![]() One thing you might encounter when you first start tweaking generative software is frustration. Noatikl’s predecessor, Koan, was used by Brian Eno to create a project he called Generative Music 1. This one takes a slightly more functional approach to things, but allows a more direct integration of MIDI data into the proceedings. There’s plenty of excellent software available besides Nodal, we particularly like Intermorphic’s Noatikl plug-in. You set the number of voices and the parameters, then press play and let things roll. Most generative software follows a similar idea. But once you press play, the results are always a little unexpected, and what starts off as a simple note can, once it follows the paths you set for it, morph into a lush and complex piece of music. ![]() What this means is that by using the nodes and paths to set the rules, you can tell the music what conditions to follow. You can even tell it to start adding in parameters whenever the music travels along a certain path. It’s these paths that make things interesting.Ī node can have more than one path branching off it, and you can tell Nodal to follow certain paths at random, at certain times or when a certain note/voice is triggered. You can assign different voices or sounds to different nodes and link them together via paths (or ‘edges’, as Nodal terms them). You’re presented with a grid, and on that grid you can place various little nodes – points at which the music will do something. As a way of demonstrating generative music, it takes some beating. The most intuitive we’ve found is CEMA Research’s Nodal. Most will slot into your DAW as plug-ins or work as standalone programs. With a little experimentation, you’ll find that the software can take your music and your ideas in completely unexpected directions.īreak it down So what does a piece of generative software look like? The good news is that you don’t have to possess any special skills or be a whiz with coding to use them. And, of course, there are plenty of artists – think Brian Eno and Autechre – who are big advocates of using generative software in recording. Since a plug-in lacks tastes, prejudices and distractions, it’s the ultimate tool for generating randomness. Generative music is an incredible tool for inspiration. By creating something and letting it run free, you’ll discover patterns, ideas and motifs that you might never have thought of. Instead of gutters, you have raised walls, so that any ball that hits them will keep rolling down the lane. There’s an analogy for this which we can’t improve on (we haven’t been able to find out who first thought of it, but it works beautifully). What pops out will – all being well – be something musical (and even listenable). The producer picks the number of voices, ranges in pitch and timing, and lets the program do its thing. ![]() Rather, generative music relies on a program governed by a series of rules set by a human producer. So while we might be convinced that someone like Skrillex is actually a robot, we’re not entering an age of redundant producers just yet. For starters, a computer program being able to self-produce a track that could chart on the radio is a long, long way off. ![]() Our generation It’s not quite as bad as you might think. So why bother? And how does it even work, anyway? It’s called generative music, and the software that produces it quite literally creates its own music, with only minimal input from a producer. ![]()
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