technical setup

ABOUT THE PIECE AND THE SETUP

The trumpet is playing through a microphone. The microphone signal is sent both to the four loudspeakers and to the audio inputs of the Mac, where it will pass through various effects such as delays, reverbs, filters, harmonizers, spatializers, chorus…then it is sent back to the four loudspeakers and mixed together with the trumpet signal. The effects signals are processed in real time using the Max 8.1 software. Max calculates the effects signal and the antescofo object sends events to the effects, in order to modify their behavior all along the piece.

The writing of the piece brings a constant interaction between the player and the electronics, so the electronics are calculated according to what he’s playing. If required by technical constraints it is also possible to play a tape instead of live electronics (triggering mode ‘click+bande’).

For best results it is recommended for the player to play the written rythm as “sharp” as possible.

The composer wishes that the trumpet player is located on the back of the stage (as far as possible from the audience).

Audio setup

Loudspeaker setup

CONFIGURING THE MAC

MAX calculates a complex set of real time sound signals, with multi inputs/outputs sound routing, receives and sends midi events, displays graphics, etc… All this takes a lot of the power of the CPU of the Mac processor when playing large patches such as Metallics.

That’s why it’s always a good idea, when performing a live piece in front of a public audience, to minimize the risk of crashes of the machine, due to CPU overload, or extensions conflicts. We recommand to :

• disactivate BlueTooth and unrequired Wifi.
• disactivate automatic launch of Screen Savers,
• disactivate automatic suspension of hard Drives and put every activity suspension to “never”. (Mac OS X : see System Preferences > Energy Saver)

INSTALLING

• Download “Metallics-2021-max8-64b.dmg”, open it and copy everything in a folder on your computer.

• Launch MaxMSP 8.1 (or above) before everything. Select this folder (and only this one) in the ‘file preferences’ menu.

Check your audio outputs with the max audiotester.

The max patch will set vector sizes and other preferences automatically when you reset.

Sampling rate must be 48khz

There are 5 outputs: dac 1..4 respectively on loudspeakers 1-front-left, 2-front-right, 3-middle-left, 4-midle-right, and dac 5 for click-track.

• Launch the patch “Metallics-2021-max8-64b”. Check the Max Window : you should see something like this, which means that everything is fine :

• The main patch opens:

In the Main interface, you can tune general parameters (middle left part - see below the picture “parameters”), adjust the level controls of the electronics (right part) and open important sub-patchers (top right part): ‘p events’ which contains events, ‘p DSP’ which contains the signal objects, ‘p simul&bande&click’ which contains the simulation, the tape and the antescofo click-track sequencer, and ‘p event-trigger’ which contains controls for event triggering.

Adjust the input level of the trumpet into the patch towards the treatements here :

In the central window of the main patch, you can choose the triggering mode, control the levels of click/simul/bande, and in case of pedal triggering, adjust the different parameters of the pedal.

Where I am supposed to click ? What I am supposed to do ?

1. Choose with the trumpetist the best way to play the piece (See below section ‘Triggering modes’ for details):

• “real-time version with click track”
• “real-time with click-track and simul” (for rehearsals without trumpetist)
• “tape version with click-track” (for concerts without live electronics)
• “real-time with midi pedal and partial click-track” (recommended)

1. Start DSP

2. Reset

3. Then you can select where you want to start from (menu ‘Play from’ on the right of the patch), and eventually click the toggle ‘Click start/stop’ for starting/stopping the click.

Triggering modes:

With live electronics, two technical possibilities are proposed to find a good balance between a better “accuracy”, for more live feeling, and a better “efficiency”, for more precision, according to the trumpet player.

1. first possibility:
   “real-time version with click track”
   Events are triggered by a sequencer (antescofo) wich is automatically loaded with the Max patch. While the events are automated inside the patch, the midifile sends a continuous clicktrack to the player via headphones.

This way, nor the player nor the musical assistant have to care about the regularity of triggers, or of events mismatches.

That’s a better way to keep the maximum of efficiency. This possibility is recommended by the composer.

1. second possibility:
   “real-time with midi pedal and partial click-track”
   Events are triggered by the trumpet player him(her)self, using a midi sustain foot pedal. Events are notified inside the musical score, so (s)he can synchronize them to his/her playing. The midi pedal device should be selected in the menu “Midi pedal selection” on the center of the main screen.

The musical assistant should follow the score and check that the player doesn’t miss any event. He has the possibility to correct the errors, using the Mac keyboard, or by clicking with the mouse into the Max patch.

