CataRT

From IMTR

Real-Time Corpus-Based Concatenative Synthesis

by Diemo Schwarz, IMTR Team, Ircam--Centre Pompidou, and collaborators.
CataRT is based on FTM&Co. by Norbert Schnell.

CataRT screenshot

Contents


Description

The concatenative real-time sound synthesis system CataRT plays grains from a large corpus of segmented and descriptor-analysed sounds according to proximity to a target position in the descriptor space. This can be seen as a content-based extension to granular synthesis providing direct access to specific sound characteristics.

CataRT is implemented in MaxMSP and takes full advantage of the generalised data structures and arbitrary-rate sound processing facilities of the FTM and Gabor libraries. Segmentation and sound descriptors are loaded from text or SDIF files, or analysed on-the-fly.

CataRT allows to explore the corpus interactively or via a target sequencer, to resynthesise an audio file or live input with the source sounds, or to experiment with expressive speech synthesis and gestural control.

CataRT is explained in more detail in this article and is an interactive implementation of the new concept of Corpus-Based Concatenative Synthesis.

Download

CataRT is offered as free and libre open source software in the spirit of the GNU GPL. All we want is some feedback from you. Or in more details:

  • CataRT is offered for free, so you can make music and create.
  • CataRT is offered as open source software, so you can look into it, learn from it, and adapt it to your needs.
  • CataRT, up to version 0.9.8, is offered under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which means that any modifications you make, or any software that uses CataRT in whole or in parts, must be distributed under the GNU GPL also, so the improvements, variations, adaptations you make will benefit the community of users. (See below for the full license.)
  • CataRT is offered with the wish that you give me some feedback if you use it, how you use it, how you would like to use it, why you don't use it, and what you use it for in order to learn from it and to have arguments for my employer to continue to let me work on CataRT.


The download links send you to the FTM sourceforge project download page which hosts CataRT. (You can choose the download mirror and also activate monitoring of the CataRT package, to be notified of new releases automatically.)

For FTM 2.5 on Max 5 (versions FTM 2.5-beta10 or higher for Max 5.1)

For FTM 2.3 on Max/MSP 4 (versions FTM 2.2.0 or higher for Max 4.6)

  • cataRT-0.9.3 for FTM 2.3.4, 06.03.2008 (unreleased)

For FTM 2.2 (versions FTM 2.2.0 or higher for Max 4.5 or Max 4.6)

For FTM 1.7 (versions FTM 1.7.11 through 1.7.13):

Requirements

You need Max/MSP 4.5 or 4.6 and the FTM&Co extensions installed which you can download from ftm.ircam.fr. CataRT runs on Mac OSX and Windows XP (less tested than Mac, so we welcome any experiences) and maybe Vista (completely untested).

License

  • CataRT is distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Other licenses can be obtained by contacting us, and we'll work something out. The full license comes with the download in file COPYING, and can be read here.

Documentation

  • The CataRT ReadMe contains a QUICK START which is a good starting point.
  • The CataRT Documentation gives a complete reference of the usage and the user interface elements.
  • Look at the catart.lcd doc for an explanation of the lcd controller.
  • A growing list of help patches and tutorials within the distribution explain the usage of the CataRT modules to make new applications.
  • The internals of CataRT start to be documented at CataRT Internals Documentation.

FAQ and examples

  • The CataRT FAQ is hosted on the collaborative FTM wiki, which means that you can add questions and answers (but post them also on the concat mailing list).
  • There's a number of tutorial patches within the distribution.

Articles and Presentations

Screenshots

Community

Mailing List

  • The concat list will receive announcements of news about CataRT and serves for general discussion about concatenative and corpus-based synthesis.

Music and installations made with CataRT

Please let me know of any music produced with CataRT!

My Own Stuff


theconcatenator at the multi-media art centre Le Cube 7.12.2008

Contemporary Music

  • Emmanuelle Gibello, Boucle #1 of the series Je suis l'écho de l'ombre d'une ombre (videos), piece for two computers, 7 control interfaces, sound files and CataRT, interpreted by Diemo Schwarz, 4.3.2010 at La société de curiosités.
  • Aaron Einbond Passagework, performed by the Yarn/Wire ensemble at Greenwich Music House, New York 18.2.2010 --- The performers are in fact playing a micro-montage of their own improvisation.
  • Hector Parra, I have come like a butterfly into the hall of human life, World Premiere at Kings Place, 2.10.2009 --- micro-montage of heavily transformed environmental percussive sounds to obtain composed sonic gestures
  • Aaron Einbond, What the Blind See for small ensemble and electronics, Cursus 2 concert at Agora 2009, Ircam --- real time control of CataRT from audio analysis and corpus-based transcription
  • Bruno Ruviaro, Cleaner, electroacoustic sounds, premiered at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), May 28, 2009, available for download --- Cleaner was composed out of hundreds of short audio samples extracted from existing music by other composers. Recognizability of such fragments is unlikely to occur, and probably unnecessary.
  • Bruno Ruviaro, Study on Japanese Themes, electroacoustic sounds, premiered at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), November 20, 2008, available for download --- This concatenative synthesis study is based on tiny fragments borrowed from Japanese composers Ryoji Ikeda and Keiichiro Shibuya. Its composition was prompted by a combination of three things, present or absent: Paris’ autumn, California’s sun, and Tokyo’s fish market.
  • Roque Rivas Mutations of Matter, 2008 --- micro-montage of large sound banks, precisely controlled by composed rhythms
  • Aaron Einbond, Beside Oneself for viola and electronics, Cursus 1 2007–2008, Ircam --- real time control of CataRT from audio analysis of the viola. See this video presentation of Aaron's work and of other composers of the cursus that year.
  • Paola Calderone, Cursus 1 2007-2008, Ircam
  • Roque Rivas, Conical Intersect for fagott and electronics, amongst which CataRT. premiere 6.10.2007; reprise 13.06.2008, Ircam
  • David Coll, cursus 1 piece for soprano, petites percussions and electronics, 06.10.2007 Ircam
  • Dai Fujikura new piece swarming essence for Agora 2007 (Ircam), Paris, 9.6.2007
  • Stephano Gervasoni new piece Whisper Not for Monaco, and Agora 2007 (Ircam), Paris, 14.6.2007
  • Luis Naon Caprices wallowing in a mass of sounds generated by Modalys, Agora 2007 (Ircam)
  • Hector Parra, opera Hypermusic Prologue and pieces for Agora 2007 (Ircam)
  • Hans Tutschku new piece Distance liquide created at Akousma (INA-GRM), 13.01.2007
  • Sam Britton Junkspace for banjo and electronics, performed at Ircam 14.10.2006

Modern Music

Installations and Performances

  • Grainstick collaborative interactive experience featuring music by Pierre Jodlowski, Agora Festival, Ircam, 16.-19.6.2009
  • Xe-Rocks installation and performance by video and sound artist Cécile Babiole, 27.6. - 29.8.2009, Espace Multimedia Gantner, Belfort
  • ENIGMES project (installation Plume) --- presented 7.11.2006 at Le Cube, Issy-Les Moulineaux, Paris and at IHM 2007
  • Miguel Angel Ortiz Pérez (SARC Belfast) uses biofeedback from muscular tension sensors to control CataRT. See this video of a bio-concert. Also presented at ICMC 2007
  • Matthew Burtner at WaveFarm, NY, 29.7.2006
Retrieved from "http://imtr.ircam.fr/imtr/CataRT"
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