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@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp 3 months ago

Another Saturday, more #sonilo

Today, I implemented something resembling a reference counting system component. It's a big part of the thing that lets me recycle buffers inside of a patch.

sndkit uses something like this with a stack, and the combo has proven to be a really effective way to procedurally build up patches.

I spent the morning planning the implementation with pen and paper, wrote unit tests in the afternoon, and coded up the implementation in the evening.

The stack data structure comes next I think? Next weekend hopefully.

#sonilo

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Replies: 9

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patchlore

@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp 3 months ago

Another Saturday, more #sonilo

I built out the parameter stack which will be used to help unit generators share data.

Next, I'll be working out the unit generator interface. Soon after that, some initial unit generators.

If I can get some initial unit generators, I might be able to piece together some sounds using my crude test harness language.

A little more into the future, and I'll be building a serial protocol that will work with the Konilo forth environment. At that point, I'll be able to start thinking less like a programmer and more like a composer!

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patchlore

@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp 4 weeks ago

Finally, another #Sonilo Saturday.

I have been designing a small C API for Sonilo that's a wrapper for the small VM I've built. It's going to geared for creating unit generators. Then, it'll be a serial protocol. Then, there will be some way to get this into Konilo Forth.

The more interesting/unique bits are going to start to happen once I start implementing the unit generator components needed for Gesture. Then, the focus will be less on stringing together unit generators to make a sound, and more on the kinds of data (musical scores? sequences?) to feed the Gesture signal generators.

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patchlore

@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp 4 weeks ago

The C API can now generate a 440hz sine tone woo! I'm now working on scaffolding for re-usable unit generators.

I've developed a very satisfying top-down cadence building this out where I start with stubs of API functions in a small example program, and gradually fill things out. Everything returns an error code, and the program flow is quite linear. I just open things up in gdb, and keep re-running through the program until it reaches the end. Stepping tells me where I am and what needs to be implemented. It's almost like a TDD workflow.

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patchlore

@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp 4 weeks ago

I got a working unit generator interface! Now I get to start adding some actual DSP and think about initial sound demos.

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patchlore

@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp 3 weeks ago

It's one array type where the element size can be adjustable, Michael. What could it cost, an hour of time?

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patchlore

@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp 3 weeks ago

I've got a flexible array structure working in the sonilo VM, which is precursor to an iterable type. The iterable type is a precursor to the notion of sequencers. And sequencers are a precursor to the notion of "gesture synthesis".

The short term plan is to build a generic iterator system in the VM and use that to build a simple step sequencer for a small offline DSP example using the unit generator interface.

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patchlore

@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

I think I've worked out the sonilo command language structure.

The idea is that Sonilo is controlled as a virtual device using a serial protocol, built on top of a constrained subset of msgpack. The structure aims to make the output both concise and word-aligned.

Because it's msgpack, instructions can be represented abstractly using notation, which may allow more flexible interpreters down the line (a backend that uses JSON instead of msgpack?). One could also build up more complex commands that work on compound data structures.

Sonilo command structure: a hand written knowledge graph using a fountain pen and pencil, resting on an drawing stand.

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patchlore

@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp yesterday

I built a reasonably generic iterator interface. For now, all it will be used for is a simple sequencer. But, if I can manage to lift myself up a few layers of abstraction, iterators will become very interesting things to play around with.

Some DSP code from sndkit was ported tonight: butterworth filters and a bandlimited saw oscillator. A few more ugens and I'll have enough to make a small step sequenced sound.

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patchlore

@patchlore@merveilles.town · activity timestamp 2 hours ago

9 months later, here's some sound. The system works!

The unit generator system was pretty painless to use. Things that require big chunks of memory like reverbs, delay lines, and table-lookup oscillators are still TBD, but I have a few ideas.

This patch was built using an emerging C API specifically designed to build initial patches like these. The next phase, however, will be to have some kind of command language to build the patches up instead.

A simple monophonic arpeggiating synth line.

This audio cannot be previewed

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