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Spectroscopic Toolkit 64 bit integer DSP kit for nanotonal synthesis |
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Spectroscopic Toolkit provides 64 bit integer DSP for massive additive synthesis or granular synthesis. It generates audio files and graphic image files. It was not designed for realtime synthesis, and does not offer a graphical user interface. I developed it because other rendering software (like CSound) did no longer suffice my needs. These are:
addWAVELET()-function) which are 8 bytes themselves, we lose
the bits occupied by the exponent there. I guess that at least 52 bits remain for
the mantissa, i.e. ST's actual frequency accuracy.
Spectroscopic Toolkit software translates quantumphysical data to AIFF file. The process is alchemistic in file ST_c01_twoWeeks.c: atomic spectra of the seven metals Au, Ag, Fe, Hg, Sn, Cu, Pb, in that order, are transposed 40 octaves downwards. Frequencies are shaped into elongated, overlapping, Gaussian grains. This sequence is followed by 6 ions: Ag+, Fe+, Hg+, Sn+, Cu+, Pb+ (Au+ is missing because the database doesn't include gold-ions).
Spectroscopic Toolkit is open source software for the public domain, for anyone interested
in alchemy, electronic composition, nanotonality, etc.
The toolkit can be applied in electronic composition to generate sounds as alchemistic symbols.
The spectrum of iron (Fe) for example has an alchemistic link with the planet mars, the day tuesday and the
masculine, contrary to copper (Cu) which stands for the feminine, venus and friday.
With a sound astrological-numerological basis one could even consider developing a new sound-therapy or
virtual chemotherapy with this software. Imagine that iron-atoms in our bodies start to resonate while we
carefully listen to the iron-spectrum, transposed exactly 40 (or 39) octaves downwards...
Of course this is all nonsense and speculation but I can assure you it is really fun to play with these
ancient symbols, and their sounds.
Working with Spectroscopic Toolkit may be quite exciting!... also because it sometimes takes 9 days to
render a small piece of nanotonal music (anno 2001 on a moderate-speed UNIX machine) and one may become very
curious about results (seems like this software is for patient people only).
Notice you need a C-compiler as well as some basic knowledge about programming in C
to use andadapt this toolkit for your own purposes.
In case you are interested in only parts of the software, go grab the sources and do with them whatever you like.
The only restrictions are that one may not sell this software (unmodified), one may not patent this software,
and sounds that come out of it may never be sold (in unmodified form). For all this nanotonal work should remain in the
public domain.
One final note about incorporating parts of the jpeg-library from the Independant JPEG Group: Please do not
bother Tom Lane about this re-distribution of his software. Subdirectory "gt" namely contains only a part
(the compression-part) of the original library sources.
ST works a bit like CSound: first a sorted score-list is generated, then so called instruments are
allocated and played as long as they are active.
The differences with CSound are that instruments are called WAVELETS in ST, and they remain in memory
rather than in a .sco-file. In ST, there is no separate sorting routine (as in CSound), the WAVELETS in the
linked list structure maintain their order (based on starttimes) by using the addWAVELET()-function.
Apart from the simple c00_exampleX()-functions, ST tries to read the binary version of the spectroscopic
database in subdirectory pconv. ST outputs a logfile, one or more graphic scorefiles,
and an audiofile. Function c01_twoWeeks() can also output video in the form of a series of numbered JPG-frames in
subdirecory "video").
main() in source file ST.c starts with creating
a logfile to write diagnostic messages to.ENGINE which contains
samplerate information, some samplerate-related constants as well as some wavetables.
addWAVELET().
Currently, 3 types of envelopes are supported, but it won't be too difficult to add more
in sourcefile ST_wavelets.c.
In main(), one may switch between the various cXX_xxxx()-composition algorithms.
main(), function scoreWAVELETS()
may be called several times to draw scores with various dimensions. With parameter envelopeTracking switched on,
scoreWAVELETS() visualises envelope-shapes by greyscales. With envelopeTracking off,
only the top-amplitude of an envelope is used as greyscale (no intensity change over time).
playWAVELETS() from main(). Audio rendering will abort as soon as
over- or underflow occurs, files thus far will however be saved.
ST uses 4 wavetables in total: 1 for audio and 3 for subaudio.
The following 4 images were created by function visualiseTables():
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For audio, only a simple sinewave is used. In expontial envelopes (rise and fall) a sine is the only one that can be used. A cosine, for instance, might cause clicks when its' phase is aligned at the start or the end of the exponential. | |
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In calls to addWAVELET(), argument top specifies the center of the gaussian bell,
dur specifies only 1/5th of the total (really calculated) duration.Duration is measured here from inflection point at steepest ascend to inflection point at steepest descend, where amplitude is exp(-0.5), which is approximately 0.6065.
