Loomer Architect: A modular MIDI toolkit

[lnikj]

What's the CPU hit like Colin whilst in purely midi generating mode (rather than hosting plugins) ?

Tiny. The big sequencing modules are the most CPU intensive, and on a fairly low spec machine each sequencer used under 0.04% (and I do mean 0.04%, not 4%!)

That's amazing !

[mgw38]

What significantly distinguishes this as an improvement over Max For Live?

The fact that you don't need Live comes to mind.

Really looking forward to this.

[woggle]

What's the CPU hit like Colin whilst in purely midi generating mode (rather than hosting plugins) ?

Tiny. The big sequencing modules are the most CPU intensive, and on a fairly low spec machine each sequencer used under 0.04% (and I do mean 0.04%, not 4%!)

i am so happy

[atukao]

Max standalone or for Live is a chore to program.

Architect's nodal system resembles Max.

The question remains: in what way is this an improvement over Max?

[woggle]

Max standalone or for Live is a chore to program.

Architect's nodal system resembles Max.

The question remains: in what way is this an improvement over Max?

way cheaper - so it really only has to have similar midi capabilities to be more cost effective as a midi processor

[colin@loomer]

I don't know Max for Live well enough to really compare them, but I would say:

* Architect has composite data types, such as arrays, maps, tuples. Because of this, stricter type checking can be employed. In fact, there is also a specific module that can handle the type checking for you. You can specify, for example "array[nonnegative integer] or tuple(float, int, string)", and the module will only accept an array of nonnegative integers and 3-tuples with a float, integer, string member, in that order. It also prints helpful error messages when it receives the wrong type so you clearly know where you're going wrong.

* A lot of the modules are vector-based processors. Anyone who has programmed in R will be aware of them, but it reduces the need for looping in a lot of cases, and massively speeds up the processing. Essentially, if you pass two arrays [0, 1, 2, 3, 4] and [-10, 10] to a multiply module, you will produce [0, 10, -20, 30, -40]. The array elements are "recycled" so that the shorter one repeats to match the length of the long-one. This means complicated for- and while- based structures are replaced with clearer, faster, flow based ones.

* MIDI messages have special treatment and so guarantees are made to ensure no hanging note-ons.

* Lots of module that aren't available in Max, (and vice-versa, of course.)

[colin@loomer]

Also, going into coding mode now so I may not be so active on the forum for a few hours. Thanks.

[atukao]

Thanks for the response; good to know.

I don't know Max for Live well enough to really compare them, but I would say:

* Architect has composite data types, such as arrays, maps, tuples. Because of this, stricter type checking can be employed. In fact, there is also a specific module that can handle the type checking for you. You can specify, for example "array[nonnegative integer] or tuple(float, int, string)", and the module will only accept an array of nonnegative integers and 3-tuples with a float, integer, string member, in that order. It also prints helpful error messages when it receives the wrong type so you clearly know where you're going wrong.

* A lot of the modules are vector-based processors. Anyone who has programmed in R will be aware of them, but it reduces the need for looping in a lot of cases, and massively speeds up the processing. Essentially, if you pass two arrays [0, 1, 2, 3, 4] and [-10, 10] to a multiply module, you will produce [0, 10, -20, 30, -40]. The array elements are "recycled" so that the shorter one repeats to match the length of the long-one. This means complicated for- and while- based structures are replaced with clearer, faster, flow based ones.

* MIDI messages have special treatment and so guarantees are made to ensure no hanging note-ons.

* Lots of module that aren't available in Max, (and vice-versa, of course.)

[David]

Re: AU MIDI-FX, it'll be a long time before I risk going to Mojave myself, so that sounds good here:) Thanks again!

[whyterabbyt]

The question remains: in what way is this an improvement over Max?

Well, for a lot of people, the fact that it'll run in other DAWs than Live, for one.

plus MAX's plugin hosting is pretty, erm, utilitarian.

Also, MAX doesnt ship with a mixer, timeline, sequencers and automation lanes etc all built-in. And here you've seemingly got a level of modularity that you could do implement M4L but only there, not at the DAW level...

Colin's system also seems to be built around sanity-checking, as well, all that automatic note-off stuff etc. MAX doesnt have anything like that, you'd have to build it yourself.

Sure, MAX could probably be used to do a lot of the same stuff, but I suspect this is going to be more immediate and useable for a lot of people.

[nilhartman]

Could you show us a screenshor of how it can also behave like a tracker please ?

I'm afraid the text-based sequencing support had to be bumped for now: it had some conceptual problems that I just wasn't happy with, and I'd rather have it done right than have it just done to list a feature. I know that's likely disappointing for you as you did specifically ask for this, but how about this as a compromise: I'll extend the early-bird discount available to you until the tracker stuff is back in properly, which'll likely be v1.1 or v1.2.

Pretty sure I'll be an early bird no matter what, on day 1

[gentleclockdivider]

Could you show us a screenshor of how it can also behave like a tracker please ?

I'm afraid the text-based sequencing support had to be bumped for now: it had some conceptual problems that I just wasn't happy with, and I'd rather have it done right than have it just done to list a feature. I know that's likely disappointing for you as you did specifically ask for this, but how about this as a compromise: I'll extend the early-bird discount available to you until the tracker stuff is back in properly, which'll likely be v1.1 or v1.2.

Bummer , seems I won't be leaving Renoise any time soon
WAs also looking forward to the tracker specific modules .

Anyway , congratulations with the new thread !!!

[AZZIN]

Ah ah.. in the screenshot showing "plugin hosting" I can already see "Aspect 2" ...
This deserves the start of another thread

[ThomasHelzle]

Can't believe I'll live to see this thing...
Really looking forward to give it a try, even though it's grown far above what I initially hoped it to be (more focused on the nodes/code and generative part).
From the screenshots it looks rather busy GUI-wise, will have to see how it feels in actual usage. I never did gel with any other Loomer plugin so far...

How does the Lua scripting work? Is it a node that shows me a code editor in the inspector (that's how it works in SideFX Houdini) or do I have to use an external editor?

Is it possible to sequence generative things? Like playing one node structure for a certain amount of time and then translating to another structure? Overall I'm not into sequencers at all but arranging generative things in time could be interesting.

Best of luck for the final sprint Colin!

Cheers,

Tom

[colin@loomer]

Yes, the Lua module is just a standard module, which has its own contextual view to can edit Lua scripts. It has syntax colouring. No need for an external editor.

Not sure what you mean by the second question, but if you're asking if the "graph" itself can have sequenced changes, then for now: no, it's fixed. I dabbled with a dynamically changing graph, hit a few snags, and pushed the idea to the "cool, but needs more thoughts" drawer. This actually comes under the general category of async changes, something I will address in a (possibly distant) future iteration.