UCLA Extension Digital DJing Lecture 4

The Art of Digital DJingMixing Music, Video, and Technology

Lecture 4. Feb 20, 2010

Sunday, February 21, 2010

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Agenda

• Finish student sets

• HID Devices

• OSC

• iPhone/iPad


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MIDI

• Instrument to Instrument

• Low resolution (7 bits = 128 values)

• Number based addressing

• 16 channels, 128 controllers each

• 30 years old

• Versatile


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OSC

• IP-based (runs on a network)

• High resolution

• Values can be referenced by name

• Rare, but gaining ground


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OSC

• OSC = Open Sound Control - a protocol for communication among hardware

• OSC exploits modern networking technology (Ethernet, UDP/IP); developed at UC Berkeley Center for New Music and Audio Technology (CNMAT http://cnmat.berkeley.edu)

• OSC, like MIDI & HID, is a hardware communication protocol but they all differ

• MIDI vs OSC: http://www.midi.org/aboutmidi/midi-osc.php


http://cnmat.berkeley.edu

http://cnmat.berkeley.edu

http://www.midi.org/aboutmidi/midi-osc.php




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HID

• USB device protocol

• Not much music support

• But some hobbyists are figuring it out

• Values can be referenced by name

• Usually found in game controllers and computer perhipherals


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HID Devices


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HID Devices

• HID = Human Interface Device

• Most HID devices are USB


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HID & Ableton Live• To use HID Devices with Ableton Live, we must

translate HID signals to MIDI signals

• Quartz Composer & JunXion are examples of software that can route HID inputs into MIDI outputs and vice versa

• QC is free and available on all Macs; JunXion is $60 and a little more user friendly


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iPhone/iPod Touch • There are a few music related controller apps available on

the App Store, but we recommend Touch OSC ($4.99)


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TouchOSC• TouchOSC gives you lots of different touch controls to

send/receive messages

• As the name implies, TouchOSC is built on the OSC communication protocol; i.e. it sends OSC formatted signals

• Faders, Buttons, XY Pad, LEDS, and more

• You can even create your own control layouts!

• Visit http://hexler.net/software/touchosc for complete documentation


http://hexler.net/software/touchosc

http://hexler.net/software/touchosc

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TouchOSC and Ableton Live• To use TouchOSC, or any OSC device with Ableton, we

need to translate OSC signals to MIDI so Ableton can understand the hardware input signals

• We can use QC, JunXion, or OSCulator (an OSC based mapping software) to do this

• QC is free but more manual labor; OSCulator costs $20 and works seamlessly with TouchOSC and several other hardware devices with easy to use templates

• http://www.osculator.net/ to download (free trial available)

• TouchOSC ($4.99) gives you a low cost (assuming you have an iPhone or iPod Touch already) extra MIDI


http://www.osculator.net

http://www.osculator.net

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TouchOSC + OSCulator Usage• Launch OSCulator and Load your preferred TouchOSC

preset (weʼll use “Beatmachine”) - these presets are in OSCulator / Samples Library

• Make sure your computer and iPhone/iPod are on the same WiFi network

• Launch TouchOSC


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TouchOSC + OSCulator Usage• Under Network, youʼll find your computer with “OSCulator”

name near it.

• Leave outgoing port 8000

• Incoming can be 9000


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TouchOSC + OSCulator Usage• Go back and select Beatmachine layout for this example

• Click done

• now do your Ableton MIDI mapping as usual; Make sure in your Live preferences (see next slide) that OSCulator is activated as a MIDI input

• Sanity checks - your MIDI indicator light in Ableton flashes when you touch a control on the phone;


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Live Config

• Make sure Track and Remote are lit up for OSCulator Input / Output!

• Youʼll see OSCulator show up the device section


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TouchOSC + OSCulator Usage

• In OSCulator, youʼll see the messages light up too when you touch a control on the phone

• Make sure you hit run


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junXion

• versatile translator of communication protocols (MIDI, OSC, and HID input to MIDI or OSC output)

• Built by STEIM and available here: http://www.steim.org/steim/junxion_v4.html

• Costs 60 Euros; Free version only works for 20 minutes and no saving of your work


http://www.steim.org/steim/junxion_v4.html






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junXion- quick guide

• Launch junXion

• In Ableton Live, make sure in your preferences that JunXion is setup as a MIDI input

• Plug in some HID device like a Wii Controller

• In the “Patches” View, refresh your HID Device list by hitting ⌘R

• You should see your device show up on the junXion list

• Press some buttons on the device to see the messages toggle in the list

• Drag the message of interest into JunXion Input Sources column

• Now switch to Ableton and turn on MIDI mapping - map as usual


Education

UCLA Extension Digital DJing Lecture 4