About CDP R5 System Upgrades ~ (PC &/or MAC) ~

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1 Composers Desktop Project About CDP R5 System Upgrades ~ (PC &/or MAC) ~ Overview of the Release 5 Upgrade Package The CDP Release 5 Upgrade includes: The new complete set of the CDP sound transformation & editing programs (see below for a description of the 40 + new programs) The newly revised and extended complete documentation, with a new navigation system, reference documentation for all the new Release 5 programs, and the new reference and tutorial support files: q Getting Started with CDP in 12-Steps a useful overview of the CDP System q CDP Files & Codes details on entering the data needed by various programs q Technical Glossary explanations of technical terms, especially those used in the CDP software q Musical Glossary explanations of musical terms, with particular reference to electroacoustic composition Option to purchase the documentation on CD with active links to ca 300 Mb of sound examples on-disc for most of the various Tutorial documents. Otherwise, the links in the documentation are inactive because the sounds are not present. The Documentation-with- Sounds CD is sent via the postal service. A recent version of Sound Loom (see its information page). We can't promise the latest version because it changes rather frequently. Updates are available from Trevor's Website. Upgrades for PC also include the current Soundshaper 'Standard Edition' (see its information page) this is without charge, with the option to purchase it. Existing Soundshaper owners who have purchased it previously, and those who purchase it now for the first time, will qualify for a special discount when Soundshaper Pro appears. We are now on 5.0.1, and anyone ordering now will receive the latest version. All Release 5 users can keep up to date via the Updates page on our Website. If you do not yet have Release 5 you are recommended not to download the About CDP R5 System Upgrades, p1

2 updates found there there are significant structural differences in the new software that could confuse your system. Switching Platforms, or having software for both PC & Mac There is no extra cost involved if the Upgrade involves switching platforms, e.g., PC to MAC OS X, or even Atari Falcon to PC or MAC OS X. Provision is also made for having the other version as well (MAC OS X for mainly PC users or v.vs.), for a modest additional fee. Delivery Release 5 with GUI(s) and documentation without sounds DOWN- LOAD. Documentation-with-Sounds CD via the postal service. Please allow 28 days (It will more likely be within a week). Interim Updates Further interim updates of both software and documentation will be available without charge from the CDP Website. Access is password-controlled and for the use of existing CDP users only. New Programs and Documentation in CDP Release 5 Speech Processing A whole new set of programs have been written to process speech (vocal sounds) in new ways. These have emerged from Trevor Wishart's work on his fantastic new compositions, Globalalia and Imago. One group makes use of pitch trace files (.frq) which identify pitch, noise and silence. Using this information, selections can be made between retaining pitch (i.e., vowel sounds) or noise (i.e., consonants), and silence can also be identified and retained, or used to replace either pitch or noise. Another pair of programs enable you to create a breakpoint file in which different vowel sounds are assigned to different times. Thus, like any of the CDP breakpoint files, these make instant or gradual changes in the timbre of the sound, thus introducing speech-like characteristics. The programs to look for are: HILITE VOWELS, REPITCH VOWELS, and the following in the REPITCH Group: INSERTSIL, INSERTZEROS, INTERP, NOISETOSIL, and PITCHTOSIL. There is also R_EXTEND in the GRAIN Group. It focuses on the task of picking out iterative material, such as rolled r's, and extending the iteration. Finally, SYLLABLES in the SFEDIT Group helps you to separate out vocal syllables. While you still need to provide a list of cut times, this program assists the process by keeping a bit of overlap with the previous and following syllable, thus achieving a more natural result. About CDP R5 System Upgrades, p2

3 Join & Sequence Release 5.0 includes important new ways to join (splice) and even sequence sounds. The new splice programs (JOINSEQ and JOINDYN) are in the EXTEND Group, and the new sequence programs (SEQUENCE and SEQUENCE2) are in the SFEDIT Group. All four programs enable you to use several input sounds, and these are assigned numbers starting with 1 in the same order that they are entered. You then also provide a file (containing just these numbers) that gives the order in which they are to be spliced or sequenced, with or without repetitions. JOINSEQ just splices, while in JOINDYN, you can also specify the relative amplitude of each spliced file. SEQUENCE handles one input, and you specify times and a transposition level. Thus the sounds can overlap in the output file produced. SEQUENCE2 handles several inputs, so you specify the order in which they are to appear as well. These 4 programs form a powerful addition to CDP's non-track-based sonic assembly routines, and make it easier to create passages with patterned repeats or locked into specific rhythms. Pulsation Regular pulsation is a frequent requirement in musical passages. Release 5.0 has two new programs that meet this need in original ways. SHUDDER in the MODIFY Group somehow 'shakes' the whole sound, imposing an amplitude envelope with regular tremulations. There are, however, a number of randomisation parameters by which these tremulations can be made more supple and natural. Similar to SHUDDER, but different again, is CYCLIC in the ENVELOPE Group. This will impose a (regular) rising, falling, troughed (falls, then rises) or user-defined envelope shape on the sound. CYCLIC operates directly on binary envelope files (.evl). In the DISTORT Group, PULSED imposes regular pulsations on a sound, but this time operating on pseudo-wavecycles. REPLIM in the DISTORT Group is a variant of DISTORT REPEAT. The difference is that it allows you to set a frequency ceiling below which the repeats are to take place. Several new programs in the EXTEND Group can also be grouped under 'pulsation'. There are: BAKTOBAK (backwards joined to forwards sound), DOUBLETS (divide a sound into segments that repeat and splice them together), FREEZE (extend part of a sound by repeating it, with several parameters to add variation), and REPETITIONS (repeat a source file at specified times). Spatialisation SPACEFORM in the MODIFY Group enables you to swing the sound back and forth between the speakers in a stereo field ('sinusoidal distribution'). The speed and the location of the oscillation can be set. About CDP R5 System Upgrades, p3

