$Page Inspired by Nature by Dillon Bastan Inspired-by-Nature.png *Welcome to Inspired by Nature Quick Start Guide* *Note:* For a more in-depth manual, please download it from $Link this link. *Inspired by Nature* contains devices that draw from nature and physics, each device offering alternative approaches to music and sound-design not often found in conventional tools. By simulating behaviors in nature, and representing them on a 2D graphic, the devices invite users to create their own harmonic and natural motion, for MIDI generation and sound manipulation, ultimately transforming your sound into complex and less predictable results. Inspired by Nature was developed by Dillon Bastan in collaboration with Ableton. Divider.tif *Lesson Contents:* -> $Link Vector Devices -> $Link Emit -> $Link Bouncy Notes -> $Link Tree Tone -> $Link Credits Divider.tif Visit Dillon's homepage here: $Link Dillon Bastan More Packs available here: $Link www.ableton.com/packs $Comment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $Page Vector Devices $TargetName Vector Devices Vector-Grain.png *Vector Devices* The four Vector devices are centred around a particle system that responds to different simulated forces: -> *Gravity* - attraction towards a body with a certain gravitational strength. -> *Flowfield* - a path based on directional forces, which determine the particles' ability to move left, right, up, down and diagonally. -> *Magnetism* - more specifically, a sort of pseudo-magnetism based on each particle's charge (really just gravitational attraction between particles). Each particle represents an individual voice in the device. -> *Vector Delay* is a polyphonic delay where each particle would be a delay line. -> *Vector Grain* is a granular looper/sampler where each particle would be a sample playback voice/grain. -> *Vector FM* is an FM synthesizer where each particle is an operator or pair of operators depending on settings. -> *Vector Map* is an organic modulation source where each particle and their properties (size, direction, velocity) can control any automatable parameter in Live. The different options for forces, mappings, and the possibility of emitting particles (particle creation and destruction in regular intervals) allow for a large variety of results both simple and complex. Particle attributes like position, size, and speed, can modulate the audio parameters using the modulation knobs at the bottom of the first page of each Vector device. Divider.tif *Audio Settings Page:* Here you can find the controls for each of the sound engines, as well as the modulation attenuators and filter/panning. *Force Settings Page:* From this page, you can control the forces of the particle system. By selecting the different color options (charge), you can determine which particles are affected by which force. The balance of charged particles (i.e. more negative than positive or vice versa) can be determined on the Particle Settings page using the ‘Charge’ slider. *Particle Settings Page:* Here you can control the parameters for the particle settings (such as charge or mass) and the particle Emitter. When the emitter is on, particles will be created and destroyed (instead of continuously existing). This allows for more rhythmic possibilities, among other outcomes. $Comment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $Page Emit $TargetName Emit Emit.png *Emit* Emit differs from the other particle devices in the sense that particles are only ‘emitted’ from a source and move in a constant direction. A 2D spectrogram is created once a sample is dropped in, which the emitted particles move on top of. Whatever position of the spectrogram the particle is on top of is played back. Therefore, the speed, direction and filtering of the sample playback is determined by the direction and strength of the particles’ motion. Additionally the options to add friction or create walls allow you to change the behavior of the particles after they are emitted. It is a very visually-oriented approach to granular synthesis. Emit uses a phase vocoder for sample playback – this means that a particle can move across the sample at any speed without affecting pitch. For this reason, each voice can be quite CPU intensive in HQ mode $Comment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $Page Bouncy Notes $TargetName Bouncy Notes Bouncy-Notes.png *Bouncy Notes* This device also uses a particle system, but in a more limited way – it only uses the force of gravity. The particles are represented as balls that fall and bounce up and down a piano roll (which is on the “ground”). Whatever note on the piano roll a ball lands on is sent out as a MIDI note. The piano roll additionally has various options for scales, tonic, and pitch range. When a MIDI note is received, a ball is dropped at the relative pitch (there is also an option for dropping balls automatically). Each time a ball hits the piano roll at the bottom, the corresponding MIDI note is sent out, with the MIDI velocity determined by the ball’s velocity from the physics simulation. Balls can move left or right as well, and have different behavior options when they hit the edge of the screen or the ground. You can also add in walls for the balls to bounce off. The device can function as several types of MIDI effects in an unconventional manner – arpeggiator, note delay, generative sequencer, note fills, etc. $Comment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $Page Tree Tone $TargetName Tree Tone Tree-Tone.png *Tree Tone* This device leaves the concept of a particle system, yet still simulates nature and physics using vectors pulled in different directions to create branches. The branches are translated into frequency, decay, and amplitude values for a bank of resonant filters (each branch represents a filter) based on the branch’s length and thickness. The result is a resonator whose properties and number of filters are determined by the shape of the tree. Growing different types of trees result in different sounds. The resonators may also be excited and modulated in a few different ways, by filtered noise, filtered audio input, “plucking” the branches or by using the modulation tab. Additionally there is an audio input tab allowing users to route their own sounds through the resonant filters, or to feedback the sound itself and create resonant feedback tones - especially interesting to do in combo with other effects in the chain before feeding back. It also features a modulation section with two envelopes and two LFOs. $Comment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $Page Credits $TargetName Credits *Credits* Inspired by Nature was developed by Dillon Bastan in collaboration with Ableton. Dillon Bastan is a Berlin-based artist, musician, and developer. His art practice includes sound and media art installations and kinetic sculptures, music production, performance, and more recently experimental films. He has created and developed various audio devices, projects, and systems for personal and public use. These devices are generally exploratory and or incorporate a playful, visually-driven interface that strives to detour conventional workflows. Divider.tif Visit Dillon's homepage here: $Link Dillon Bastan For more Packs from Dillon, please check here: $Link www.ableton.com/en/packs/by/dillon-bastan/ More Packs available here: $Link www.ableton.com/packs $Comment Status: Translate