Here argument sync may be 0 or 1. |
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In calls to addWAVELET(), argument top specifies the start of the exponential decay,
dur specifies only 1/15th of the total (really calculated) duration.Duration is measured here from start ( top) to the -6.02 dB point, where amplitude is exactly 0.5.
Here audio and subaudio tables need to be aligned to prevent 'clicks', argument sync
must be 0. |
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In calls to addWAVELET(), argument top specifies the end of the exponential rise,
dur specifies only 1/15th of the total (really calculated) duration.Duration is measured here from the -6.02 dB point, where amplitude is exactly 0.5, to the end ( top).
Here audio and subaudio tables need to be aligned to prevent 'clicks', argument sync
must be 0. |
Anyway, the best documentation is the source itself... read & click on!
The latest version of Spectroscopic Toolkit may be downloaded from
http://www.hku.nl/~pieter/SOFT/ST/html/.
Older versio may be still available in parent directory
http://www.hku.nl/~pieter/SOFT/.
Below, one can download the complete ST-package as gzipped tar-file, containing all sources and documentation,
except the large spectroscopic database. The database can be downloaded separately from subdirectory
pconv.
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ST1.62.tar.gz | 310 122 bytes | The latest Spectroscopic Toolkit version 1.62. Kurucz's database not included. | |
After unpacking, your source directory should look something like this (files can also be viewed and downloaded individually): |
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comp | subdirectory | Composition sources and an example how to use function
addWAVELET(). |
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gt | subdirectory | Minimal graphic toolkit to write (not read) JPG-files. Create 24 bit RGB images in memory, set and get individual pixels, draw lines, translate monochrome frequencies to RGB-values, draw texts, etc. Incorporates the compression-part of the JPEG-library from the Independent JPEG Group (version 6b, 27-Mar-1998). Include source gt/gt.c in the compiler-project. | |
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html | subdirectory | This very HTML documentation. | |
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makefile | 3 751 bytes | To compile ST under UNIX (LINUX, IRIX, OSX, etc.). | |
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macCodeWarriorIDE4.0.sit.hqx | 23 631 bytes | To compile ST with Metrowerks Codewarrior (IDE version 4.0 or higher) on Apple Macintosh. | |
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pconv | subdirectory | Containing spectroscopic database and the software to convert Kurucz's textfile to binary format. "pbin" stands for "Pieter's binary", to distinguish from the "bin"-format that Claas Heise (Hannover University) used and which is a different format. In case you're not interested in quantumphysics right now, but DO want to use 64 bit additive/granular synthesis, this part of ST is the easiest part to cut out. | |
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ST.c | 6 453 bytes | Main source file, include it in the compiler-project. | |
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ST_aiff.h | 1 386 bytes | Minimal source to write (not read) AIFF files to disk. | |
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ST_aiff.c | 11 454 bytes | ||
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ST_engine.h | 1 386 bytes | Private structure definitions, for internal use only. | |
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ST_score.h | 1 169 bytes | To draws graphic scores of the music in JPEG-format. | |
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ST_score.c | 14 331 bytes | ||
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ST_wavelets.h | 5 474 bytes | 64 bit integer DSP, wavetables, wavelet-management, overflow-handling. | |
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ST_wavelets.c | 29 199 bytes | ||
This software was developed on Silicon Graphics (IRIX 6.2 - 6.5 with MIPS and GCC compilers) and
Apple Macintosh (OS7.6 - 9.1 with Metrowerks CodeWarrior version 4 - 6). I restrained to ANSI/ISO-C as much
as possible so it should not be too hard to port to other platforms.
The code is supposed to work correctly on both little endians and big endians.
Notice your C-compiler needs a mathematical library with header <math.h>.
Furthermore your C-compiler needs to support an integral 64 bit integer datatype, signed as well as unsigned,
called long long and unsigned long long on most systems.
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After downloading, UNIX users may unzip the package and go to the source directory by typing:
main() you can now
for instance call function c01_twoWeeks() instead of the simple c00_example1().
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Use for example Stuffit Expander on the Macintosh to unzip and decode the downloaded package. In case you have a Metrowerks CodeWarrior compiler (IDE version 4.0 or higher) at your disposal, you may use the supplied projectfiles in archive macCodeWarriorIDE4.0.sit.hqx to compile ST. Unpack the self extracting archive and leave the resulting directory in the same place. To run the spectroscopical examples, you first have to build a binary version of Kurucz's database. You may use the Metrowerks CodeWarrior projectfiles in archive pconv/codeWarriorIDE32.sea.hqx or pconv/codeWarriorIDE41.sea.hqx to compile the pconv program. After running pconv, ST can access the spectroscopic database. On some Macintoshes I encountered the following problem: file-type of the resulting AIFF-file appears to be set to "AIFC" by MacOS,... now SoundDesigner thinks it's a compressed file and cannot open it... hmmm,.. how annoying: I have to use ResEdit to change back the file-type to the intended "AIFF". Mac users may want to include a Macintosh-toolbox-call in the sourcecode to fix this. |
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To run the spectroscopical examples, you first have to build a binary version of Kurucz's
database. Get (and unpack) the text-version of Kurucz's file and compile and run the pconv program.
