Yesterday Johannes fine-tuned the communication between the notation editor, MuseScoreSSMN, and his rendering application, the SSMN_ENGINE.
Kaspar had previously overcome the problems of streaming MIDI data out of MuseScore 2.0. Now, these streams are successfully parsed and directed towards the sample player of the SSMN_ENGINE.
Consequently, MIDI channel note information combined with spatialization OSC data (generated by the symbols attached to the score in MuseScoreSSMN) are routed to the SSMN_ENGINE, thus allowing each individual instrument’s audio to be displaced in space.
In the afternoon, Emile and Johannes made numerous tests of this paradigm on the Ambisonic system at the Zurich ICST laboratory using varied types of compositions and MIDI files.
Vincent Gillioz’s composition for SSMN, “QJN1″was particularly interesting as we could compare two different approaches. In the first case, Vincent provided us with the studio recordings of each instrument; those files were loaded into a sequencer, the audio routed to the ICST Ambisonic Player, and trajectories and spatial placement was done by mouse. In the second case, using the SSMN paradigm as described above, SSMN spatialization symbols were arbitrarily introduced onto the staves, sampler instruments corresponding to indications in Vincent’s score were loaded into the sample player, and the SSMN_ENGINE faithfully rendered the movement of sounds in space thus attaining the validity of the research project.
The score with the symbols implanted at the appropriate location can now be printed out for the benefit of the composer, the performers and the sound engineers. The file, displayed graphically on the screen allows real-time viewing of notation and animation of the spatialization data. Thanks to B-format encoding, the audio can be decoded in binaural, 5.1 surround, or any other speaker configuration.