Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] png graphics library for sound apps
From: David O'Toole (dto@gnu.org)
Date: Wed Jan 29 2003 - 02:35:52 EET
> http://www.gnu.org/software/octal/ox_api_main/index.html The guy that
> put this page up originally mentioned something to the effect that
> electronic music required a new language...
Hello, I'm the guy that put that page up :-) I'm not sure if I remember
what I said about needing a new language; although my project is being
built around a scripting language of sorts, it is not intended to be a
visual modular-synth construction kit or anything resembling MPEG-4 SA.
I've got something else in mind.
I'd like to hear about your idea in more detail. It seems like you're
talking about an interface that docks all its interface windows in neat
rows rather than having lots of overlapping windows. Perhaps the
sub-windows are collapsible, and leave behind a little labeled icon when
collapsed. Sounds neat .
I'd be more inclined to define the common set of icons in a vector
format, but I guess that's open to discussion.
---dave (dto@gnu.org)
> > > What about iconic/language type stuff like live uses?
> > >
> > > ...more of an audio alphabet than fancy graphics. You could get some
> > > standardization going and make things easier and a little more object
> > > oriented.
> > >
> > > If you get that in place then folk can start messing with the symbols.
> >
> > hmm... im not entirely sure i understand what you're getting at....
> >
> > i've used Live... do you mean their use of abstracted, symbol-like icons
> > intsead of realistic looking knobs?...
>
> Sort of... I'm thinking along slightly different lines though.
>
> {I've actually been giving this a good deal of thought over the past
> hour or so.}
>
> If you were to define some sort of grid or matrix in xml so as to
> provide folk with a lot of empty spaces to fill with plugins {engines,
> sounds and so forth} and then go back and define a symbol for each of
> those spaces {function, sound, type of connection} giving some thought
> to syntax and function within the matrix {possibly extending this into
> other dimensions at some point} you'd have the beginnings of a sort of
> universal {electronic} musical language/application.
>
> Keeping things simple and iconic would allow you to redefine and extend
> things {you might take a look at this:
>
> altogether suited {as well as being a bit limiting} ...to illustrating
> electronic musical concepts {We need to be able to represent them quite
> differently... a stream of characters {a custom font} or flowcharted or
> placed on a 3 dimensional grid, etc...}
>
> It would be much easier for folk to simply build grid elements so you
> could extend or modify or replace specific parts and functions of the
> grid than to remake the entire thing every time one wanted to create a
> new application. {form being massively tied to function here} All you'd
> need to do would be string together different elements of it. Arts and
> Octal and Gnome-Think and pd and buzz, etc already have a sort of
> framework in place for organizing information this way... I think what
> we need is an object catalog... a language. It needs to be universal and
> standardized. Symbols need to be defined for specific modules so as to
> make things easly understandable. It's a higher level method of
> organizing high level concepts.
>
> I think it probaby needs to be moved into the third and possibly 4th
> dimension as well. Otherwise it's going to get to be really difficult to
> keep the relationships between functions clear.
>
> So.. yeah... abstracted and symbol-like is more appropriate. 3
> dimensional with some means of representing placement in time are
> probably good too.
-- David O'Toole <dto@gnu.org>
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