#Synthesis Enabled Live Coding
Try it live here: http://161.35.14.211
This is a live programming-by-demonstration system for live coding music.
Read the papers here:
#Hardware
One goal is to use this with a hardware sequencer (though a in-browser software sequencer is provided for your convenience). Playing a hardware sequencer is similar to live coding in that it constructively builds a piece from a blank loop. However the interface of a sequencer does not allow for algorithmic changes (e.g. shift all notes by one beat, or every other note up a half step). The goal of this project is to augment the direct physical sensation of the hardware interface with the flexibility of code (or, to augment the virtual with the physical).
The overall flow is that as a performer can construct a loop on the sequencer manually, and the system continuously synthesizes code that generates the current pattern. The performer can edit this code and push the changes back to the hardware sequencer, which then changes its pattern to reflect the code. As the pattern changes on the physical device, the code is again synthesized and automatically updated.
The implementation so far is using a software sequencer that can be controlled with a Livid Instruments CNTRLR. Since I don't have a Livid Instruments CNTRLR, support for the Novation Circuit (which I do have) should be coming soon. For now, the software interface gives a nice mock experience.
Synthesis uses an SyGuS solver called CVC4 (which is more generally an SMT solver). This allows us to automatically construct code that fits the pattern at any given time.
install
First clone this repo:
git clone https://github.com/santolucito/SequencerLiveCoding
cd SequencerLiveCoding
The app uses node, you will need to install that using the following command (on linux, if you are on mac you will use a different install process)
sudo apt install nodejs
We use browserify to "compile" the node code so that it can run client-side. This way, even if you lose your connection to the internet in the middle of a set, the system doesn't completely crash and still can play the beat. Note that any time you change the client side code you need to RERUN this command (if "client side" doesn't mean anything to you, just do this every time you change anything). Think of this as compiling your code.
sudo npm install -g browserify
browserify public/js/main.js -o public/js/compiled.js
We also need axios to perform network requests from node and the browser.
npm install axios
Synthesis uses the SMT solver CVC5 (which is a crazy optimized behemoth of C code), so needs to run server side. You can download the binary from the CVC5 github page https://github.com/cvc5/cvc5/releases/). The tool expects the executable to be named cvc5 and be in /usr/local/bin/. You will also need chmod a+x to change permissions of the executable. If you are working on a Mac, this instructions will be a bit different.
sudo mv cvc5Linux /usr/local/bin/cvc5 # the name of your download might be different!
sudo chmod a+x /usr/local/bin/cvc5
Then install everything
npm install
create a .env file in the root directory to configure options
NODE_ENV=[development/production]
CVC5MODE=[local/serverless]
to deploy
node app.js
TODOs
see issues on github