Hi there,

I'm an instrumentalist that has gotten into working with PD recently for live interactive performance. I have played a few pieces now using Max/MSP to trigger pre-recorded sound events using a pedal, however also quite often I have worked with a large counter in live performance that is viewed from a separate screen to synchronise actions on the score to the running timeline. Is this kind of large counter device possible to contstuct in PD? Ideally I would like to work in a much more interactive and real-time fashion however there are some occasions where strict synchronisation like this is really necessary.

Any ideas, suggestions or even thoughts about this way of working?

Cheers!

DETHKLÖK

big enough?

for some reason i'm in a psych lecture, so i had to do something.

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/DETHKLOK.zip

@emeidos said:

Any thoughts about this way of working?

I don't really think much of visual feedback for synchronisation, if i try to play in beat with a flashing light or something, I always play a little ahead or behind or something.

I think if you're trying to synch yourself with the computer, then nothing beats a clicktrack.

Say for example you're playing a guitar live, and the computer is supposed to start playing some drums to accompany you after 4 bars, then I believe a good old audible metronome in a small earbud will do a better trick of making sure your timing is perfect.

But a big clock is useful to know whereabouts in a big piece you are, for some reason, the best application for the DËTHKLOK I can find is for easy performances of John Cage's 4'33".

I'm kidding, but only in a way, it's true that visial feedback is important, but I don't think it's good enough for synchronising musicians and computers.

Although, symphonic orchestras synchronise to the conductor, and that would have to be visual, so I suppose that one can train to do so. Except the conductor is always in movement, so maybe that's the key...
Just for kicks, attached is a proposed solution to the DËTHKLOK human-computer sync issue, just bash the attachement in the DETHKLOK folder and watch the vertical slider allow you to predict when the clock will change number.

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/clockk2.pd

Thanks to both of you gaeel~ and godinpants for these great solutions!!

In response to your post gaeel~, I agree with your sentiments about this way of working.. and yes I understand the facility and accuracy argument of using a clicktrack.. however lost of this music is not necessarily metric... many of these scores are written in time-space notation requiring certain actions to be taken at various points along a given timeline.. although there there may be absolutely no underlying rhythm i.e. at 1:30 could be a signal to begin playing freely notated gestures and you know that this segment will finish 30 seconds later at 2:00.. so therefore this is not to keep in a beat or a rhythm per say.. just to orient the performer with respect to the global timeline..

Thanks again for your help.. until next time!

sweet stuff godinpants