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ramon

About ramon

https://autumnateeverything.com

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Data Connections Between Ableton Live and Minecraft (MIDI & MORE!)

Since late 2020, I’ve been using Minecraft as an immersive musical instrument. However, my original project, void loop () only made use of in-game sounds. Custom sounds had to be added via a resource pack, and the use of custom samples was limited.

In May 2022, I began looking for ways to expand the expressivity of the game. Through the use of the Mineflayer Javascript library, I’ve managed to make robust data connections in and out of the game. In-game chat can trigger MIDI events, report entity locations, and report basically any other game mechanics.

Please enjoy some videos outlining some of the capabilities of these connections.
The most recent two, mcMIDI.js and mcM4L.js are both projects you can deploy yourself. A full set of instructions can be found in each project’s GitHub README.

I have presented on these projects at the following conferences:

  • HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) – July 2022
  • SEAMUS (Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States) – April 2023
  • Connect 2023 (Electronic Digital Instrument Summit at Berklee College of Music) – June 2023

mcMIDI.js - Generating MIDI Messages from Minecraft

mcM4L.js - Connect Minecraft & Ableton Live/Max for Live

Data connections between Ableton Live & Minecraft (Part 1 – MIDI & Game Control)
Data connections between Ableton Live & Minecraft (Part 2 – Coordinates/Items)
Data connections between Ableton Live & Minecraft (Part 3 – Creeper Grid Controller)

Surprise Symphony

Ableton Live (with the help of Max for Live and Clyphx Pro) listens to 30 seconds of audio input and creates a new piece of indeterminate length, tempo, texture, rhythm, and general character. Participants can sing, play instruments, speak, grunt, clap, and basically produce any sounds they can imagine. The resulting Surprise Symphony movement will be different every time.

A list of parameters that are randomized by the system:

  • Tempo
  • Duration
  • Launch Quantization
  • Channel activation
  • Clip length per channel
  • Effects per channel
  • Channel panning
  • Audio quantize (on/off)
  • Clip random transposition.

As a live performance, Surprise Symphony consists of 4-5 improvised movements. Audience participation is strongly encouraged.

As an installation, Surprise Symphony will reset itself after each generated movement. The system is operated by a single button.

Art of the Loop

Ramon Castillo has developed the Art of the Loop as a flexible and expansive concert program for the last several years. The program utilizes numerous technologies to move live looping from  simple effect-oriented performance to a robust platform for composition, improvisation, and stage performance. These looping protocols allow for users to automate every parameter of a looped composition: loop length, loop volume, effects amounts and parameter levels, tempo (for loops or global), pitch, direction, start and stop times, and outboard gear parameters. This allows for a much enhanced degree of musical expression (dynamics, polyrhythm, asymmetry, etc.)

Live performances have featured:

string quartet (Publiquartet), percussion (pitched and unpitched), solo piano, solo guitar, guitar and percussion duo, toy piano, solo violin, Javanese gamelan, harp, synthesizer, and saxophone. This looping system utilizes Ableton Live and Max for Live and can integrate into any acoustic performance setting. 

Here are some videos recorded over the years. Click here to see other artists projects that use these looping techniques. 

Other artists who have used my auto-looping techniques

Nick Revel - FlyTrap

Sequence II: Pulses

Maximillian

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Art ofthe Loop (@artoftheloop)

Maximillian features a DIY electrified drum set aptly named “Maximillian.” The kit consists of an orange leather Maximillian suitcase with other ad hoc drums permanently attached with various pickups for each sound. Each of the drums on the kit are connected to an audio interface for individual processing.

In the first ever piece written for Maximillian, we decided to use only the live sounds of the drums. Constantly shifting tempi and effects set the tone for the introductory section. We recorded a number of live loops during this section to add to the gradually building texture (note: this performance contains no fixed media).

Over time, the loops transform into a groove to which the drummer adapts. The live drums feature various sonic shaping tools for more pronounced texture. Various features of the loops and the live soloist reveal arrays of sound locked in this suitcase for years before this project.

The groove devolves to an ambient exploration of the kit’s sonic possibilities as the piece concludes.

On a purely technical note, the kit features:

  • one mid-20th century Maximillian suitcase with BD mic suspended inside
  • one rototom with snare attached, snare drum mic
  • one lower hi-hat with rice cooker upper hi-hat (piezo elements on each
  • two muted cowbells with piezo elements underneath
  • one rototom with tom mic
  • one spring table with various implements including two spring reverb units, toy piano tines, door stoppers, an aluminum heat sink, and various springs
  • one Keith McMillen BopPad with custom M4L device sampler
    one MOTU Ultralite for all of the above inputs

All processing is performed in real time using Ableton Live and Max for Live.

exhibited at Maker Music Festival 2021

Maximillian Video Gallery

It’s never the same thing twice; we like to live in the moment. 

