Site Log moved here

13th March 2013
Moved my website log here. Below is the complete log as it was until today.
Future posts here will, of course, just be updates.
6th March 2013
Uploaded a major update of the Assistant Performer (web version).
Revised the documentation file: About the web version of the Assistant Performer
8th January 2013
Uploaded an update to the Assistant Performer (web version).
Now, when a non-assisted or assisted performance ends, a ’save‘ button appears in the performance controls at the top of the score. Clicking this button downloads a recording of the performance (as a standard MIDI file) to the user‘s computer.
4th January 2013
Uploaded a revision of the documentation file:
About the web version of the Assistant Performer
Clarified what ‘annotations’ are in music notation, added two footnotes.
19th December 2012
Uploaded the latest web version of the Assistant Performer, and a revision of the documentation file: About the web version of the Assistant Performer
The Assistant Performer has come a long way since last October, and now accepts input from a MIDI device.
3rd October 2012
Assistant Performer (browser application).
The browser version of the Assistant Performer has now been published as an open source project at GitHub: https://github.com/notator/assistant-performer
This is a work-in-progress, but I think it is already worth publishing here so that users can try out the latest version. Feedback is always welcome!
New files in this update therefore include:
See the Contents page for other changes that have been made while updating the site for the new “open-source” category.
5th July 2012
Moritz version 2.
Version 1 can still be found on this site, but its pages now have an "Archived" watermark. Many other pages have been updated as part of this process.
Moritz is not yet published as an open-source project, but things are moving in that direction.
I have begun to learn Javascript, and to program web applications around the SVG-MIDI file format. Documentation of this work will soon be appearing here.
Uploaded the following documents:
1. an updated version of Moritz' SVG Score Extensions.
2. Study 2c:
About Study 2c
Study 2c1.1 (score)
Study 2c1.2 (score)
Study 2c1.3 (score)
Study 2c2.1 (score)
Study 2c2.1b (score)
Study 2c2.2 (score)
Study 2c2.2b (score)
Study 2c2.3 (score)
Study 2c2.3b (score)
Study 2c3.1 (score)
Study 2c3.1b (score)
Study 2c3.2 (score)
Study 2c3.2bl (score)
2. Study 3 sketch:
About Study 3 Sketch
Study 3 sketch 1 (score)
Study 3 sketch 1b (score)
Study 3 sketch 2 (score)
Study 3 sketch 2b (score)
5th March 2012
Beginning to publish Moritz as an open-source project.
Uploaded the following documents:
1. an updated version of Moritz' SVG Score Extensions.
2. the following XML Schema documents:
krystals.xsd
moritzKrystalScore.xsd
moritzPerformanceOptions.xsd
moritzPreferences.xsd
Moritz has been streamlined and simplified over the past few months. The software no longer contains a patch editor, and the Assistant Performer is now (like the Assistant Composer) a separate application built on top of Moritz' libraries.
Apart from this, the Assistant Composer and Assistant Performer have been considerably revised and used to write and perform some new scores — including some new ones in the Study 2 series.
There is as yet no public documentation of all these changes, but that will change fairly soon.
The About Study 2 document is also out of date at the moment.
22nd November 2011
Uploaded an SOAS Radio Interview about Stockhausen.
Coming soon: A major update of Moritz’ documentation. A lot has happened to Moritz since last May, and I am about to start developing the code publicly (open source). I'm hoping that other programmers will be encouraged to join in.
5th May 2011
Revised and updated all the documentation for Study 2, including the scores.
This project is moving into a new phase...
Especially important was a revision of the SVG Score Extensions. This simplifies the definition of ornaments considerably. The scores of Study 2b2 and 2b3 have changed internally, though their graphics have not changed.
The following documents have changed:
SVG Score Extensions
about Study 2
about Study 2a
Study 2a (score)
about Study 2b
Study 2b1 (score)
Study 2b2 (score)
Study 2b3 (score)
Assistant Composer
20th March 2011
Updated Study 2b2 and Study 2b3, so that they can be read by the new Internet Explorer 9 Browser. These affect the presentation of the mp3 player, but do not affect the symbols themselves.
Updated the SVG Score Extensions. These changed slightly while I was programming the Assistant Performer to read the scores.
The Assistant Composer's dialogs are still being actively developed, so are not ready to be uploaded.
25th February 2011
Completed the scores of Study 2b2 and Study 2b3, written in SVG by the Assistant Composer.
Revised the documentation pages About Study 2 and About Study 2b.
Study 2 is now complete, but I now have to
  • Update the Assistant Performer so that it can read the new, extended SVG format.
  • Revise the Assistant Composer's dialogs to take advantage of the new flexibility in the use of durations. This means composing...

