IMPORTANT INFO

This version includes the AUDIO FILES with 8 CHANNELS ONLY. The original version includes sound files with 13 channels as well. If you need those, download a previous version of the piece!

Audio setup

Each of the computers has:

• 1 input channel: mix of the 3 microphones

• 4 output channel: 1 = Front Left, 2 = Front Right, 3 = Back Left, 4 = Back Right

Click is not used by Alain Billard (clarinet) who knows very well the piece.

Here is diagram of the overall audio and MIDI setup:

Loudspeaker setup

For this concert, we used 4 sets of speakers placed like a square around the audience : Front Left, Front Right, Back Left, Back Right

Midi setup

The clarinetist triggers the cues of the score/patch with a foot pedal sent in MIDI to the computer. When an analog footswitch or sustain pedal is used (as it was the case in this version) it needs to be converted to MIDI with a MIDI Solutions Footswitch Controller. If the console and computers are far away from the stage, a MIDI Booster is used to reinforce the MIDI transmission. It is used to duplicate the MIDI info for main and spare computers.

Software

This version is composed of two Max Projects:

• one running on Max 7.3 32bits (transformations). File: AoMII-Max7_proj.maxproj

• one running on Max 6.1 32bits (spatialization). File: AoMII-Max6_proj.maxproj

8 channels are sent from Max 7 to Max 6. To do that, we use the loopback function of the RME Fireface. Below is a capture of this setup in the TotalMix software. Set unused channels of the Fireface to loopback to send thos channels from Max 7 to Max 6. You will have to adpat the routing in both Max Audio Setup to match the virtual input/output and the real input/output going to/from the console.

ejies objects and functions are required for the Max 7 project. Because of java(script) they could not be integrated directly into the project. You have to install them in your packages before opening the project. We used and provide ejies 3.2 in this version. You may update the ejies to the last version provided that it works with Max 7 32bits.

Except for the routing, no special Max setup is required for this piece. We use this standard setup :

• I/O Vector Size: 512

• Signal Vector Size: 256

• Sampling Rate: 48000Hz

• Scheduler in Overdrive: yes

• in Audio Interrupt: no

System calibration and tests

The input level of both patches (Max 7 and Max 6) should be set rather high for the effects to work properly.
Two soundfiles can be used as a simulation to quickly test the patch without the clarinetist. CLCB-sectA_05-diff.aifis a recording of the first 28 bars of the piece. CLCB-sectB-37_49-diff.aif is a recording of the bars 37 to 49.

Initialization routine

When launching the two projects, you can check for errors in the Max window.

• In Max 7 the following error can be ignored (should appear only once):
  newobj • reverb-OPer_init: No such object

• In Max 6 the following errors can be ignored (should appear 8 times):
  newobj | vbap-room-OPer_init: No such object ``       | vbap: Configure loudspeakers first!

Once you have loaded both Max 6 & 7 projects:

• Check the communication between the two Max with the blue test_reso button of Max 7 patch. The blue LED Receive test_reso of the Max 6 patch should miror it.

• Start the audio on both Max with the red LED Dac on/off. You can check that the CPU pourcentage near this LED is changing.

• Then init-all with the button of the Max 7 patch.

• Pass one or two cues with your right arrow key (->)

• Then re init-all with the button of the Max 7 patch.

• Don’t forget to check the input faders of both Max patches. The Max 6 spatialization patch also need the clarinet input.

• For the pedal of the performer to actually trigger the cues, the mode menu should be set to use instead of test

Patch presentation

The Max 7 (transformations) main patch interface:

The Max 6 (spatialization) main patch interface:

Performance notes

For timing purposes, this version was played with a cut between cue 27 (bar 155) and cue 35 (bar 178). A shortcut (shown below) has been added to the main Max 7 patch for the computer music designer.
Once the performer has triggered and played cue 27 (which cuts off all the electronics), click on the 35 button shown below to prepare the cut. When the performer is ready to start again, he/she has to trigger cue 35 with the foot pedal.

In general, Yann Robin likes when the sound coming from the computer is loud in the room! Adjust the volume consequently!

• The first sound of the electronics, triggered at the first note of the performer should be really impressive in the room, like a scream.

• From cue 11, the electronics is much quiter then grow again progressively. Keep this as a rather long crescendo in the electronics, don’t push up the volume directly.