swirler

Category: Applications — Other products by this author

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Current release: swirler 0.0.20100310

Released 2010-03-10 — tested with pd 0.41, pd 0.42

swirlero interactivo

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Project Description

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Swirler is an interactive, spatialized soundscape that is generated purely from the noises in the room. As sounds are made, they are chopped up into events which are then set off into a space with a life of their own, which then combine with the existing ambiance of the room. Each event is produces a distinct effect while changing the existing atmosphere. As there is more activity, the ambient drones are at first interspersed with percussive explosions of voice, noise, words, pitch, and feedback. Eventually continued activity completely replaces the original soundscape with a character of the incoming stream. The rhythm and spatialization are derived from activity in the room, each event launches with its own trajectory around the room, creating swarms of swirling sounds.

This piece is born the minute it first runs, grabbing key moments, then building up on top of each other, all controlled by the sound of the current moment. The events are spawned from a set of data, then released into the world, where they affect future events. The Swirler software currently works by clipping the incoming sound from a microphone whenever there is a percussive sound. These snippets are analyzed providing parameters such as loudness or noisiness. This data is used to create a sound event which has a predetermined life upon its release. Currently the controlled parameters of each sound event that are controlled are: size, speed of motion, and how many times the event is repeated.