Re: big picture stuff (long message now with return chars I hope ignore if you got this one and could read it)

[Matthew Itkin]

I heard that Sylpheed, the new GTK+ mail client I was using, wasnt sending
any return characters.  well, thats totally wrong and may make all the text
appear on one line in your mail cleint, so here it is sent from Spruce. 
Hopefully Spruce will add some return chracaters.  you will get this
message twice, so just ignore it if you got it and could read it and read
it already. :)  thanks.

> I find the idea of having a scriptable tracker gui (ala emacs) very
> interesting. 
> you want parameter interpolation with a strange function? just code it
and
> voila, 
> you have your exp, sinus function inserting parameters in the track...
> That's 
> the obvious application i would have for such things. 
> 
> or you could be able to manipulate the dynamic of parameters ... dilate
> them, 
> translate them... whatever.
> 
> -Nicolas Léveillé (Knos)

OK, so you are saying you want to be able to script LFOs and wierd
functions and such into patterns and have them give commands to machines
arbitrary of whats in the patterns.  Its pretty easy to do a triangle LFO
in Buzz just by interpolating between values in the pattern editor, but if
you are going for sines and stuff I can see how you might want some code
behind it.

Lets take a volume sweep for example.  You want to control the volume of
machine X with a python script.  You have a machine somewhere that loads
the python script, and makes a volume sweep using a sine LFO that is
triggered within the pattern editor of your python octal machine.

What makes the most sense is LFOs inside of machines cuz then you only have
to communicate the LFO values to the machine instead of having a whole
seperate LFO just to control machine paramaters.  The less you have to
communicate to the machines, the better.  They should do as much for
themselves as they can.  Its more efficient that way. 

Now, if you really want some LFO modulated paramaters, hack the pattern
editor and let everyone join in the fun.  OCTAL is not as tick-centric as
Buzz, and so theoreticaally the pattern editor could use functions in it
that are more precise than the ticks of a pattern.  You could interpolate
between 80 and 0 in the the space of only a few ticks and have it actually
interpolate between 80 and 0 instead of just being "80, 60, 40, 20, 0" in
the patterns.  OCTAL could also have the option to make paramter fields
into LFO fields.  you could have it take selected areas and make them into
LFO fields by hitting ^L over selected areas, or you could hit ^P or
something and have it permanently turn that column into an LFO column.  LFO
columns could be differntiated by having a different background color. 
Also, it would still store any information you had in the regular pattern
field incase you decided to hit ^P or ^L again and switch back.  In the LFO
field, you would have a hex column to select the LFO type, and then 3 more
hex colums to select the paramaters for that LFO.  That LFO engine would
understand the max and min fields given to the pattern editor, and would
allow you to choose min and max fields for the LFO that are anywhere
between those.  that takes up 2 of those hex fields.  the 3rd hex field
would be for the phase of the LFO.  there should also be a trigger field
for "restart LFO" so you can make sure the LFO begins where you want it to.
 this LFO engine could get pretty complex if you wanted, and I think is
something that should eventually be built into OCTAL.  I dont want to have
to code a python script up everytime I want to use a simple LFO, do you?

If you wanted to control patterns using wierd-ass functions other than
LFOs, a python script might make sense for that, but I still think you are
better off putting those wierd ass functions into the machines themselves
and then triggering them and modulating them with patterns.  Its a lot
cleaner that way, and its good fun everyone can share.  The machines should
all be as open source as OCTAL, so everyone can hack and have fun.  :)

-Matthew Itkin