Maximillian Photo Gallery

Fairly regular revisions since the beginning (early 2018)

Early-Mid2018Maximillian0039_2018-03-24_17-01-04_783
Where it started - basic rototom mount to suitcase
Early-Mid2018Maximillian0038_2018-04-15_19-45-13_002
PVC pipe mic mount with hair ties
Early-Mid2018Maximillian0033_2018-05-20_15-20-53_914
Old chandelier parts on a block of wood. Bonus break drum
Early-Mid2018Maximillian0036_2018-05-20_15-21-05_221
Chandelier, brake drum, block of wood. Midi trigger used for amplification
Early-Mid2018Maximillian0035_2018-05-20_15-15-25_273
Getting the right fit
Early-Mid2018Maximillian0034_2018-05-20_15-15-29_653
Early-Mid2018Maximillian0032_2018-05-31_14-05-00_297
Jam block on block of wood. Pre-spring table
Early-Mid2018Maximillian0037_2018-05-20_15-05-47_879
Speaker used to amplify block of wood - sounded terrible
Mid2018Maximillian0008_2018-07-07_14-21-57_643
Beam mounted mic
Mid2018Maximillian0009_2018-07-07_14-21-47_791
Cross beam for mounting spring table supports
Mid2018Maximillian0005_2018-07-17_15-56-50_405
Static hi-hats mounted on a bent threaded rod
Mid2018Maximillian0006_2018-07-17_15-11-21_297
This hi-hat mounting method was too bouncy
Mid2018Maximillian0007_2018-07-07_14-28-50_345
This percussion rack fit perfectly across the kit
Late2018Maximillian0028_2018-09-11_13-30-58_000
Old heat sink and reverb springs for spring table.
Late2018Maximillian0027_2018-09-25_09-44-50_278
Toy piano tines on spring table
Late2018Maximillian0031_2018-09-04_21-16-02_641
Nice view of the interfaces and rototom
Late2018Maximillian0030_2018-09-04_21-16-24_611
Looking sharp
Late2018Maximillian0029_2018-09-04_21-17-01_056
From above
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0004_2019-02-28_08-24-12_914
Basement of Durgin Hall, UML
Late2018Maximillian0025_2018-12-08_12-18-39_581
UML Contemporary Electronic setup
Late2018Maximillian0026_2018-12-08_12-18-22_550
UML Contemporary Electronic setup
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0022_2019-04-02_09-10-44_274
Before the rebuild
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0023_2019-03-21_18-24-30_575
Just prior to on-stage failure - SEAMUS 2019
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0019_2019-04-05_09-30-23_902
New mounting system for spring table
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0021_2019-04-05_09-29-56_991
New mounting system for spring table
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0020_2019-04-05_09-30-12_402
New mounting system for spring table
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0017_P1000058
New configuration with Bop Pad
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0024_2019-03-10_14-14-29_759
New rice cooker hi-hat and trash cymbals
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0002_2019-04-12_09-51-46_402
Stabilizers added to beam for spring table mount
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0013_P1000064
Close up
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0015_P1000061
Player view
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0012_P1000071
Always come prepared
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0003_2019-04-06_15-14-44_408
Bop Pad
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0010_P1000081
New panel
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0011_P1000079
New panel
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0014_P1000063
Rear side of panel
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0018_P1000055
Cowbell view
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0001_2019-04-12_09-52-08_116
Actobotics rail update
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0016_P1000059
Mostly setup
Early-Mid2019Maximillian0000_2019-04-12_10-08-31_411
All setup
Late2019Maximillian2019-10-26_13-42-24_456
Packed up in Kevin's car
Early2020Maximillian2020-05-14_10-19-43_239
Saying goodbye for 2020

void loop()

void loop() is a collection of performances in an elaborate Minecraft world. Audio from the game is routed through Ableton Live for some live looping and other antics.

Click here to download the void loop() world and GGT resource pack (for sounds).

void loop () is a growing collection of pieces inside a Minecraft world (void biome). The title is a reference to the biome, the looping techniques I use, and the Arduino function – the Arduino IDE was used to program a Teensy 3.2 board that a Twitch audience can use to control my Minecraft Character. Chat users can enter commands like !left and !right to turn my character at times during the performance.

While I am always working on new works, the performance currently features 4 works:
(1) Mine…Minecraft – by my daughter, Luna (age 7) – this is fixed audio and some automated character dance moves – aided by the audience with the aforementioned chat commands.

(2) Pink Bats or something like it – The Ableton Live set I use for this piece was created by Kevin Dacey and myself for a piece called Pink Bats for kalimba, guitar, and Ableton Live looping. This version of the performance replaces all of the acoustic instruments with the samples of Gamelan Galak Tika (recorded by me) triggered in Minecraft in real-time. The looping is done using Ableton Live with Clyphx Pro.

(3) Chicken Hero, Villager Hero, Cow Hero – Mobs fall from the sky to trigger various sounds while I improvise with some long tones in game. The audio is routed through several effects.

(4) Everything Ends Here – by Alessandro Cortini. The original recording of this piece is for synthesizer, and it features one of the most distinctive examples of timbral development I am aware of. In this version, a villager rides a minecart around a rail with triggers for the various pitches. The simple counterpoint slowly becomes revealed as I open a low pass filter and gradually add fuzz and reverb. The piece ends with a few surprises.

Currently, the performance sits around 25 minutes with gaps between each number. Because of the nature of the music, it can be stretched out to 30-40 minutes if necessary.

I direct the Contemporary Electronic Ensemble at UMass Lowell. We have been virtual since March 2020, and since most of the group members gravitate towards experimental technologies, we have played around with some ways to get back to a world of real-time collaboration. In November, I discovered Minecraft as a way for students to interact with musical Objects, so I began writing into my curriculum for the ensemble. We officially began making musical worlds together this January. I decided to create my own solo world to give the students some ideas, and void loop() is the result. It required several months to research and learn redstone circuits along with command block syntax and resource pack building. My primary goal with electronics is to make them every bit as expressive as acoustic instruments. Minecraft has made this easy for me because of its intuitive control scheme and hackability.

exhibited at Maker Music Festival 2021