Orbits

An audiovisual installation that combines Processing visuals with SuperCollider sound synthesis, creating a harmonious experience through orbital motion and dynamic sound generation.

Description

This project creates an engaging visual display of multiple dots moving in orbital patterns, each with their own revolution speed and radius. When dots cross the central axes, they trigger musical notes through OSC messages to SuperCollider, creating a synchronized audiovisual experience.

Features

• Fullscreen orbital visualization in Processing
• Dynamic color-coded dots with unique revolution patterns
• Trail effects with fade-out animation
• Real-time OSC communication between Processing and SuperCollider
• Adaptive sine wave synthesis with reverb in SuperCollider
• Dynamic amplitude scaling based on active notes
• Visual feedback with glow effects when notes are triggered
• Harmonic frequency mapping for musical coherence

Prerequisites

Processing

• Processing 3 or higher
• oscP5 library
• netP5 library

SuperCollider

• SuperCollider 3.x
• Basic SuperCollider IDE

Installation

1. Install Processing from processing.org

2. Install SuperCollider from supercollider.github.io

3. In Processing, install the required libraries:

   • Sketch -> Import Library -> Add Library
   • Search for and install "oscP5"

4. Clone this repository:

git clone harmonic-orbits

Setup and Usage

SuperCollider Setup

1. Open SuperCollider
2. If your system runs at 48kHz sample rate, execute:

s.options.sampleRate = 48000;

3. Boot the server:

s.boot;

4. Run the provided SuperCollider code for the synth definition and OSC receiver

Processing Setup

1. Open the .pde file in Processing
2. Run the sketch
3. The visualization will start in fullscreen mode

How It Works

Visual Component (Processing)

• Multiple dots orbit around the center point
• Each dot has a unique radius and revolution speed
• When a dot crosses the x or y axis, it sends an OSC message

Audio Component (SuperCollider)

• Receives OSC messages from Processing
• Maps dot indices to frequencies in a harmonic series
• Generates sine waves
• Dynamically adjusts amplitude based on active notes

OSC Communication

• Processing Port: 12000 (incoming), 57120 (outgoing)
• Message Format: /triggerNote [noteIndex]
• Note Index Range: 0-24
• Frequency Range: 65.41 Hz - 1760.00 Hz (harmonically mapped)

Customization

Visual Parameters (Processing)

• numDots: Number of orbital dots
• dotDiameter: Size of each dot
• trail.size(): Length of trailing effect

Audio Parameters (SuperCollider)

• Attack and release times in the envelope
• Reverb mix, room size, and damping
• Base amplitude and scaling factors
• Frequency mapping array

Troubleshooting

1. If no sound:

   • Ensure SuperCollider server is booted
   • Check that OSC ports match between Processing and SuperCollider
   • Verify your system's audio output settings

2. If visual issues:

   • Adjust maxRadius in Processing for different screen sizes
   • Modify numDots for performance optimization

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests!

Acknowledgments

• Processing Foundation
• SuperCollider community
• oscP5 library developer