I'm nomadic, currently oscillating between these poles of interest, as the weather changes. I'm an indie game developer. Primarily a 3D programmer, game designer, and visual artist, but I've done some music a few times in my life and it would be useful for games. Once upon a time I played in a Gamelan in college, and afterwards I tried to teach myself acoustic guitar. Although I had a decent guitar I found it rather difficult to make bar chords. I have nice long finger reach for it, but no meat on my fingers. I just couldn't get the strings pressed down to the frets, even though I lowered the bridge an amount that seemed reasonable. I thought at some point I should try keyboards, but it never happened, even though I actually owned a hand-me-down keyboard for quite some time. Eventually I gave that to someone when I left Seattle, where I lived for 11 years before returning to the Carolinas. I've not really settled on somewhere that I permanently like, so I currently bounce between places I like in fair weather, heh!
While on the road, I thought it might be interesting to exploit my programming and computer abilities to make synthesized orchestral-style music. I say *-style because I keep hearing the Gamelan going around in my head, not violins. I've been doing Linux for about 2 years this time around, after abandoning the suck that is Vista and the Microsoft ecology in general. A long time ago, in the same era of the acoustic guitar in fact, I used Linux kernel 0.99something. So I could be called an old timer in some respects, although Rip Van Winkle would be more accurate, as I ignored Linux for 16 years.
I've also thought about building a small gender-like instrument out of aluminum cans and scrap metal, something portable rather than authentic, that i could carry around easily in my car. A few years back I tried to make something like a berimbau out of a bowed stick, a string, and a lemonade bottle. I tried to make individual notes with a sliding stone, but it was too clumsy. Then it was stolen, along with all my camping gear. The thieves even took worthless lemonade instruments, go figure. Hope they're having a good concert with it!
I'm primarily interested in synthesis rather than performance though, so I can put stuff in my games. Programmatic and dynamic composition may be of interest in that regard, things where the sound could change and adapt based on the gameplay. I have not researched the Linux open source landscape for music yet, I'm just beginning that now. I hope I find things which are applicable.
Hi from Asheville and Charleston
Moderators: MattKingUSA, khz
Re: Hi from Asheville and Charleston
welcome! You may find audio programming languages like puredata, supercollider, chuck and csound to be of use.
Re: Hi from Asheville and Charleston
Thanks, I've downloaded their packages for comparison. Of these, puredata has the kind of licensing I'm interested in, Modfified BSD. I've spent a number of years of my life chasing "better" programming languages, so I'm pretty much unwilling to go with languages I can't modify to my own purposes + retain realistic control for possible commercial use. GPLs and LGPLs just put up too many barriers when you're working at the level of languages, compilers, software, and build systems integration IMO. Sometimes it's fine and other times you're like, why are people importing their C compiler prejudices into LISP code or such?
Re: Hi from Asheville and Charleston
Hey, welcome to the forums from another new user here. You've defintely got the edge on me when it comes to Linux and programming, but I've just got a wee edge on you in the music department. This will be my 49th year as a guitarist. And you know what? As fond as I am of guitar, if I had to do it all over again, I would have become a keyboardist. In fact, when I was much younger and a music student in college, I could have made the switch, but I did not own a keyboard of any sort, and I just couldn't stand the thought of being without an instrument. And besides, it hasn't been until quite recent years when the notion of a reasonably priced 88-key instrument with piano touch was even possible -- which is what I would have preferred, if not needed, from the git-go.
I wish you luck with your programming pursuits, and I should probably keep tabs on your creations just in case there's something you may author in the future, software-wise, that I can use. Oh, and about your future -- I'm the sort of person who believes in never say never. I mean it wasn't until a couple years ago that I finally got one of these cool little lightweight electronic keyboards and so now I'm trying to make up for lost time. If only I would have stuck with it some 40 years ago.
As a guitarist, I know where you're coming from regarding finger and hand strength. I don't believe there is a guitarist alive who is worth a darn who hasn't had to experience pain in order to reach his or her level of advancement. It's just the nature of the beast, if you will. If it isn't your fingertips smarting, it's your hands and even arms aching. But as is true with any physically demanding activity, it is always better to try and assimilate things in small doses. The pain will be much less severe that way, and an added benefit is the pleasure that comes to one as one experiences the music he/she performs. Often this pleasure is great enough to sideline the pain. But I'm not trying to talk you into playing the guitar. You mention you have long, slender fingers. It sounds to me as if you have a pianist's hands, so I'm thinking that you should have never given away your portable keyboard.
