Building a visual metronome

[La Tenaille]

Hi,
I'm looking for a way to make a visual metronome. I'm not talking about a single led, but a "swinging" one, like the one bjork uses : http://www.myspace.com/midimetronome.
The effect can be seen in this Bjork video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EmCfRhlwp0 at 2:58, but of course you are going to watch the whole video
The interest of such a metronome is obvious for anyone who tried to follow a single led or a click in the headphone, trying to keep a natural playing.
So 8 leds (I can do that ) but I don't know how to play a sequence of 16 impulsions (8X 1/8 of the tempo X2) and then to send it to the leds that way :

1 lights 1
2 lights 2
3 lights 3
4 lights all the leds
5 lights 5 and 6
6 lights 6
7 lights 7
8 lights 8

... and then the same sequence but to go back to led 1.

I don't need to synch it to the global tempo, just a local metronome with a fader to set the speed... and of course something light is appreciated.
So if someone could give me a starting point it would nice.
Thanks

[nay-seven]

not perfect at all , specially when direction change , but a try...?
here

[ethnix73]

vIsual style is not there, but it might work:

there

[ethnix73]

Or another attempt with a more "natural" visual style :

This way

[nay-seven]

whaoo ethnix ! love the last one !
great idea !
maybe an impulse or a change on the color inlet..?

[23fx23]

...or an extended version of ethnix great clever idea, (9led and not 8 based for symmetry, was a bit brainstorming for correct sync hehe).

here
little more complex, so check ethnix one first, it's simpler and very cool/clever.

this one adds a speed setting, and have the bjork one visual features , or something similar if well understood...
also added a tap tempo inside metronome.

[nay-seven]

haha competition is great for you La tenaile...!!!
23fx , you're crazy good !

[23fx23]

hehe yup challenges are good, that let us see differents techniques, ethnix idea was really simple and clever, as usual i can't resist go deeper complex, i need to get rid of that sometimes

[ethnix73]

you're a crazy and talented patcher 23fx23!

I will need some time to study your patch...

[23fx23]

thanks ethnix, but you are on the main idea!, i first didn't thought to use the draw modue, that's clever.

might help to understand:
in my patch basically there are 9 leds preposiotined in half-circle,
it takes the synchro out of totalppq so there are no "restart" probems, as it never goes to 0 but always keep on.
then i make an intensive use of AmodB wich make a local loop where we can set max, and by adding some value we can offset otherwise main blink would appear in half of the bar, as our main "first step" is in middle of circle, not at start of it.
then there is something that toggle to get both directions, picking once normal step order, then "max-steporder" via the 2xselector. and then dispacher make selected step light up (sending a size value), all other are 0 if
"audioflows" is on, if it's off, it doesnt erase others, so i make it off when ball has reach center in both direcions.

[ethnix73]

Thanks for info...

I never use the "AmodB" module as i've got difficulties to understand how to use it correctly...

And thanks for the tip about the dispatcher and "audio flows" parameter.

[23fx23]

you're welcome . once i discovered AmodB i use it a lot... really usefull for synchro things, but otherthings too

for exemple if in A we drive 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 with B set on 4, it will outputs 0,1,2,3,0,1,2,3,0,1,2,... each time 4 is reach it restarts.
so if we make a restart led with if A=0 for the main loop going from 0 to 8,
the same with a Amod4 will restart 2x more often, with amod2 4x, ect. so can make easely some custom 1bar, 1/2bar, 1/4 syncrhos.

another example if set to 2 will output 0,1,0,1,0,1, so can use that to make pass only pairs or impairs values from input using a pass.

[ethnix73]

Thanks 23fx23...it's gonna be really usefull!:)

[La Tenaille]

Hi everybody,

Happy to see you liked my challenge !
Now I've opened all your patches at the same time and it's christmas at home
I'll need time to understand what you've done (I would have never thought about array or draw panels modules) but the last one seems perfect.
Can I change master synch module for local synch one ? And if yes, what is the "tot ppq" out pin equivalent ?

I'll give you feedback about using it IRL

Thanks

[23fx23]

hey latenaille,

yup you can replace mastersync by a local sync, then use "position outlet"as ppq eqvivalent, but you might notice some dropouts
on cycle start. for them to be occuring less often, increase nb of cycle to max (16), it should be ok. other inlets staying the same.

between i thought of a lighter, might be better system, also visually, will try and will report you if find it's interesting..

[La Tenaille]

ok, thanks

[23fx23]

another aproach using the ability of faderz to use a sequence of images, that way you can design it the way you like,
here that's a really rough example...

http://www.sensomusic.com/forums/upload ... omeJPG.rar

this is a much simpler way in terms of patching, (note it will probably say you missig bitmap, clic on edit layout on fader and reload the jpg included in the .rar, set nb of frames to 16, and clic "fitsize). if you or a friend make a bit of gfx, you can make a beautiful one and test various things without patching headheachs.. still have to draw the 16 frames, and it has a blocking effect on extremities i hadn't in previous one..

[La Tenaille]

Hi 23fx23,
Yes this one looks a lot simpler !
So if I change the jpg respecting the frame layout I can display nearly anything, that's it ?
If I need more or less frames I just have to change the "b" a*b value ?
I don't know gfx but photoshop is my friend. I just have to get familiar with layouts and I thing this one will be great !
Thanks a lot

[23fx23]

hey latenaille,

yup if you change the frames you can display nearly anything, here i forgot to make borders so it' a bit hard to know, but yup basically just put any frames one after the others, like a filmstrip animation, then the fader can display the frame you want according to it's value.
if you play frames in order it act as a video, but you can also dsiplay the frame you want, that's quite cool for various things.

yes f need more frames youcan tweak the b value, for example here it's 4 to get 16, if put 8 can have 32 frames, or 1 for 8.

hehe by "gfx" i meant 'graphic' software so if you know photoshop it's perfect!

as example if you make ie a 200x200 pictures of 10 frames, the output image must be 2000x200 and in layout choose 10 frames.
but anythng linked on metronome should pbably be more in 8,16,or 32 frames, or maybe others, have to experiment.

cool, let' us see your ceations!
cheers.

[ethnix73]

Clever patch 23fx23!

Using frames is really great idea...

[La Tenaille]

ok,
I'm on the road next week (my first tour with Usine!) and will start layouts once I'm back.
Thanks again

[kara]

ok,
I'm on the road next week (my first tour with Usine!) and will start layouts once I'm back.
Thanks again

Like we say "Break a legg" or in French 'Merde'
I hope your tour goes well

k

[La Tenaille]

Hi,
Here is my back bitmap (16 frames) for 23fx23s metronome.
I tried to make something smooth, works great for slow tempi.

[23fx23]

nice well done latenaille!

[Pianoscope]

hi.

None of these patches work, invalid object. How do I get these running?

Thanks

Leon

[23fx23]

they were patchs made a long time ago on older usine versions. what usine version are you running?

[La Tenaille]

Yes, the metronome doesn't work with newer Usine versions.
Sorry but I can't help you, Usine has changed a lot and I don't use my metronome anymore.

[23fx23]

here is one simple version that should work on HH:

http://www.sensomusic.org/forums/upload ... G%20V6.pat