbang]

Modules from seperate packages like acre-wg should be placed within the basemodule, as module without àcre-prefix eg.: `acre/wg

For development, these module namespaces are ignored by git within .gitignore , to integrate them execute within the acre module:

https://git.iem.at/pd/acre-amb -> amb
https://git.iem.at/pd/acre-wg -> wg

eg. cd to acre bas lib directory and do a:

git clone  https://git.iem.at/pd/acre-amb.git amb
git clone  https://git.iem.at/pd/acre-wg.git wg

History

• initiated by Winfried 2007 derived from previous pd-works
• extended for Autoklavier Konzerts, Metalspace and others
• extended for performance Maschinenhalle 2010
• extended for lecture "Klangsynthese in Echtzeit" since 2012
• cleaned and shrinked for open-source publish of documented parts
• enhanced within the [scan] Project at IEM 2014
• Extended in the courses using Waveguide- and Tetraspeaker project.
• Integrated parts of it into the [ICE] development 2010-
• published for Ambisonics Mixer Tools development for Studios at IEM. 2015
• published Waveguide library after editing for teaching purposes. IEM 2016
• split modules amb and wg to separate git repos for better development and distribution
• Enhanced mxr with better parameter naming scheme.
• moved to 2.0 with split

References and Footnotes

[ACRE]

Algorithmic Composition Realtime Environment

[PureData]

graphical computermusic programming language by Miller Puckette see http://puredata.info/, http://msp.ucsd.edu/

[OSC]

Open Sound Control protocoll see (http://opensoundcontrol.org/)

[MH]	Maschinehalle performance at Steirischer Herbst 2010 see http://maschinenhalle.at/

[Autopiano]

Pieces with robot piano players see http://algo.mur.at/projects/autoklavierspieler/performances/heptapiano

[scan]

http://iaem.at/kurse/projekte/scan/

[AA]	Atelier Algorythmics http://algo.mur.at/

[IEM]

Institut for Electronic Music and Acoustics, Art University Graz see http://iem.at/

[ICE]

ICE - IEM Computermusic Ensemble: http://iaem.at/projekte/ice