Pixel Music - make music from images

catherder

Another way to convert an image into music...

andreitonescu

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I'll take a look more closely at ANS and Meta Synth since they are not familiar.

@geez for the traversal in circles, is this more or less what you were thinking of?

Also, I noticed a bug with the Crop mode that doesn't work in Top-Down traversal, probably related to what @Stochastically mentioned. Adding a fix for this in the next update. @andowrites you can select the whole image again in Crop mode to reset. Thought this was easy enough to not warrant an extra button for the reset. But can add if this is think it’s a good idea (can also apply to toggle mode)

MrStochastic

@andreitonescu said:
Thank you all for the great suggestions. I'll take a look more closely at ANS and Meta Synth since they are not familiar.

ANS has interesting features but it doesn't respond to color like Pixel Music.

@geez for the traversal in circles, is this more or less what you were thinking of?

I was hoping for that too and it looks like it works well.

Also, I noticed a bug with the Crop mode that doesn't work in Top-Down traversal, probably related to what @Stochastically mentioned. Adding a fix for this in the next update. @andowrites you can select the whole image again in Crop mode to reset. Thought this was easy enough to not warrant an extra button for the reset. But can add if this is think it’s a good idea (can also apply to toggle mode)

I was also confounded that I couldn't turn off the crop.
I'm glad to see you're continuing improvements!

eylvy

andowrites

@Stochastically said:

@andreitonescu said:
Thank you all for the great suggestions. I'll take a look more closely at ANS and Meta Synth since they are not familiar.

ANS has interesting features but it doesn't respond to color like Pixel Music.

@geez for the traversal in circles, is this more or less what you were thinking of?

I was hoping for that too and it looks like it works well.

Also, I noticed a bug with the Crop mode that doesn't work in Top-Down traversal, probably related to what @Stochastically mentioned. Adding a fix for this in the next update. @andowrites you can select the whole image again in Crop mode to reset. Thought this was easy enough to not warrant an extra button for the reset. But can add if this is think it’s a good idea (can also apply to toggle mode)

I was also confounded that I couldn't turn off the crop.
I'm glad to see you're continuing improvements!

Me too. Here's to the next update!

Gavinski

I keep having problems adjusting the crop. Like, it just doesn't behave as expected at all.

Is there a way to make 2 identical notes play as one longer note?

Very cool little app BTW, really enjoying it Andrei!

andreitonescu

Can you send some more details or a video on the crop issue @Gavinski on PM?
Currently, every note is played even if it's the same but great idea alongside the glide setting, I'll look into this.

Gavinski

@andreitonescu said:
Can you send some more details or a video on the crop issue @Gavinski on PM?
Currently, every note is played even if it's the same but great idea alongside the glide setting, I'll look into this.

Will do later, cheers Andrei

Gavinski

Yeah for glide setting it would be great if there was a little button right there beside the grid to easily turn that on and off on the fly

andreitonescu

v1.1 is almost done and with it, new updates are coming soon to Pixel Music:

• separate MIDI output for each sequencer. This way you can control multiple synths from a single instance when run as AUv3
• circular traversal
• fixed a bunch of bugs, most notably an issue that prevented saved states to be restored when used as a standalone app. Crop mode was also not correctly working when traversing Top-Down.

Thanks for your support and continuous feedback. Once I have this on Testflight I'll share a link here if people are interested in looking at the new features before going live.

lasselu

Great!

HotStrange

@andreitonescu said:
v1.1 is almost done and with it, new updates are coming soon to Pixel Music:

• separate MIDI output for each sequencer. This way you can control multiple synths from a single instance when run as AUv3
• circular traversal
• fixed a bunch of bugs, most notably an issue that prevented saved states to be restored when used as a standalone app. Crop mode was also not correctly working when traversing Top-Down.

Thanks for your support and continuous feedback. Once I have this on Testflight I'll share a link here if people are interested in looking at the new features before going live.

Awesome update! Thanks for being a great/active dev.

