Using Quartz Composer for LFOs in Live

[nobbystylus]

this is as simple as it gets..

if you need an LFO to control anything in Live, and you're on a Mac with Tiger or better try this..

Open Quartz Composer, in the patch creator look for the LFO patch, drag the LFO patch to the Editor, then look for the Midi Controllers Sender, and patch the LFO's result to the Midi Controllers Sender... Adjust the Midi Controllers output to the IAC bus and then use this as a midi input in Live..

[itsthejayj]

Arh the love for QC, indeed a great use of the LFO in QC so easy to bind qc comps to cocoa to make an application of this too.

One thing i think your referring to leopard here with the Midi control sender. Unless your using your 'Just Add Music' JAMkineme .plugin (which your welcome to by the way) but just a note no one else will have these unless there running JAM and hence no midi sending!

[jeskola]

this is as simple as it gets..

if you need an LFO to control anything in Live, and you're on a Mac with Tiger or better try this..

Open Quartz Composer, in the patch creator look for the LFO patch, drag the LFO patch to the Editor, then look for the Midi Controllers Sender, and patch the LFO's result to the Midi Controllers Sender... Adjust the Midi Controllers output to the IAC bus and then use this as a midi input in Live..

Sounds brilliant... can you explain in a more step by step guide how to do this?

[nobbystylus]

Could well be on Leopard only yes!

QC (now) has both Midi Send and Midi Receive, (as well as OSC receive and OSC send). You literally drag an LFO to the canvas, adjust the speed etc in the inspector (Apple I) patch it to the Midi Send (drag a patch cable from the LFO to the input of the Midi Send patch), change the output of the Midi Send to the IAC bus (and if you want a specific Midi channel etc), use the IAC bus as an input in Live, and do midi learn to whatever needs the LFO.

You can send midi (LFOs etc) back in and out of QC internally to Live, Bidule, Reaktor Whatever you need...

[nobbystylus]

This thing gets better and better...

Google have just released a motion sensor plugin for Quartz Composer, which means you can send Motion Sensor data to Live and adjust any thing... i've got my Mac working like a theremin when i lift it off my desk!!!!!

[Trank]

nobbystylus,

okay, that's pretty freaking cool - it's so easy to map a sawtooth or random generator to any midi parameter now. Very neat trick, thanks =)

[funk313]

ehm where can i get ths quarz composer thingy..thanx

[nobbystylus]

ehm where can i get ths quarz composer thingy..thanx

If you've got Tiger or Leopard, install the optional developers tools from the install DVD. I recommend the Leopard update as they add lots of useful Midi stuff.

[ckluxen]

I worked a lot in Quartz, but how do you geat a synced Lfo? You haver got to use midiclock...but...

[nobbystylus]

yes i didn't figure out clock sync.. i'm sure its do-able.. i've been using Vidvox VDMX (a VJ app) to send synced LFOs to Live recently..

[spiral]

would like to hear or see more example of this

[andyvanee]

I'm just exploring the possibilities of Live/Quartz Composer and have built a beat synced oscillator. I didn't use the LFO though, and it's fairly limited right now, but it may get the creative juices flowing...

In QC make a chain like this:
MIDI Clock Receiver "Measures" -> Mathematical Expression "((sin(a * 360)) * .5) + .5" -> MIDI Controllers Sender "Pitch Wheel"

In Live, Map the dancing CC to something like the volume of a pad, a filter, or something noticeable.

This takes the "Measures" information from Live, runs it through a mathematical expression and gives it back to Live as a MIDI CC. The math is not as complex as it looks, if we run a couple test numbers through the sin function, we'll see it's effect:

a = 1 , out = .5
a = 1.25 , out = 1
a = 1.5, out = .5
a = 1.75, out = 0

And this pattern continues, 22.2678 results in the same value as 1.2678. So we've got a 1 measure LFO peaking on beat 2 (1.25).

To make this more useful, lets add some LFO controls. Change the mathematical expression to this:
(sin((a * speed) * (360 + offset)) * .5) + .5

Now we have two more inputs to the expression. If we set speed to 4, and offset to 180, you get a good quarter note LFO on the upbeat.

A few notes:
Your IAC Driver must me online in "Audio MIDI Setup" (Applications -> Utilities -> Audio MIDI Setup)
In Live the MIDI out "IAC Driver" should be set to sync and the in should be set to remote.
MIDI is slow. There may be lags since we are pushing it as fast as it can go.
In QC, try using [ "some number" -> Image with String -> Billboard ] to preview the number that's being generated

[andyvanee]

So much potential with QC controlling live... I've built an "Image to MIDI CC" converter. Anyone else working on stuff with this?

hint:
MIDI Clock Reciever -> Image Pixel -> MIDI Controller

[aeon_flux]

So much potential with QC controlling live... I've built an "Image to MIDI CC" converter. Anyone else working on stuff with this?

could you share your patches?

[Thomas]

i need some help with the google plugins if anyone can help me

i have the whole thing set up, qc should be sending the midi (but i cant find the setup to check if it uses iac)
And ableton recieving, how do i check if ableton is recieving anything?

and how do i map something like the light sensor or the motion sensor (and the motion sensor plugin doesnt even show up in qc?!)


so for anyone who's got these 2 working, send me a pm please or post a walktrough

i have ableton 7, macbook pro (1 week old)