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Supercollider

Mark Harris edited this page Mar 30, 2020 · 2 revisions

Supercollider & demo patches

tech note: supercollider home is : ~/sidekick, if you want to update the startup.scd its in ~/sidekick/.config/Supercollider/startup.scd doing so will NOT affect Norns

  • default a template to get you started, showing messages

  • simple launches a simple synth, shows how to use display and control it via encoders

  • live coding this is a template showing how to enable 'live coding' on norns

  • grainbuf simple granuar demo, again showing how to interface with norns hardware and load sound files

you are free to delete the demo patches, or move them around (though, id keep them handy .. in case you want them later esp default/live coding)

Supercollider live coding patch

This patch can actually be used for 3 purposes,

a) live coding

use the supercollider IDE on your desktop/laptop, using the Norns as a remote sound engine. you have the ability from your desktop to paint to the norns display, and get all the events from the encoders/buttons into sclang ... so great for using with Pdef etc.

b) development

this is really just a variation of (a),

since the messages that are sent by the live coding patch, are the same as the sidekick (it just adds as a proxy) - you can develop patches on your desktop that are run on your norns, and then just copy them to your norns to run standalone! (really efficient and easy to use workflow!)

c) as a template for adding to your own instruments for remote control

so the live-coding aspect, is a SC patch - demonstrating how to proxy messages onto to remote client, you can this as example of how to allow your own patches to be controlled remotely.

reminder about sclang / scsynth

its worth remembering what is sclang code and server side when running a patch from sidekick, we are launching both sclang and scsynth. so you can have all the fun of client language support (PDef 💌) and server side.

when using things like midi remember this is client side, so when you run a scd patch on Norns, it'll get midi from devices connected to Norns. if you move to live-coding, then the sclang midi code you run on your desktop, is going to talk to midi devices connected to your desktop. this is fun, you can construct patches where you use midi controllers connect to both norns and your laptop !

If you want Supercollider, why not just use Norns ?

its an obvious question... the answer is simple - if thats what you want, then go-ahead,

Im providing choice , no more , no less!

personally, I wanted a more 'vanilla' experience, since I'm developing on other platforms, so I want to use sclang rather than lua, and for my purposes I don't need things like softcut/crone.

this is no slight on norns, its a personal choice... which I offer to others if they are interested

you are free to use what you want! you can use Norns, you can use Sidekick supercolider or both (they do not interfere with each other)