News

Forums: update

The announcement of a forum for nwdlbots was a bit premature. My choice of forum software presented a number of problems and I have had to suspend this addition for the time being. I will make another announcement once I get something working.

In the meantime, do not hesitate to use the contact form if you need to get in touch.

nwdlbots tutorial 2: Just Listen

I’ve just finished the second nwdlbots tutorial.

This episode demonstrates the way in which nwdlbots can interact within a Live Set using two modules called noodle control and noodle send. By attaching noodle sends to each EventBot in a set, you can relay MIDI information to the control module, which collates the information and then feeds it back to the EventBots, informing their decisions regarding onset and pitch.

This allows the bots to work together controlling the density and harmony of the set.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/27156538 w=533 &h=300]

Video Tutorial: Building an Event Bot

Here’s the first of a series of tutorials about nwdlbots.This tutorial describes how to build an EventBot from three basic modules: Event Generator, ScaleBot and DynaBot. In future videos, I want to talk about making the bots interact, chord following and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Please let me know if you find this stuff useful.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/26426329 w=533 &h=300]

nwdlbots are go!

The first group of nwdlbots, my generative modules for Ableton Live are now available for download on this site. You can find the six modules (Event Generator, ScaleBot, DynaBot, Noodle Send, Noodle Control and Chord Sender) packed in single Ableton Live Pack on the download page.

Documentation for the various modules is available from the nwdlbots menu above.

I’m making a bunch of tutorial videos as well and hope to have the first of these online soon.

nwdlbots – first video

Here’s a first look at nwdlbots, my suite of generative music devices for Ableton Live. These devices include MIDI event generators, pitch and velocity choosers and others.

As well as generating events at random, nwdlbots can respond to activity on other MIDI tracks in Live, or to input from a MIDI instrument. In effect, nwdlbots control the density of a piece by reducing their activity when things get too busy. They also have some rudimentary ideas about harmony and can follow a chord sequence.

I am building nwdlbots as tools for writing my own music but I hope shortly to make some of them available to other composers through the max for live website.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/25549583 w=533 &h=300]

More info soon

Richard in Leonardo Music Journal

Richard has written a short piece for Leonardo Music Journal issue 17: The Joy of the Gizmo. This issue of the annual publication from MIT press features a number of artists discussing the “secret weapons” they use to make music. Richard’s contribution is an artist statement on (surprise, surprise) the Davis Instruments Vantage Pro Weather Station as used by the Weathersongs Project. For more details of LMJ, go to the Leonardo website.

Leonardo Music Journal
Order LMJ from MIT Press