When I discuss music and learning how to play with people who don't play instrument, I don't try to discourage them from playing guitar, but I do point out that it is a challenging instrument and that if they really hope to be good at it someday, it will require a LOT of effort. Far better, I will tell them, to spend their time learning how to play the easiest instrument there is -- and also the most flexible and most powerful -- the piano. Eh, or keyboard, but I always recommend piano because -- you know why? Because it does require some amount of effort to play the piano. Not a lot, but some. So, I would strongly urge you to reconsider and pick up the keyboard again. Especially if you're gonna be working with music, even if it is in a game-type of scenario.
Speaking of which, my daughter graduated last year from a program that specialized in game theory and design. Her concentration was as an artist. The program has two other concentrations: as programmers and as writers. She actually got started with 3D animation in high school where they offered it as a vocational specialty. She had three years of it in high school before she went to college. And even before she began high school she had already begun working on computer art and was quite good at it. So she's become something of an expert at CGI and computer animation. She uses Photoshop mostly for her CGI stuff and another package that she's recently begun to use more of, but the title escapes me now. She uses 3DS Max and Maya -- and another that I can't think of either -- for her 3-D work. I'm a self-taught visual artist. I often say that I taught her everything I know -- and then she went on to learn a whole lot more . Nonetheless, I'm not just being a dad bragging about his kid -- she really is talented. She's won awards on her oil paintings, for example, and was tasked by her school to do the animation for the school's mascot at their website. Currently she's doing contract work, rigging objects and other stuff. I tell her she's not living up to her potential, but she just sort of shrugs me off. In her spare time, she's part of a team of game developers who are working on their own game. I wish her and her team all the best. So she can make a ton of bux and take car of her dad as he gets old and feeble.
I wish you luck with your programming pursuits, and I should probably keep tabs on your creations just in case there's something you may author in the future, software-wise, that I can use. Oh, and about your future -- I'm the sort of person who believes in never say never. I mean it wasn't until a couple years ago that I finally got one of these cool little lightweight electronic keyboards and so now I'm trying to make up for lost time. If only I would have stuck with it some 40 years ago.
As a guitarist, I know where you're coming from regarding finger and hand strength. I don't believe there is a guitarist alive who is worth a darn who hasn't had to experience pain in order to reach his or her level of advancement. It's just the nature of the beast, if you will. If it isn't your fingertips smarting, it's your hands and even arms aching. But as is true with any physically demanding activity, it is always better to try and assimilate things in small doses. The pain will be much less severe that way, and an added benefit is the pleasure that comes to one as one experiences the music he/she performs. Often this pleasure is great enough to sideline the pain. But I'm not trying to talk you into playing the guitar. You mention you have long, slender fingers. It sounds to me as if you have a pianist's hands, so I'm thinking that you should have never given away your portable keyboard.
When I discuss music and learning how to play with people who don't play instrument, I don't try to discourage them from playing guitar, but I do point out that it is a challenging instrument and that if they really hope to be good at it someday, it will require a LOT of effort. Far better, I will tell them, to spend their time learning how to play the easiest instrument there is -- and also the most flexible and most powerful -- the piano. Eh, or keyboard, but I always recommend piano because -- you know why? Because it does require some amount of effort to play the piano. Not a lot, but some. So, I would strongly urge you to reconsider and pick up the keyboard again. Especially if you're gonna be working with music, even if it is in a game-type of scenario.
Speaking of which, my daughter graduated last year from a program that specialized in game theory and design. Her concentration was as an artist. The program has two other concentrations: as programmers and as writers. She actually got started with 3D animation in high school where they offered it as a vocational specialty. She had three years of it in high school before she went to college. And even before she began high school she had already begun working on computer art and was quite good at it. So she's become something of an expert at CGI and computer animation. She uses Photoshop mostly for her CGI stuff and another package that she's recently begun to use more of, but the title escapes me now. She uses 3DS Max and Maya -- and another that I can't think of either -- for her 3-D work. I'm a self-taught visual artist. I often say that I taught her everything I know -- and then she went on to learn a whole lot more . Nonetheless, I'm not just being a dad bragging about his kid -- she really is talented. She's won awards on her oil paintings, for example, and was tasked by her school to do the animation for the school's mascot at their website. Currently she's doing contract work, rigging objects and other stuff. I tell her she's not living up to her potential, but she just sort of shrugs me off. In her spare time, she's part of a team of game developers who are working on their own game. I wish her and her team all the best. So she can make a ton of bux and take car of her dad as he gets old and feeble.
