Overtone

Table of Contents

1 Installation

1.1 Server Side

First, install lein2. Create new project: 

lein new MyMusicProj
cd MyMusicProj

In project.clj, add 

dependence overtone 0.9.1

Then install dependencies 

lein deps

The repl server can be started at command line, but don't need to. It is more convenient to start the server from Emacs, see following. 

lein repl # pay attention to the port number

1.2 Emacs Side

Install clojure-mode and cider. Then just go into the music project created by lein new. Then M-x cider-jack-in.

2 Music Source

2.1 Load Overtone

First in your music source, you need to load overtone. The first way, load with namespace using use. Do not really need the namespace, just use the packages. In the document of clojure, it is mentioned that "use" is like "require", But also refers to each lib's namespace. 

(ns cmj.overtone
    (:use [overtone.live]
          [overtone.inst.piano]
          ))

Alternatively you can just use the following direct way. It is preferred to use ":use" in a "ns" macro, like the above, than to use it directly. 

(use 'overtone.live)
(use 'overtone.inst.piano)

2.2 Piano

Play simple built-in piano: 

(piano)
(piano 72)
(piano 80)
(sampled-piano)

Or, you can define an instrument, and play it. Much like a defun. 

  (definst foo [] (saw 220))
  (foo)               ; this will run the above
  (kill 47)           ; 47 is got from the previous line, the playing id
  (kill foo)          ; can also use the function name
  (foo)               ; can start multiple phases
  ;; this shows I can provide a parameter to customize frequency each time
  (definst bar [freq 220]
    (saw freq)
    )
  ;; to run it
  (bar 220)
  (bar 660)
  (kill bar)                              ; kill all instance of "bar"
  (stop)              ; stop all

  ;; A more complicated example
  (definst trem [freq 440 depth 10 rate 6 length 3]
    (* 0.3                                ; * 0.3 means volumn 30%
       (line:kr 0 1 length FREE)          ; stop after some seconds. FREE is common practive in such control, so I don't need to kill it.
       (saw (+ freq (* depth (sin-osc:kr rate))))))
  ;; rates: :ar and :kr
  ;; :ar is audio rate, the rate of my audio card
  ;; :kr is control rate, about 1/60 of :ar
  ;; so :kr is often used in control signal, rather than outputing audio.

  (trem)

A whole song example: 

;; define some instruments
(definst kick [freq 120 dur 0.3 width 0.5]
  (let [freq-env (* freq (env-gen (perc 0 (* 0.99 dur))))
        env (env-gen (perc 0.01 dur) 1 1 0 1 FREE)
        sqr (* (env-gen (perc 0 0.01)) (pulse (* 2 freq) width))
        src (sin-osc freq-env)
        drum (+ sqr (* env src))]
    (compander drum drum 0.2 1 0.1 0.01 0.01)))

;;(kick)

(definst c-hat [amp 0.8 t 0.04]
  (let [env (env-gen (perc 0.001 t) 1 1 0 1 FREE)
        noise (white-noise)
        sqr (* (env-gen (perc 0.01 0.04)) (pulse 880 0.2))
        filt (bpf (+ sqr noise) 9000 0.5)]
    (* amp env filt)))

;;(c-hat)

;; metronome: 节拍器
;; BPM: beats per minute
(def metro (metronome 128))

(metro) ; => current beat number
(metro 100) ; => timestamp of 100th beat

;; define player
(defn player [beat]
  (at (metro beat) (kick))
  (at (metro (+ 0.5 beat)) (c-hat))
  ;; #'player is sent, so we are passing the variable "player" intead of the current value of var.
  ;; this enable us to redefine while it is playing
  (apply-by (metro (inc beat)) #'player (inc beat) []))

(player (metro))                        ; play it

(metro-bpm metro 60)                   ; evaluate this will live change the freqency