MrStochastic

This will be even better! I've been using this a lot lately and finding all sorts of interesting musical serendipity.

andreitonescu

I just put this on testflight for who's interested in taking a look: https://testflight.apple.com/join/AuUibjor

@andreitonescu said:
v1.1 is almost done and with it, new updates are coming soon to Pixel Music:

• separate MIDI output for each sequencer. This way you can control multiple synths from a single instance when run as AUv3
• circular traversal
• fixed a bunch of bugs, most notably an issue that prevented saved states to be restored when used as a standalone app. Crop mode was also not correctly working when traversing Top-Down.

HotStrange

@andreitonescu said:
I just put this on testflight for who's interested in taking a look: https://testflight.apple.com/join/AuUibjor

@andreitonescu said:
v1.1 is almost done and with it, new updates are coming soon to Pixel Music:

• separate MIDI output for each sequencer. This way you can control multiple synths from a single instance when run as AUv3
• circular traversal
• fixed a bunch of bugs, most notably an issue that prevented saved states to be restored when used as a standalone app. Crop mode was also not correctly working when traversing Top-Down.

Oh awesome thanks! Excited to try it out.

Gavinski

Cool beta update, nice to have crop mode working properly in top down mode and the circular traversal is a nice addition. I get no sound in standalone despite it being enabled. Can anyone replicate?

Jumpercollins

@andreitonescu Pretty neat app just tried the beta and in hindsight totally forgotten about this app over time now reading the full thread. It’s Only limited by colours I assume. Is it possible to unlink the play modes between the sequencers ie have each sequencer in a different play mode ie one in crop one in toggle or are they all fixed to what is selected. Can the tempo be deselected from the host DAW? For ambient pieces this app is pure gold. Definitely be picking this up soon.

Jumpercollins

@andreitonescu Can you record in Chords or multi touch notes in play mode and have the sequencer play back the sounds the way you played the notes in? If not I think they could be a real cool way for the sequencer to work.Of course it would have to decouple from the host tempo to do this. I love the way the sequencer records in. I’m sure it could develop into a a really smart sequencer.

andreitonescu

Hey @Jumpercollins

• regarding the play mode currently it's global across all sequencers but there’s no restriction here, I can make it per sequencer as well and eventually with a setting to control between global or per sequencer
• tempo is linked to the host when run as AU. I think it could be an option to have it unsynced but will have to prototype this to check if there are other implications
• regarding the recording part, by playing back ’the way you played the notes in’ I assume you mean no quantization and then no change if you change the tempo of the host?
  Great suggestions I'm tracking all of these.

skiphunt

Fed this composite into Pixel Music and the Pixel Music output into GlitchScaper

Jumpercollins

@andreitonescu said:
Hey @Jumpercollins

• regarding the play mode currently it's global across all sequencers but there’s no restriction here, I can make it per sequencer as well and eventually with a setting to control between global or per sequencer
• tempo is linked to the host when run as AU. I think it could be an option to have it unsynced but will have to prototype this to check if there are other implications
• regarding the recording part, by playing back ’the way you played the notes in’ I assume you mean no quantization and then no change if you change the tempo of the host?
  Great suggestions I'm tracking all of these.

@andreitonescu Thanks for considering my suggestions. Really enjoy using the app as it is so the fun and creativity can only continue. In regards the recording yes, no quantization you hear back what you are playing in and maybe the option to delink tempo from the host if that is possible. Does the record function currently record multi note taps ie possible combinations of pixel taps if created from a photo or not ? I’m not quite sure. This app especially good for Ambient textures at low tempo settings. In AUM I can get it down to 20 BPM. Thanks again.

gkillmaster

Does Pixel Music have rests or some functionality for skipping certain pixels or musical steps? I find that without this, it's hard to achieve something usable for me.

EDIT: just found the manual and yes, you can click pixels on and off! Thanks!

Gavinski

@gkillmaster said:
Does Pixel Music have rests or some functionality for skipping certain pixels or musical steps? I find that without this, it's hard to achieve something usable for me.

