Some thoughts

Some thoughts: I have written several applications for use as an algorithmical composition tool (for generating serial and aleatoric and fractal-based music) or as an ‘interactive real-time’ tool for sound manipulation and as a guidance for players. At this moment I’m working on a compositional environment (CACE4) which makes use of several different approaches. It’s an object oriented programmed tool kit with a generic part that makes use of several fractal and attractor based algorithms and an AI part that helps with the decision making and grouping of the musical material (it consists of an ART-2 neural network and I am working on a production ruler and some frame based knowledge).This compositional tool kit acts as an interface between several existing applications (e.g. Finale™ and CSound) and can generate several file formats (STD MIDI file and AIFF). My main field of interest is in the possibilities of using the computer as a live, interactive media for performing compositions; especially computer and musicians interacting together. And to make use of it as a compositional tool.

As one of my major ideas about composing Algorithmical music I like to look for structure in other fields in science and nature.

I like to find – mathematical - structures and use them for generating pitches, melodies, rhythms and structure for my compositions. Material obtained from for example fractal calculations and A.I. (= Artificial Intelligence) techniques, along with Biometrics and Physics, but also mathematical material from economy can be used for this purpose to generate scores and sounds.

To achieve this I’m developing my own dedicated software for doing DSP and generating scores which are then played, mostly by musicians. The sounds and music played by these musicians are altered in real-time during the performance of the compositions.

So in most cases it’s not the rules derived from music itself as we know it, but new ones from other fields used to create new structures for music and sound, as well as finding out which ones are working in the field of Music and Sound.

Michèl Koenders, May 2010.