[linux-audio-user] [ANN] ALSA MIDI Humanizer v0.0.1

[Cesare Marilungo]

Frank Barknecht wrote:

>Hallo,
>Stephen Cameron hat gesagt: // Stephen Cameron wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Interesting idea, though I'm not sure adding random delays
>>really "humanizes" things.  
>>    
>>
>
>Humans, even bad musicians, don't play randomly "wrong", so it is
>indeed not exactly humanizing to just add some random deviations. How
>to really humanize is an ongoing debate. One interesting concept in
>this regard is described in the work of Jeff Blimes and in his concept
>of the "Tatum". A short introduction is this paper:
>http://ssli.ee.washington.edu/people/bilmes/mypapers/icmc93_paper.pdf
>
>Blimes also did listening tests with various approaches on humanizing
>including random, Gaussian variations. These were rejected by most
>listeners as "sloppy" and "random" and this approach according to his
>paper is the worst one to "humanize".
>
>Ciao
>  
>
Well, I called it 'humanizer' just because it is how this kind of 
functionality in sequencers and drum machines has always been called, 
AFAIK. It doesn't pretend to make a track programmed in a sequencer more 
human.

However I really find it useful when used with small range settings, 
even applied to the kind of tracks that in some music styles (like 
electronic music) could also have been left as they were programmed.

As Stephen said, if you just randomize the timing and the velocity of a 
sequenced drum track it doesn't sound as a real drummer at all. But you 
can program the more audible variations by hand, add a very subtle 
randomization to the whole track and use a slightly wider range for the 
cymbals.

Anyway, as I said, I've always used this functionality in various 
situations (but I can't speak for my own results). It is builtin in 
cubase, digital performer and any other commercial software sequencer 
I've tried in my life.

Don't think of it as a pretentious attempt to revolutionize computer 
music. It's just a little utility app that somebody might find useful in 
some situations.

Even more, I believe that an application that sounds just like a real 
drummer for instance, is possible, but I'm not really interested in such 
thing artistically speaking.

Cheers,

c.

-- 
www.cesaremarilungo.com