Re: [microsound] website to modular environment and back (tech)

[derek holzer <derek@xxxxxxx>]

Hello Isjtar,

Isjtar wrote:

> how can I implement OSC in a website? or is it really necessary for the
> other person to have max - In that case I'll have to learn flash then.
> is it hard?
> can latency be reduced to say about 20ms either in osc or flash?

I think there are two options here and there might be some confusion as 
to which one you mean.

One is a PDradio-like solution, where users can influence your modular 
environment on a remote server from a web browser. The server then 
creates audio data and streams it to the client browser. The "latency" 
in this case is dependent on bandwidth, the internet, solar flares, the 
mood of your ISP and all kinds of other things beyond your control. But 
as long as the user has a (Flash/Java/etc) plugin in their browser to 
send messages to your server, and they have a media player to listen to 
the output, it's solid. Or as solid as your server is, at least...

The other is a Flash-like solution, where all the DSP is done locally in 
the web browser by a plugin (Flash, Java, Shockwave, etc). Alternately, 
you could have the web browser communicate with another application 
locally on the computer (i.e. sending data from the browser to a 
PD/Max/MSP/etc patch on the same machine). This would require the 
client/user to have your modular environment running on their machine, 
and also to have their machine configured in such a way that the browser 
could communicate with the modular environment. There are plenty of 
firewalls and other apps (not to mention cross-platform issues) that 
could easily get in the way of this, so it's not the best idea if you 
want users to download your work and use it "plug-and-pray" style (why 
not just use the interface of the modular enviroment in this case?). But 
in this case, the latency would then depend on the soundcard, as OSC 
itself is fairly instantaneous. I think it's quite rare for your average 
PCI soundcard to have 20ms latency, however!

If you wanted lots of users from all over to influence your modular 
environment, I'd go for the first option. Processing is a Java-based 
language that is very easy to use and can be run with the Java plugins 
that are already in most browsers. It can communicate via OSC with a 
remote server or an OSC application on the same computer (such as PD, 
SuperCollider3, Max/MSP, Reaktor...). I'd check this out.

http://processing.org/

I've seen lots of interesting work done with Processing, OSC and 
SuperCollider3 lately, for example work by IXI-Software (check the 
"code" section of their "backyard"):

http://www.ixi-software.net/

But mostly done with system which were set up to do just that (all 
applications installed and configured properly). I'm not sure how 
successful it would be for someone just to download it and expect it to 
work out of the box on any computer.

good luck,
d.


--
derek holzer ::: http://www.umatic.nl
---Oblique Strategy # 91:
"Infinitesimal gradations"

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