Sonic Dog Tags is a set of compositions I composed using programs written in Python, Max/MSP/Jitter, and Processing. My programs retrieve biographical information of fallen service members from the Department of Defense RSS feed, map the information to musical parameters, and draw complementary visual sketches, collectively forming compositions unique to each service member.
Download source code examples.
The above video explains the compostional process. For videos/compositions of the individual service members, please click on the links below.
Tramaine J. Billingsley, Carlos A. Benitez, Rafael Martinez Jr.
Jessica Ellis
Jarod Newlove
Unresolved Peace is a work for flute & electronics recounting a sister losing her brother to war. Separated into three movements, the work reflects upon the process of being initiated into the Gold Star family. The work is dedicated to the Cleary, Henderson, and Winder families, to the wonderful Gold Star families with whom I’ve shared time, and to all whom keep open hearts. The poem “Peace” was written by Thich Nhat Hanh, 1968. This is the May 2, 2010 performance recording, with Allie Greenwood on flute.
+ Download the score.
Boxed is a sound installation about the journeys of shipping cardboard boxes. The work includes seven vignettes, or rather “boxes,” that utilize sounds of packing & shipping cardboard freight as source material. Projected from inside a box, the work fills a perceptual empty container as one listens from within this box to other boxes undergoing various journeys.
+ Read the entire Artist Statement.
Humans fill uncomfortable moments between thoughts, not with spaces of silence, but instead with principally three noticeable sounds: “and”, “uh”, and “um”. AUU explores the spaces between our thoughts, as well as the use of the three common words that mask these silences.
All sounds were designed using KYMA, and mapped to the Wacom Tablet for performance. Originally performed and recorded for 8 channels, this mix was balanced for stereo. Please wear headphones to take advantage of the full audio spectrum.
Wiimote Controllers is a Max/MSP interface for composers and artists interested in getting started with the Nintendo Wii for creative application. The interface may handle up to four Wiimotes simultaneously and is ready to use alongside OSCulator. The interface uses the CNMAT object ‘OSC-route’.
Download the interface and bpatcher files. (.zip)
If you dig the free software, please follow my music.
Below are just some of the documented resources I’ve made for Max/MSP. Hopefully these Max abstractions help save you time within this wonderful programming environment.
Jitter matrix grid – creates a grid of any size columns and rows (stored inside a coll) for controlling a Jitter matrix.
Tempo Control – interface for controlling tempo in Max. User can control tempo with bpm or millisecond. Includes a tap tempo.
drop folder – dropping a folder of files will automatically place files into a umenu object. Great for buffer/groove objects.
for loop – performs an arithmetic ‘for loop’ in Max/MSP. Sometimes line programming can be much easier than graphical.
data as table – displays data in a table as it is received, so you can graphically see the values of incoming data over the course of time.
MIDI Drum umenu – standard channel 10 MIDI drums list saved conveniently into a umenu (culled from Apple’s basic MIDI synthesizer)
MIDI Control – modular design for controlling MIDI volume, program changes, and makenote in Max. Each function is inside its own patcher object.
toggle message – toggles input of any message (number, message, bang) between two outputs.
modulo bang – user controls up/down integer count with modulo control when only bangs are available.