Re: Hi from Asheville and Charleston
I would consider the keyboard again. The funny thing is we always had a full blown piano growing up, and my Dad would play it. But he didn't play it excellently, nor do I ever remember him saying "Here son, try this." So I perceived the piano as difficult to learn. As a young adult in my 20s, I gravitated towards the acoustic guitar for reasons I can't remember or explain. That hand-me-down synth I had sounded pretty cheesy to me, which I think discouraged any interest in practicing with it. The "touch" didn't feel that good to me either, just like some plastic key things. I don't regret giving that thing up.
Oh and as I write this I'm now in St. Augustine, Florida. Fled that nasty storm that hit Charleston. Didn't really mean to come to FL this winter, but I guess it's inevitable that a winter storm hits some time and sends me scurrying south. So I might be saying hi from Melbourne, FL pretty soon here too.
Oh and as I write this I'm now in St. Augustine, Florida. Fled that nasty storm that hit Charleston. Didn't really mean to come to FL this winter, but I guess it's inevitable that a winter storm hits some time and sends me scurrying south. So I might be saying hi from Melbourne, FL pretty soon here too.
Re: Hi from Asheville and Charleston
Hey bvanevery, glad to read you're OK. Here's hoping your properte, etc., back home survives the weather.
Well as I mentioed before, I'm not gonna try to sell you on anything. I firmly believe that the desire to play come from within and be a strong enough urge to sustain the desire through the difficult and trying times, which are all too common when one is first starting out. With the keyboard, the big hump to get over is having each hand do something different from the other. After that, I suppose it might be learning the scales that are used in each key -- because each key has its own scale pattern.
Fortunately for you, it is possible to find decent compact synths for reasonable sums. In terms of features of these compact synths, I consider two to be most important -- a dynamic touch and MIDI compatibility. By "dynamic touch," I mean that the volume of a struck note can vary depending upon how hard a key is hit. The nice thing about MIDI compatibility,in addition to being able to add this instrument into a MIDI network, is this:
GM MIDI synthesizers are required to be able to:
Allow 24 voices to be active simultaneously (including at least 16 melodic and 8 percussive voices)
Respond to note velocity (that's the dynamic touch I mentioned above)
Support all 16 channels simultaneously (with channel 10 reserved for percussion)
Support polyphony (multiple simultaneous notes) on each channel
Plus it has to support all 128 GM sounds, or "patches." There is also a GM2 standard that many keyboard instrument makers now support. GM2 provides an addition 128 sounds or "patches." Plus, some keyboard makers will add additional sounds of their own making. My Casio electronic piano is like this.
I paid about $320 for my compact 88-key Casio piano-touch synth. Bought it on sale at Costco. It is configured as a spinet and even came with a stool. My favorite other piano synth that is priced reasonably these days is a clean used Alesis QS8.1 -- or 8.0, but the 8.1 is way better. The 8.2 isn't as good as either the 8 or 8.1, though. I like the 8.1 because it comes preloaded with lots of cool sounds beyond the required General Midi sounds. Plus it's got a clean, crisp piano touch, and it's a full 88 keys. I see deals on the 8.1 on eBay on occasion -- typically in the $400 range. Alesis also made a QS6 and 6.1. Same as with the 8 series, the 6.1 is much better than the 6. These are your more typical sized synths with their 61 key keyboards and "organ touch." If you can find one of these for a reasonable price, they make for a decent portable. I own an old Yamaha PSR500 that I bought new back in 1992 at Costco or Sams -- don't remember which anymore, but I do remember that it cost $400. It has an A/C adapter, or if you want, you can fill it up with a bunch of D-size batteries and have a wireless portable. These days you can pick one up for much less than what I paid for mine -- half of that and even less. But I tell you what, even at 22 years old, it is a very capable synth. 61 keys with dynamic touch and MIDI compatibility. I've found that if you watch the auctions on eBay closely and/or check Craigslist on a regular basis, really good deals on compact and cheap synths appear on occasion.
