Dear List,
A while ago I discussed synthesis schematics (like used in the
Computer Music Tutorial by C. Roads) with a few other people with
experience in the computer music field, and they all told me that there
was no 'standard' for describing a synthesis schematic (algorithm) in a
language-independent way.
I was looking yesterday for a way to serialize the synthesis structures in
my authoring tool (QOrchestra, more info on my homepage), and I've now
come to the conclusion that XML is the best way to do it (I hope).
Perhaps it's time for a standard like MathML or CML (the mathematics
modeling language and the chemistry modeling language), but for synthesis
diagrams. I will store instruments, synthesis structures and their
relations in XML anyway, so a discussion of the right format is now
essential.
Consider something like:
VCO1 ----\
\----> VCF ----> OUT
^
|
/-------^
VCO2 ----/
This re-usable structure might be saved as the following XML-standalone
document:
<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<GraphStructure name="new_reusable_structure">
<StructureInstance name="VCO1">
<Connection from="audio_out" to="audio_input" target="VCF"/>
</StructureInstance>
<StructureInstance name="VCO2">
<Connection from="audio_out" to="frequency_input" target="VCF"/>
</StructureInstance>
<StructureInstance name="VCF">
<Connection from="audio_out" to="audio_input" target="OUT"/>
</StructureInstance>
</GraphStructure>
Some other XML document contains the structure definitions (only the VCF
is provided as an example):
<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<Structure name="VCF">
<Inputs>
<Input name="audio_input">
<Input name="frequency_input">
</Inputs>
<Outputs>
<Output name="audio_output">
</Outputs>
</Structure>
This is probably a bit "fuzzy defined", but I think a standard like this
is essential with all those books being published and everybody using his
own way to draw an audio-flow schema.
All comments are appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Bert Schiettecatte.
____________________________________________________
Bert Schiettecatte (1e lic. Inf)
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
E-Mail: bschiett@vub.ac.be
WWW: http://wendy.vub.ac.be/~bschiett/
-- To be a popular composer, what is it you must do?
Perhaps to learn enough tricks that cause people to
have pleasant sensations without too much stress.
What are the tricks for making that catches on in
a listener's mind, and keeps repeating long after
the performance? -- M. Minsky
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