Jazzperiments Jam Help



Jazzperiments Jam generates music based on audio input. The program analyses sound using Fast Fourier Transformation and recognizes musical notes. It returns notes in four voices with transformed colour, pitch and timing (instrument, transposition and delay).

Controls

Switch input from microphone on or off.

Allow the program to immediately repeat notes which are played.

Control threshold for recognition:
<  5% = even internal noise of computer is recognized as a note
<25% = almost all sounds recognized as a note
  50% = normal
>75% = only pure clear notes are recognized)

Set the resolution:
High = notes are recognized as fast as possible
Low = only 1 note per beat is recognized
Control the tempo = duration of notes and length of delays
in beats per minute:
  80 bmp = largo
200 bmp = presto
Adapt the tuning to optimize the recognition of notes.
0 % = A 440 Hz.
You can transpose the view of notes to match your instrument
(e.g. -2 for tenor, +3 for alto saxophone).

Select one of the 62 scales to filter the notes which will be recognized.
Click here for more information on the scales available.

Choose the pitch of the selected scale (of course only useful if it isn't a chromatic scale).
When you select Automatic the pitch of the selected scale will be set automatically to the first note recognized after a pause in which all delayed notes are played.

Notes which will be used, are shown as white or black keys. Other notes are grey.

The notes of the different voices are presented in red, yellow, blue and green.
The horizontal position of the notes indicates the delay which is applied, varying form 0 to 12 bars.

The time bar indicates the beat (1/4 notes). It turns grey if no notes are waiting to be played (delayed) and when a new note is recognized afterwards, the time bar is reset. This is handy if you (re)start a jam after a pause or a rubato fragment.
A sound sample of 2 bars is recorded continuously, indicated by a 'flowing' graph representing the volume. With the Record switch a sample (a fragment as long as the note selected for the voice) is captured as an instrument. The coloured bars under the flow are only visible if a useable sample is available. If the Record switch is clicked while no useable sample is available (for instance because the microphone is switched off) the application is triggered to capture the first useable sound sample which will appear. When you select Auto instead of Manual the first note recognized (after a pause in which all delayed notes are played) will be captured as a sample.
The volume ('velocity' in accordance with the instrument) of each voice can set (0% = off).
The delay (0 beats - 12 bars) and the duration of the notes played (1/8 to 1/1) can be selected.
You can choose the place of each voice - form left to right - in the panorama.
The instrument can be selected.
Notes can be transposed by specific octaves plus random notes of selected intervals.
-2 octaves - +1 octave transposes relative to the input.
Inverted transposes high notes down and low notes up relative to the middle c.
Great (C) - 3-lined (C''') transposes all notes of this voice to a specific octave relative to the middle c.
For the intervals V and III the closest note in the scale is chosen; vii is always exactly a minor 7th.

If Exit is clicked the Java program is terminated. You can restart it by refreshing the page ([F5] function key).

Keyboard input

In the box Num = set keyboard input is shown.
All functions of Jazzperiments Jam can be controlled with the keys on a (remote) numeric keypad which can be handy during a performance.
When you push [/] or move the mouse cursor over the Num = box, you can see the numbers of the controls.
When you enter numbers the first 2 figures refer to the control which is selected in this way (the =-sign is added automatically). A control can also be selected by double clicking.
You can now use [+] or [-] or the mouse wheel to change the setting.
If you enter more numbers, the figures following the =-sign form a new setting: 01=23[Enter] means: set control 01 to 23 %.
With [Backspace] or [/] you can clear the keyboard input.

The numeric keypad can also be used to play notes:
[=]   Switch between control mode and note playing mode.
[0], [.], [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [*]   Notes Do ... Si (transposed with selected scale)
[+]  transpose octaves up
[–]  transpose octaves up
On the letter keyboard (regardless of control mode of numeric keypad:
[z], [s], [x], [d], [c], [v], [g], [b], [h], [n], [j], [m]    Notes Do ... Si (transposed with selected scale; [w]=[z] and [m]=[,] on AZERTY keyboards)
[i]  Toggle information

Arrangements

Via the list Arrangement you can change many settings at once.
Arrangement 1 Jazzperiments Jam (Default) reloads the initial settings. When you make any changes after an arrangement is chosen, the list shows 0 Adapted settings.

When you click on Save you can store or mail the current settings of the session.
The same numeric combinations to control Jazzperiments Jam via the keyboard are used to save and load settings of the application. When you send interesting settings via e-mail, a CC to info@jazzperiments.com is appreciated. The best may be added in time as built-in presets.

Help

If you click on Help this information page opens.


The version of the program with the option to record samples doesn't work on older Apple computers. Click here to start a version without samples.
Click here for background information.

Colophon

Jazzperiments Jam is a free software under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license.
2008, 2009 Teun de Lange
Basic implementation of Fast Fourier Transform by Arnault Pachot.
Synthesizer: Gervill, distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License v2 with "Classpath" exception.