In mode “real-time with midi pedal and partial click-track”, as some parts of the piece need that the events are triggered synchroneously with some soundfiles, for those parts, a clicktrack is sent to the player via headphones while the instrumentist continues to trigger the events.

In this mode, click-track will start:

• from bar m89 3rd beat to m101: click-track tempo 60 (12 bars + 2 beats)
• from bar m114 to end of bar 116 : click-track tempo 80 (3 bars)
• from bar m119 4th beat to m126 : click-track tempo 80 (6 bars + 1 beat)
• from bar m130 4th beat to m138 : click-track tempo 80 (7 bars + 1 beat)
• from bar m139 to m190 1rst beat : click-track tempo 80 (52 bars)

TAPE VERSION

If for some reasons the piece can not be played with live electronics, it is possible to use the tape (triggering mode “tape version with click-track”):

For this option, you just have to select the triggering mode “tape version with click-track” and then start click-track (you can choose also where to start from with the menu ‘Play from’).

You should also send the “real” trumpet to the reverb and follow it during the concert, depending on the musical context.

During the rehearsals, you can also use the triggering mode “real-time with click-track and simul” in order to simulate the trumpet.

Note: an mp3 version of the tape+click-track is also available for rehearsal in the folder “doc/__Metallics-2014-Practice-Tape.mp3”

Two trumpet recordings are also available for tests and set-up: “media/TrumpetPart-cure.aiff” and “media/TrumpetPart-gaudon.wav”.

ABOUT THE CLICK-TRACK

The click-track is sequenced by antescofo (‘p antescofo’) with the score ‘data/MTX14-score-150512.asco’.

The pitches are sent to ‘sfplay~’ with ‘clave1.wav’ and ‘clave2.wav’ sfiles.

The events are named according to the bar at which they are positioned. (ex m52 stands for an event at bar 52).

In the simulation mode it is possible to start from any bar (label).

In the click mode a selection of starting points is proposed in the menu ‘Play from’.

ABOUT SOUND DIFFUSION

The trumpet signal is sent to the four loudspeakers through the max patch after spat/reverb treatment. Each of the four sound outputs of the Mac is sent separatley to one of the four speakers (out1 to ls1, out2 to ls2, out3 to ls3, out4 to ls4).

1—2

3—4

One should find a good balance between the trumpet and the electronics signals, keeping in mind that electronics are a constant and essential part of the piece, and that one should hear the different signals (live & electronics) like sounding all “together”.

The four loudspeakers must be turned in order to form the most regular squared quadraphony possible around the audience. The sound result must be a constant and omnipresent energy. In very “dry” rooms, the sound engineer should inject both the trumpet and the electronics signals into a slight reverb effect, whose output should be diffused into each of the loudspeakers, in order to compensate eventual sound “holes”. The reverb parameters should be set in accordance to the size of the room, in order to keep a realistic effect.

The only source that is really directional is the real acoustic sound from the trumpet.

Some electronic effects can variate their behavior, according to the trumpet player, the microphone and the P.A. that are used, or the room where the piece is performed. For those reasons, the musical assistant has the possibility to re-mix every sound effect that comes from the Mac separatly, either by using an external midi mixing console, either directly inside the patch by using the mouse. Generally, (s)he won’t have to do much mixing during the piece, only some global and slight corrections.

MIXING LEVELS

The mix can be controlled with a midi mixer (for instance a berhinger bcf2000). You can select the midi mixing device in the menu “mixing fader” (see picture “parameters”).

The controller numbers are mapped to faders that control independantly levels of effects, input or output. You can change this mapping by changing each corresponding menu in the main patch.

The default mapping is the following:

• controller number - effect :
• 12 - chorus,
• 9 - chorus to spat,
• 5 - reson,
• 4 - banks,
• 16 - sampler,
• 7 - harms,
• 6 - delays,
• 8 - soundfile,
• 2 - micro spat (micro to spat),
• 10 - micro bounce (micro to reverb),
• 13 - click,
• 3 - trumpet,
• 1 - main output master

First versions

Realised at IRCAM (Cursus) - Musical assistant : Xavier Chabot

First unfinished version - Premiere : 14 Janvier 1995 at IRCAM (Concert Atelier) - Trumpet : Laurent Bômont

Definitive version - Premiere : 8 et 9 avril 1995 à lIRCAM (journées portes ouvertes) - Trumpet : Laurent Bômont

Tape version - Premiere : 13 Mai 1995 in New-York - Trumpet : Waine Du Maine

Version MSP Version - musical assistant : Manuel Poletti - Premiere : 2 Mai 2001 à Paris - Trumpet : Laurent Bômont