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Arts & Communication Speculative ubimus design

Sound. The Sound type represents the events. A Sound based_track(). Participants were asked to change
type is a list of tuples. Every tuple includes a note type and each parameter step by step. The subsequent task targeted
a beats type, which represent the pitch and duration of sample_pattern_track(), with focus on pattern
the event; for example, {e1, ‘__’} is the pitch class E creation and exploration of the samples. Finally, during
on the first MIDI octave with a duration of two temporal the choose_play() task, the participants were asked
units. to try various pitch and duration combinations while
Note. The Note type is defined as a list of atom Enums. exploring the application of randomness for musical
The value of the Note type may be a combination of a purposes.
letter (pitch class) and a number (octave), a MIDI number 4.3.4. Results
(a float number to allow for microtones), or “rest” to
represent a pause. Each atom is a combination of letters The sample pattern tracks with percussion furnish a good
and a number. The first letter represents a diatonic pitch, introductory activity for new users of the Emugel system.
it can be “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, “f,” or “g”. The second letter is All participants managed to achieve results within 10 min.
either an “s” or a “b”, with “s” meaning sharp and the letter The learning process was gradually shortened after they
“b” flat. The number means the octave which ranges from 0 became familiar with basic Emugel syntax. Novices and
to 10, according to the MIDI standard. All atoms are in line musicians both managed to create various instances
with the representations required by Sonic Pi. of this strategy within minutes by applying different
sequences of xo events to access the drum samples.
4.3.3. Methods Musicians showed a better grasp of pitch-based tracks
Several experimental lite coding sessions were carried out than untrained subjects. Not surprisingly, they were
to identify caveats and potential interaction issues related more comfortable in using pitch-based compositional
to the deployment of the Emugel prototype. strategies than the lay subjects. The analog-proportional
notation was well accepted by all participants as a way to
(A) Participants handle durations.
Three participants were involved in the studies: two
novices and a musician. They worked independently. The Erlang tuples syntax presented some problems for
Both novices master object-oriented languages but the participants. Since every track function is a list of tuples,
are new to functional programming languages. They for instance when users want to include multiple tracks in
have no experience in music programming languages sample_pattern_track(), sometimes they forget to
and obtain very little general music knowledge. The add a comma after each tuple. They also tend to forget to
musician is skilled at music programming languages, exclude the comma for the last tuple. This often resulted
has a strong technical background, and is professional in execution errors, delaying progress in task completion
in functional languages. and prompted confusion. Since the Emugel data structure
is based on tuples and lists, this kind of error may emerge
(B) Preparation frequently in casual usage.
To allow the participants to grasp a basic understanding
of Emugel, we furnished an application programming Another problem involves running and stopping
interface (API) documentation with detailed usage of the system commands. Due to the lack of technical
the system. We also created a quick-reference guide background or detailed knowledge of the Emugel
with audio examples for all the synthesis and processing architecture, some participants required further
tools in Emugel. A template sketch file with code guidance to issue prompt-commands successfully.
examples and default parameters and functions was Before they managed to listen to the sonic results,
provided as well. Thus, the participants only needed to several attempts were made before they understood the
modify the parameters when conducting the tasks. process of saving the sketches, copying, and triggering
the prompt commands. Furthermore, the ADSR (attack,
(C) Tasks decay, sustain, and release) envelope settings were rarely
The study features a 45-min session with three used by the participants when asked to compose their
targeted tasks. Three track functions enable the tasks: own music. They tended to modify a single amplitude
pitch-based_track(), sample_pattern_ attribute when dealing with dynamics.
track(), and choose_play().
The participants were given 15 min to read the API to 4.3.5. Discussion
get familiar with the synthesis instruments and software According to Otero et al. , understanding CT poses
[16]
functionality. The tasks started with the function pitch- particular challenges because of its flexibility and

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1597