Notice binary ".pbin"-files may not be portable between big- and little endians. So don't throw away the text-version of Kurucz's file too soon, make a backup of it and you'll always be able to generate a new binary version of it (on a Mac :-). |
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Regardless of platform, only include the following sourcefiles in the compiler's ST-project:
ST.c,
ST_aiff.c,
ST_score.c,
ST_wavelets.c,
gt/gt.c,
pconv/ST_more.pbin.c
and one or more
composition sources from subdirectory comp
For the pconv-project only include sourcefile
pconv/pconv.c.
Below, 13 nanotonal studies in soundscape-style are presented, all made with ST, and solely based on atomic spectra (they might thus as well be called spectroscopical studies). One can download the pieces, listen to them, and perhaps burn one's own audio-CD with them. These are all AIFF files, 16 bit, stereo, 44.1 KHz. On the right, one may recall some of the generated musical scores.
| 1 | ST1.16HSmndljv |
Mendelejev progression hydrogen to sulphur (H He Li Be B C N O F Ne Na Mg Al Si P S) |
6:30 | 65.7 MB |
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| 2 | ST0.44twoWeeks |
Alchemistic metals and ions (Au Ag Fe Hg Sn Cu Pb -- Ag+ Fe+ Hg+ Sn+ Cu+ Pb+) |
6:03 | 61.2 MB |
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| 3 | ST1.14HOmndljv |
Mendelejev progression hydrogen to oxygen (H He Li Be B C N O) |
3:42 | 37.4 MB |
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| 4 | ST0.33AuGliss | Gold glissando (Au) | 1:13 | 12.4 MB |
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| 5 | ST0.33AgGliss | Silver glissando (Ag) | 0:27 | 4.6 MB |
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| 6 | ST0.33FeGliss | Iron glissando (Fe) | 0:33 | 5.7 MB |
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| 7 | ST0.35energyH | Hydrogen horizontal smeared (H) | 1:00 | 10.1 MB |
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| 8 | ST0.35togetherH | Hydrogen vertical (H) | 1:33 | 15.7 MB | (see energyH) | ||||
| 9 | ST0.33AuAgGliss | Gold and silver glissandi (Au Ag) | 0:54 | 9.2 MB |
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| 10 | ST0.07HOionErr | Hydrogen to oxygen staccato (H He Li Be B C N O) | 6:03 | 61.3 MB | (timing errors) | ||||
| 11 | ST0.08HOionErr | Hydrogen to oxygen legato (H He Li Be B C N O) | 11:51 | 119.8 MB | (timing errors) | ||||
| 12 | ST0.24week39 | Week 39 octaves (Au Ag Fe Hg Sn Cu Pb) | 3:44 | 37.8 MB |
(octave higher than ST0.26) |
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| 13 | ST0.26week40 | Week 40 octaves (Au Ag Fe Hg Sn Cu Pb) | 3:27 | 35.0 MB |
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| total: | 47:00 | 474.4 MB |
Spectromorphological rules in studies ST0.07 and ST0.08 are the most fascinating.
Listening to these pieces, one really feels submerged in the quantumphysical world.
Actually these are 2 failures because in this early stage of the software timing-errors still
occured. An unintended but beautiful morphology!
In studies ST1.14 and ST1.16, the periodic table is stepped through, element by element.
In the last one, which continues up to sulphur, it becomes clear the applied morphology won't
captivate when this process is continued - in the same manner - up to the 109th element. Almost terrifying sounds the
transition nitrogen-oxygen-fluorine.
In ST0.24, ST0.26 and ST0.44 an alchemistic arrangement is chosen.
(There exists a link between the 7 metals gold, silver, iron, mercury, tin, copper and lead, the 7
heavenly bodies sun, moon, mars, mercury, jupiter, venus and saturn, and the 7 days of the week.)
The most complex and dense spectra come from iron and copper, exactly the 2 that
respectively symbolize the masculine and the feminine.
The titles of the glissando-études (ST0.33xx) are deceptive because pitch-rise only occurs
in discrete steps (quantum-leaps), so actually these are tone-scales. Remarkeble is the
"cadence-quality" of these rising scales.
If you like these sounds, you may use them for your own purposes.
It would then be nice if you credit me, but more important: please, never sell this music in unmodified form,
nor include it in commercial software, CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc., for this quantumfysical music should remain free.
Give credit to Robert L. Kurucz who gathered and made available all this data!