Musical Techniques for Interactivity

Musical Techniques for Interactivity

Making the Game Better A World of Uncertainty Requires A Different Approach That May Be More Complex But Need Not Be More Difficult Just Different A Few Specifics A Tip About Tips

So far we have created a train that is broken up into boxcars and then added several more trains running in parallel that we can switch between. Now let's try randomly shuffling around the cars. On a single train this can become confusing but on parallel trains it can be a real nightmare. Now every car must be designed to stand completely alone since you can never know what will happen before or after. This scheme clearly needs a more complex set of controls than we have mentioned so far.

We now need a way to be sure that cars are placed in an appropriate order so that they sound musical. Since we have abandoned the idea of a single correct order we must either provide a list of possible sequences or some sort of logical instructions to control the sequence of cars. Here we are beginning to be algorithmic. Once we have opened that Pandora's Box we may never get it shut. Once you start to allow that anything can happen you are assuming the greater responsibility of making sure that only good things happen. This is where I like to draw an arbitrary line separating simple interactive music from complex interactive music. But if you cross this line you better leave a trail of breadcrumbs to help you find your way back otherwise you will get very confused very quickly. This is also why I call it a Pandora's Box. Because once you have given your producer a taste of what is possible with real algorithmic music you may not have the luxury of going back to the simpler life.