EDIT: just found the manual and yes, you can click pixels on and off! Thanks!

Indeed it does, as you later noticed. Between all the different modes, speeds, different sequencers etc it's very possible to come up with a lot of interesting stuff. Highly recommended, and as we've seen, the dev is a super responsive and lovely fellow.

gkillmaster

I am curious what scales are included. I couldn't find that info in the manual.

gkillmaster

@Gavinski said:

@gkillmaster said:
Does Pixel Music have rests or some functionality for skipping certain pixels or musical steps? I find that without this, it's hard to achieve something usable for me.

EDIT: just found the manual and yes, you can click pixels on and off! Thanks!

Indeed it does, as you later noticed. Between all the different modes, speeds, different sequencers etc it's very possible to come up with a lot of interesting stuff. Highly recommended, and as we've seen, the dev is a super responsive and lovely fellow.

Thanks so much! Great to know.

Gavinski

@gkillmaster said:
I am curious what scales are included. I couldn't find that info in the manual.

It has a fair few. I think someone put in a request for custom scales dialed in via a keyboard too, or that may have been in another thread. @andreitonescu would that be doable?

andreitonescu

@Gavinski yes that would be doable. I think custom scales and a way to control step length per each pixel/group of pixels have been most requested and are what I'm going to focus on in v1.2. So instead of having the whole sequencer run at 1/4 beats, be able to create sequences like 1/4 beats first pixel, 1/2 beats 2nd pixel, etc + randomization and glide probably.

@Jumpercollins yes the recording should register multiple taps, i.e. you can play chords this way

And some news: just submitted v1.1 to app review. Wanted to get this out fairly quickly because of the issue with save/restore states in standalone mode. Thanks everyone for the feedback.

Gavinski

@andreitonescu said:
@Gavinski yes that would be doable. I think custom scales and a way to control step length per each pixel/group of pixels have been most requested and are what I'm going to focus on in v1.2. So instead of having the whole sequencer run at 1/4 beats, be able to create sequences like 1/4 beats first pixel, 1/2 beats 2nd pixel, etc + randomization and glide probably.

@Jumpercollins yes the recording should register multiple taps, i.e. you can play chords this way

And some news: just submitted v1.1 to app review. Wanted to get this out fairly quickly because of the issue with save/restore states in standalone mode. Thanks everyone for the feedback.

Hey Andrei, that way to control step length per each pixel/group of pixels would be killer! I can see this app going the way of Piano Motifs - starting with a modest but enthusiastic fanbase but becoming over time more and more powerful and more and more loved. Big thanks for your work and your responsiveness!

gkillmaster

I just bought this and just the fact that you can play pixels with your fingers as the sequence is playing is worth it for me alone. I had no idea that you could interact in this way. I love it! You can just feel the solidity and care that has gone into this app. I think it may be one of those rare gems. Thank you so much and I really do appreciate all the feedback on this forum! Been following this one for awhile.

Would be great to get more scales and maybe even microtonality, though microtonality might be something we could do in AUM using MTS-ESP or something. More different algorithms for evaluating pixel data would be great. I know that's asking a lot but just as a possible request for down the road.

Gavinski

@gkillmaster said:
I just bought this and just the fact that you can play pixels with your fingers as the sequence is playing is worth it for me alone. I had no idea that you could interact in this way. I love it! You can just feel the solidity and care that has gone into this app. I think it may be one of those rare gems. Thank you so much and I really do appreciate all the feedback on this forum! Been following this one for awhile.

Would be great to get more scales and maybe even microtonality, though microtonality might be something we could do in AUM using MTS-ESP or something. More different algorithms for evaluating pixel data would be great. I know that's asking a lot but just as a possible request for down the road.

Exactly... Right from the get-go it was clear that this app had been done with care, and done really well. One of the rare recent Auv3 apps that feels like something made for touchscreen rather than just being a touch screen version of something from desktop. Devs: we want more interesting stuff like this.