Parallel to these tasks, I will be trying to interact more with the world. This far, it has been difficult to see how anyone could help, but I think the time has come to do some things which are better not done on one's own...
Added a (possibly volatile) file describing the SVG Score Extensions being used in Studies 2b2 and 2b3. I intend to keep this file up to date with the latest state of the extensions as they evolve. Their use inside the scores of 2b2 and 2b3 may change to make things easier for the Assistant Performer.
27th November 2010
Completed a major revision of all Moritz’ documentation.
I am now going to teach Moritz to write non-standard music notation using SVG.

Moritz’ Ornament Nodes are now obsolete. They have been replaced by small Control Texts which can be written into scores by the Assistant Composer and interpreted by the Assistant Performer.
Added a new version of Study 2 (Study 2b) including some new recordings.
Added some new pages about Study 2.
28th October 2010
Added an SVGScore node as input for the Assistant Performer. This is a temporary shell, which can be connected to an Assistant Performer node but does not yet actually work because there are, as yet, no SVG scores. I have reached the limits of what can be done in standard notation, and have decided to implement non-standard notations by teaching the Assistant Composer to write scores in SVG format.
20th September 2010
Added an RSS feed for announcing new publications. While the first feed points at this Site Log, feeds will usually just notify subscribers of any new compositions, essays or programs I’ve published here. Feeds should appear every month or two, and will be aimed at friends or journalists.
Current work
I am currently tidying up and improving the software I used to create Study 2. This can also be thought of as working on a new composition. I’m nearly finished with the software/theory, but also need to update Moritz’s public documentation before producing any new pieces. Hammering in the pitons...
29th August 2010
Changed the emphasis of this site more towards composition
  • interchanged the positions of compositions and stockhausen in the left column
  • changed the layout of the contents page
    • moved the index for my writings from the contents page to writings.html.
    • removed the Current And Projected Work page. In future, this information will be included at the top of this log (see above).
  • standardized the way compositions will be presented in future (see Study 1 and Study 2a).
  • added descriptions of my early compositions in compositions.html.
24th August 2010
Added MP3 players so that all the MP3 files on this site can now be played without leaving the browser. I have used both the “maxi” and “multi” versions of the player which can be found here. This means that the site now requires Adobe Flash to be installed on the browser.
12th July 2010
Added a new composition: Study 2a
This site update is a report of work-in-progress (see the Study 2 documentation).
8th January 2010
  1. New krystal Permutation node and type. The node is documented in Moritz’ Krystals Nodes, but its action is explained more fully in Krystal Permutation.
    Permutation is an indispensible tool when creating polyphony. (All voices in a bar have to be made to add up in space, and the sum of the values in a krystal does not change when it is permuted.)
  2. Changes to the Krystals Browser to incorporate permuted krystals. Made a few other improvements to the browser.
  3. Updated other documentation to take account of the new krystal type. Made a few other improvements to the docs, notably in Moritz’ Midi Nodes.
  4. Added a new menu item to the Composition Node’s context menu. This opens and displays a newly created score in the capella score editor.
29th November 2009
Changes to Moritz’ Assistant Performer:
The performance options dialog has been completely revised to support multiple recordings of a single CapXMLScore. This makes the mangement of different ‘takes’ much easier.
Changes to the AssistantPerformer Node’s context menu:
  1. Added a command for opening the performance options dialog.
  2. Removed the commands for playing and recording the score. These are now in the performance options dialog itself.
Changes to CapXMLScore Node’s context menu:
  1. Removed the commands for opening the performance options and keyboard options dialogs. The latter is now opened from the performance options dialog.
Changes to Performer’s keyboard settings dialog:
  1. Added markers for my EMU XBoard49 49-key keyboard.
9th November 2009
Changes to Moritz’ Assistant Performer:
  1. Moritz can now record and play back real time performances of scores.
    Four new commands have been added to the Assistant Performer Node's context menu:
    1. record live performance
    2. record using the symbols in the score
    3. play the recording
    4. play the symbols in the score
    These options are also accessible from a dialog which appears when the node is run in a patch (by toggling a StopGo node to Go).
  2. Added a third output pin to the Assistant Performer node. This shows the logical position of the most recently performed chord. (The logical position is the number of semibreves from the beginning).
Changes to CapXMLScore Node
  1. Added a new menu item which opens and displays the score in the capella score editor.
14th August 2009
Changes to Moritz’ Ornaments:
  1. Added a new pin to the SetChordPitchWheel node: the new pin can set the PitchWheelDeviation, which is the maximum number of semitones which the PitchWheel can transpose up or down. The new pin need not be connected for the node to work. It has a default value of 2 (semitones).
  2. Updated all screenshots of patches containing SetChordPitchWheel nodes.
  3. Renamed ValueBlockData to OrnamentData, both at this website and in Moritz’ code. OrnamentData is contained in ChordOn messages, and is used to create ornaments.
Changes to Moritz’ Assistant Performer:
  1. Added a new PitchWheelDeviation control to the MIDI switches which can be written into a score. As in the MIDI standard recommendations and in the SetChordPitchWheel node, this control has a default value of 2 (semitones).
12th August 2009
Changes to Moritz’ Ornaments:
  1. Added a new node: Set Chord Pan. Updated other documentation accordingly as well.
  2. Corrections to other Set Chord... node documentations.
  3. Moved remarks on MIDI to MP3 conversion and Quicktime, to Moritz’ MIDI Nodes
Changes to Links
1st July 2009
Changes to Moritz: User Interface
  1. Added a 'preferences' button to Moritz' opening window.
  2. Moritz' preferences dialog now contains a section enabling Moritz to check that the keyboard is switched on when the first patch is created or loaded.
Changes to Moritz: Midi Nodes
  1. Default instruments are no longer set in the preferences for MIDI output device nodes (E-MU Xboard49 OUT and MicrosoftGSWavetableSynth OUT).
Moritz now supports both MIDI bank and patch indices when specifying instruments:
  1. Set Chord Instrument node has been revised (see Moritz' Ornaments)
  2. In Moritz' Assistant Performer, the "i" and "patch" script commands now have an extended syntax.
15th June 2009
In order to ensure that all visitors to this site are hearing what I'm hearing, and to avoid problems playing MIDI on Quicktime, I have now converted all the original MIDI files to mp3s
in the following pages:
Study 1
Moritz: Ornaments
Moritz: Assistant Performer
The texts of these pages have been revised accordingly.
In future, all new audio files are going to be presented in mp3 format.
I used WavePad and Cubase to do the conversion. The process was by no means as easy as I had imagined, partly because of “issues” in WavePad, partly because I am just beginning to learn Cubase (I want to learn it for other resons too), and partly because I spent a lot of time unsuccessfully trying to get Cubase to record Windows’ resident Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth. As I now understand things, the latter is simply not possible! I've been learning a lot over the past few weeks...