4 FINDPAN determines the precise location of a moving sound at a given point in time. This makes it possible to set a pan position in a mixfile so that another sound comes in at precisely that location. Another new program in this Group, SCALEDPAN, scales pan data to fit the duration of a soundfile different from the one for which it was created. Generation COMBINE MAKE2 adds (binary) envelope data (.evl) to the pitch (.frq and formant (.for) already available (MAKE) for the generation of new sounds from an arbitrary selection of sources. SYNTH CLICKS is a utility for making click tracks. Tempo, including acceleration and deceleration between tempos, as well as meters with accentuated notes, can be built into the design, so it is very flexible. Granulation Besides R_EXTEND, described in the Speech Processing section above, ASSESS has been added to the GRAIN Group. ASSESS surveys a soundfile and reports the amplitude level ('gate') and window length (in milliseconds) that will result in the most grains very useful! Mixfiles Here, the new facilities provide ways to massage existing Mix Files: ADD- TOMIX, ATSTEP, FADERS, MODEL, ONGRID & PAN. However, in addition to these, INBETWEEN2, a variant of INBETWEEN, produces intermediate soundfiles moving sonically from the first to the second, while trying to synchronise the zero-crossings of the two files. Segments of soundfile are lengthened or shortened by this process. It is a great tool with which to produce many new and unusual sounds, while filling in the acoustic (sonic) space between different types of sound. Batching New in the HOUSEKEEP Group is BATCHEXPAND. q Its role is to facilitate 'ringing the changes' on one or several sounds. q It does this by enabling you quickly to set re-processing one or several sounds with different parameter values. q Those advanced users who make extensive use of batch files will find this a welcome addition to their toolkit. Please note the existing batching facility in the Sound Loom GUI: creating Instruments. A new graphic grid-based batching facility will be available in Soundshaper Pro. Sundries ENVEL TIMEGRID is a very unusual program that is difficult to describe. It partitions a soundfile into a sequence of 'windows' separated by silence, About CDP R5 System Upgrades, p4

5 rather like light or images seen through the slats of a picket fence as you move along. q A specified number of output soundfiles can be produced, and the size of the opening between the slats, the gridwidth can vary over time. q This is one you just have to explore yourself to find out just what it does. There are more new tools in the HOUSEKEEP Group to back up soundfiles (BAKUP), remove clicks (DEGLITCH and ENDCLICKS) and cut sounds at zero amplitude points (GATE). VFILTERS in the FILTER Group is a utility for creating filter bank files for the VARIBANK program. Documentation & Support Materials The following have been revised or added for Release 5.0: The main HTML Reference Documentation covers all the new programs and now has left-panel indexing for rapid access. A major new file, CDP Files & Codes, explains with examples and explanatory notes how to create the 40+ different types of file or code that can be used to enter precise sound-sculpting data for the various CDP programs. There are links to this file throughout the revised Documentation. (Image on next page) About CDP R5 System Upgrades, p5

6 A revised Spiral Bound Desk Reference for Release 5.0 is available. Note that it will be included as a Word for Windows document on the distribution CDs, which you can print out yourself. It can also be ordered from CDP in its usual spiral bound format. The new Technical Glossary puts special emphasis on the terminology associated with facilities within the CDP software. The new Musical Glossary tries to bring out the musical purpose of facilities designed for new and experimental methods of musical composition, supported by the CDP software. A new option is a set of 9 Worksheets of practical exercises for a selection of the CDP processes, presented on CD with all source sounds, text files, and the completed soundfiles, which can be played in sequence for easy comparison. These Worksheets show how to access the functions and what parameters to enter, so they are designed as study sheets to help get quickly into using the software effectively. They also show how the CDP software can alter sounds in very precise ways. A few of the examples chain several processes to give an indication of the real power of the CDP software. NB: Bug fixes to software and other updates will be available via password-controlled free downloads from the CDP Website. Last updated: 8 June Composers' Desktop Project, Chippenham, Wiltshire England ~ Composer Tools for Sound Design ~ About CDP R5 System Upgrades, p6

About the Sound Loom GUI

Composers Desktop Project About the Sound Loom GUI An Intelligent Composing Environment for CDP by Trevor Wishart The Concept: a composer's worktable Imagine you are sitting down to begin your day's composing.