I am very passionate about instruments that generate music. Given some rules, those start generating notes and sequences and hearing the variations hypnotises me.
A study started by Brian Eno in 1995 with a software called Koan ,evolved now in Wotja.
Generative music is the term used to describe any music that is ever-different and changing, created by a system. The term has since gone on to be used to refer to a wide range of music, from entirely random music mixes created by multiple simultaneous CD playback, through to live rule-based computer composition.
For me an old passion, started on Atari with a software called M, which I still use in an Atari ST emulator under Windows
For this I greatly appreciated the work done by Marcin Gruszczyński by Fairly Confused with Cracklefield.
A contraption that I’m not sure how to classify: a grid based sequencer, with objects traveling in different directions, bouncing off walls and colliding with each other, creating dynamically evolving patterns. So, Cracklefield is a generative music machine, experimental sequencer based on a cellular grid.
The field can be read or modified by cursors, pointing at sequence track playing position. The cursors can travel the field in any direction, horizontally, vertically or diagonally, each at it’s own rate. They can bounce off field edges or obstacles (walls) and, what is the fun part, bounce off each other.
Cursors can interact with the field; paint, erase or flip cells, build or destroy walls, shift whole field rows or columns. It’s a playground for building evolving patterns – set initial conditions and see what would it sound like. Crazy.
Cursors are driven by a Langton’s ant scheme, a cellular automaton, which changes direction depending on what kind of cell it steps on.
In short, a library for Kontakt really difficult to describe.
It’s not a freebie, cost around 70 euro on many shops online, but Marcin released a “Stay at home with Cracklefield” version on Covid times. it’s a stripped-down version, but enough to have some fun and understand how it works.
Attention: Cracklefield is not intended as a generator of sounds, but of notes. Its sound library serves only to get an idea, but each channel (slider) can be redirected to a track of your DAW to which a suitable VST instrument is associated. Or, download the Kontakt multi-channel sequencer script. Reading the fucking manual mandatory. Work only with Kontact full.