Intelligent MIDI Sequencing with Hamster Control

[Ah_Pook]

"Abstract:

This project was initially fueled by the desire to explore the MIDI protocol. It was decided that this would be accomplished by building a MIDI device. I also aimed to make something novel that had never been done before. But to balance out the unusual nature of its design, I wanted to also to create something that was very musical.After much consideration of different technical design aspects and contemplating various musical ideas, I was able to arrive at a project that would fulfill all of my musical and engineering goals.An intelligent MIDI sequencer was designed with hamster control. The MIDI sequencer intelligently produced melodies by manipulating the musical elements of rhythm and note-choice. Guided by inputs based on hamster movements, Markov chains were used to perform such beat and note computations. In culmination, 3 simultaneous voices were produced spanning 3 octaves and 3 rhythmic tiers. Each voice was controlled by two hamsters: one that was responsible for adjusting the rhythmic qualities of the melody and another that modified the note sequence. With all of these elements in combination, an output was produced with very musical qualities.All of this was implemented using an Atmel Mega32 microcontroller, distance sensors, a HamsterMIDI Controller, and 6 hamsters. Embedded C programming implemented the algorithms and computations within the sequencer.Overall, this project was successful. The control between the hamsters and the musical intelligence turned out very well. The music sounds as good as I imagined, and I am very satisfied with the outcome of my design experience."

http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/eceprojectsland/STUDENTPROJ/2002to2003/lil2/

amazing

[convensive]

everyone needs to download the available MP3 from that site... it's really very cool... a bit cheesy in the actual sound, as MIDI tends to be... but musically i really really like this... it sounds like a beatless Matmos demo recorded live to a dictaphone...

[boganlux]

It sounds just like someone tinkling around on the black keys of a piano. The same vaguely "oriental" sound. But still, hamsters! Not as good as the parrot-fronted death metal band.

[convensive]

there's nothing wrong with tinkling around on the black keys of a piano...

[boganlux]

There isn't! It has provided my with hours of self-amusement! I was just disappointed the music didn't provide me with a glimpse of the subjective reality of hamsterdom, as expressed through art. Or maybe it did, and hamsterdom is just very very undeep.

[convensive]

maybe it doesn't... but it's still very cool...

[cold before sunrise]

this reminds me of a book called 'why cats paint: a theory of feline aesthetics.'