When it comes to electronic music, keyboard players still have it all over players of other instruments, and it is for one simple reason: it's easier to digitize a keyboard than it is to digitize any other instrument. Keyboards, even analog ones, were created so that each note is a discrete value unto itself, a value that has only one position on a keyboard. This characteristic is why it's so easy to digitize keyboards. And it's why keyboardists have such tremendous advantages over players of other instruments. So, I cannot recommend highly enough that a person consider keyboards as their chosen instrument. It is the easiest instrument of all of them to play, but it is also the most flexible, and the most powerful. It's no small wonder that the world's greatest composers were all keyboardists.
Well as I mentioed before, I'm not gonna try to sell you on anything. I firmly believe that the desire to play come from within and be a strong enough urge to sustain the desire through the difficult and trying times, which are all too common when one is first starting out. With the keyboard, the big hump to get over is having each hand do something different from the other. After that, I suppose it might be learning the scales that are used in each key -- because each key has its own scale pattern.
Fortunately for you, it is possible to find decent compact synths for reasonable sums. In terms of features of these compact synths, I consider two to be most important -- a dynamic touch and MIDI compatibility. By "dynamic touch," I mean that the volume of a struck note can vary depending upon how hard a key is hit. The nice thing about MIDI compatibility,in addition to being able to add this instrument into a MIDI network, is this:
GM MIDI synthesizers are required to be able to:
Allow 24 voices to be active simultaneously (including at least 16 melodic and 8 percussive voices)
Respond to note velocity (that's the dynamic touch I mentioned above)
Support all 16 channels simultaneously (with channel 10 reserved for percussion)
Support polyphony (multiple simultaneous notes) on each channel
Plus it has to support all 128 GM sounds, or "patches." There is also a GM2 standard that many keyboard instrument makers now support. GM2 provides an addition 128 sounds or "patches." Plus, some keyboard makers will add additional sounds of their own making. My Casio electronic piano is like this.
I paid about $320 for my compact 88-key Casio piano-touch synth. Bought it on sale at Costco. It is configured as a spinet and even came with a stool. My favorite other piano synth that is priced reasonably these days is a clean used Alesis QS8.1 -- or 8.0, but the 8.1 is way better. The 8.2 isn't as good as either the 8 or 8.1, though. I like the 8.1 because it comes preloaded with lots of cool sounds beyond the required General Midi sounds. Plus it's got a clean, crisp piano touch, and it's a full 88 keys. I see deals on the 8.1 on eBay on occasion -- typically in the $400 range. Alesis also made a QS6 and 6.1. Same as with the 8 series, the 6.1 is much better than the 6. These are your more typical sized synths with their 61 key keyboards and "organ touch." If you can find one of these for a reasonable price, they make for a decent portable. I own an old Yamaha PSR500 that I bought new back in 1992 at Costco or Sams -- don't remember which anymore, but I do remember that it cost $400. It has an A/C adapter, or if you want, you can fill it up with a bunch of D-size batteries and have a wireless portable. These days you can pick one up for much less than what I paid for mine -- half of that and even less. But I tell you what, even at 22 years old, it is a very capable synth. 61 keys with dynamic touch and MIDI compatibility. I've found that if you watch the auctions on eBay closely and/or check Craigslist on a regular basis, really good deals on compact and cheap synths appear on occasion.
When it comes to electronic music, keyboard players still have it all over players of other instruments, and it is for one simple reason: it's easier to digitize a keyboard than it is to digitize any other instrument. Keyboards, even analog ones, were created so that each note is a discrete value unto itself, a value that has only one position on a keyboard. This characteristic is why it's so easy to digitize keyboards. And it's why keyboardists have such tremendous advantages over players of other instruments. So, I cannot recommend highly enough that a person consider keyboards as their chosen instrument. It is the easiest instrument of all of them to play, but it is also the most flexible, and the most powerful. It's no small wonder that the world's greatest composers were all keyboardists.
Re: Hi from Asheville and Charleston
Good info to know. Unfortunately multi-$100 purchases aren't really in my budget right now. If they were, they'd probably go into a new laptop first. I find I'm still stuck back at the programming language idea. I've downloaded the packages but haven't really looked at them or evaluated what they can do. Such a learning curve. I suppose I'll get on with it soon enough though. Bored with St. Augustine so heading south now, along the coast.