The Quicktime problem has got even worse: Not only have I never been able to play MIDI files reliably, Quicktime has a whole series of defects when running on my new operating system (Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit), so I have had to remove all the embedded players at this site. I know that Apple is aware of the situation, but I have been unable to find out if they are working on a solution. If anyone hears that situation has changed, please let me know.
The problem affects not only the above pages, but also the presentation of Curtis Roads’ Sonal Atoms in the following pages:
Minor changes have also been made to the following pages:
Welcome
Links and Acknowledgements (added WavePad and Cubase)
Curriculum Vitae and contact details (added last line)
7th June 2009
Improvements to the MIDI device nodes. Moritz: MIDI Nodes updated.
25th May 2009
This site was first constructed on an Acer Laptop (processor: Intel Pentium M, 1.5GHz) running Windows XP and a software keyboard (Bome’s Mouse Keyboard).
I am currently revising it for the following hardware: Music Store Audio PC3 Core i7-920 (processor: Intel Core i7 CPU 920, 2.67GHz) running Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit, and a physical MIDI keyboard (E-MU Xboard49) connected to a sound card (TS22 PCI) in the computer.
The change to 64bit has been rather frustrating at times, and the new processor has meant that I have had to look at some of the code in Moritz’ Assistant Performer again, but things are now beginning to settle down.
Changing to 64bit means that I am no longer able to use MIDI Yoke to manage connections between MIDI devices, so I have replaced the old MIDI IN and MIDI OUT nodes by dedicated device nodes, and updated the following documents accordingly:
Moritz: Introduction
Moritz: MIDI Nodes
Moritz: Ornaments (just new patch diagrams)
Moritz: Assistant Performer (just new patch diagrams)

Before replacing all the audio examples with .mp3s (as intended), I am now going to test all the patches in this documentation thoroughly again. The "bug" I discovered in the Assistant Performer only surfaced as a result of running the code on the new processor. There may be other, similar cases.
The documentation for some patches, such as the "Speed Test" for creating "timbres" may have to be revised... References to Bome’s Mouse Keyboard are currently out of date.
10th May 2009
  1. Updated Current and Projected Work (file has since been deleted 9.11.2010).
28th April 2009
  1. Revision of the Introduction to Moritz page completed.
  2. Added this Site Log.
27th April 2009
  1. Michael Good of Recordare tells me about Notion Music’s NTempo capability. As a result, I begin to revise the Introduction to Moritz page.
24th April 2009
  1. Bernd Jungmann of capella told me that, contrary to what I had said in the Introduction to Moritz, capella has been able to read MusicXML files since 20th November 2008 (capella version 6.0, Stepup 11). I knew that capella could write MusicXML, but this was new to me. Corrected the erroneous passage, and added a corresponding comment in the CapXmlScoreNode documentation in Moritz’s Assistant Performer.
  2. Began to tell other, potentially interested people that the site exists.
20th April 2009
  1. Uploaded this site to the internet for the first time.
  2. Informed copyright holders and other interested parties, so that they could give their approval.
Posted by

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)