This is a continuation of the Audio Modulation topic started at:

https://studioartist.ning.com/forum/topics/audio-modulation-of-sa-graphics

Ok John, here goes with my main suggestion.  First, I'm interested in any kind of musical modulation for SA, whether internally processed as pure audio, or as MIDI events etc. 

 But before getting into what I'd personally want to do with this, here's a big picture that seems not to have been articulated yet in SA discussions.  There are uncountable thousands of budding musicians who are desperate to advance their careers (or just personal satisfaction) by making music videos of their performances to upload to YouTube, Vimeo etc.  Admittedly, there is plenty of help available for regular music video creation, but in the field of abstract-imagery video creation I haven't seen anything that can even remotely compare with the SA facilities.   So right here there's a potential market for an audio-enhanced SA version that could easily double the current user base.  Hence, even if only a few of us current SA users want to create music videos by playing a musical instrument, as a developer I'd want to also bring on board that huge pool of potential, musically oriented customers--if only for the cross-fertilization that would inevitably result. 

 What does a musician want in a music video?  Well, SA is already excellent for producing interactive abstract videos, eg using Dualmode presets with mouse or stylus input, along with PASeq recording.  But musicians don't want to have to fiddle (pun intended) with any of that internal visual parameters stuff--they simply want to play their instrument, and have it immediately influence the music video they're creating.  So their initial or immediate need is for a simple, turnkey interface in which some feature (or features) of their own musical performance would immediately show up as relevant alterations in their developing video on the graphics screen.

 But what performance features, and what relevant graphic alterations?  I'd start with support for low-hanging fruit on both the musical and video sides.  Eg changes in just one or two musical parameters, such as in tempo and pitch, could provide interesting video changes when applied to individual Dualmode presets.  Tempo changes could translate to changes in the speed of mouse movement in the canvas, causing faster or slower changes in the design, while pitch changes (suitably averaged to keep things smooth) could replace different mouse-down positions in the design that provide new growing points for the image.  

 As for the choice of which DualMode preset to use at a given time, one option would allow any change in a musical patch (producing different musical timbres, harmonies etc) on the musician's synthesizer etc. to cause a random switch to another Dualmode preset. Or any break between sections in the music could cause a preset change instead.   

 Also, further down the road, there could be a choice of eg five possible modulation modes for performers, ranging from the simplest (as above) to more sophisticated variants.  For example, one extra mode could invoke specially written Dualmode-style presets that would work especially well with performed musical inputs, without any reliance on mouse action replacements.

 Ok, now I'll change gears and discuss what current users of SA--perhaps including many who aren't musical performers of any kind--might have to gain from any of this.  Well, all of us can enjoy the astonishing range of video effects that the Dualmode presets can provide, quite independently of whether there's any accompanying music. 

 But all it takes to get everyone in on the act is a simple addition of an Auto mode to the suggested musical modulation package.  In Auto mode, any kind of musical input, not just from a musical instrument, could be used to create animations--from radio, CD etc etc.  Then everyone could explore and enjoy the creation of videos from any kind of music.  And if, like me, you believe that there are deep equivalences between the musical and visual arts, then we would have an unparalleled investigative tool for experiencing first-hand how they can relate in specific cases.

 One further input mode would be useful as well--Intermediate mode.  This is for the vast majority of non-professional performers, whose playing skills would be adequate enough to create interesting videos, but who are not expert enough to provide the final musical track (eg people like me are somewhere in there).  This mode should be easy to implement, requiring only that the performed input should be saved independently of whatever music would be used in the finished video.

 So, John, now you have a clear roadmap of how to double your user base, as well as how to energize current subscribers with a highly addictive Auto mode that would get everyone creating their own videos just for the sheer fun of it.  What say you?

 

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  • John, please comment briefly within your guidelines. Eg is the proposal original, anything needing clarification, etc.  --thanks!

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