NAME

Music::Voss - functions for fractal noise generation functions

SYNOPSIS

  use List::Util qw(max sum0);
  use Music::Voss qw(voss);

  # generate a generator function
  my $genf = voss( calls => [
    sub { int rand 2 },  # k=0, 2**k == 1 (every value)
    sub { int rand 2 },  # k=1, 2**k == 2 (every other value)
    sub { int rand 2 },  # k=2, 2**k == 4 ...
    sub { int rand 2 },  # k=3, ...
    ...
  ]);

  # or with a custom summation function (default: sum0)
  # that limits results to not-negative values
  my $geny = voss(
    calls  => [ sub { 5 - int rand 10 } ], 
    summer => sub { max 0, sum0 @_ },
  );

  # generate numbers for some input values
  for my $x (0..21) {
    printf "%d %d %d\n", $x, $genf->($x), $geny->($x);
  }

  # or to obtain a list of values (NOTE TODO FIXME the voss() generated
  # functions maintain state and there is (as yet) no way to inspect or
  # reset that state)
  my @values = map { $genf->($_) } 0..21;

DESCRIPTION

This module contains functions that generate functions that may then be called in turn with a sequence of numbers to generate numbers. Given how hopelessly vague this may sound, let us move on to the

FUNCTIONS

These are not exported, and must be manually imported or called with the full module path.

voss

This function returns a function that in turn should be called with (ideally successive) integers. The generated function uses powers-of-two modulus math on the array index of the list of given calls to determine when the result from a particular call should be saved to an array internal to the generated function. A custom summer function may be supplied to voss that will sum the resulting list of numbers; the default is to call sum0 of List::Util and return that sum.

The calls functions are passed two arguments, the given number, and the array index that triggered the call. calls functions probably should return a number. Typically, the calls return random values, though other patterns are certainly worth experimenting with, such as a mix of random values and other values that are iterated through:

  use Music::AtonalUtil;
  use Music::Voss qw(voss);
  my $atu = Music::AtonalUtil->new;

  my @values = qw/0 0 2 1 1 2 0/;
  my $genf = voss(
    calls => [
      sub { 1 - int rand 2 },   # 1
      sub { 0 },                # 2
      sub { 1 - int rand 2 },   # 4
      sub { 1 - int rand 2 },   # 8
      $atu->nexti( \@values )   # 16
    ]);

The generated function ideally should be fed sequences of integers that increment by one. This means that the slower-changing values from higher array indexed calls will persist through subsequent calls. If this is a problem, consider instead the

voss_stateless

function, which is exactly like voss, only it does not keep state through repeated calls the the returned function. Likely useful for rhythmic (or MIDI velocity) related purposes, assuming those purposes can be shoehorned into the powers-of-two modulus model of the voss function. And they can be! A mod 12 rhythm would be possible via something like:

  my $mod12 = Music::Voss::voss_stateless( calls => [ sub {
    my ( $n, $k ) = @_;
    $n % 12 == 0 ? 1 : 0
  }, ]);
  for my $x (0..$whatevs) {
    my $y = $mod12->($x);
    ...

Though, any such math must bear in mind that calls beyond the first are only called on every 2nd, 4th, etc. input value (assuming as ever that the input values are a list of integers that being on an even value and increment by one for each successive call).

TODO Weierstrass functions, Brownian motion, etc.

BUGS

Reporting Bugs

Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-music-pitchnum at rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=Music-Voss.

Patches might best be applied towards:

https://github.com/thrig/Music-Voss

Known Issues

The functions returned by some functions of this module probably should not be used in a threaded environment, on account of unknown results should multiple threads call the same function around the same time. This may actually be a feature for experimental musical composition.

The not nearly enough functions written problem. Also, need multiple return values from the function returning functions, with the remaining functions being means to reset or otherwise interact with any state maintained by the function.

The lack of testing. (Bad input values, whether anything sketchy is going on with the closures, etc.)

SEE ALSO

MIDI::Simple or Music::Scala or Music::LilyPondUtil have means to convert numbers (such as produced by the functions returned by the functions of this module) into MIDI events, frequencies, or a form suitable to pass to lilypond. Music::Canon (or the canonical program by way of App::MusicTools) may also be of interest.

REFERENCES

• Musimathics, Vol. 1, p.354-358 by Gareth Loy.

AUTHOR

thrig - Jeremy Mates (cpan:JMATES) <jmates at cpan.org>

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright (C) 2016 by Jeremy Mates

This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the Artistic License (2.0).