From: tola@jyu.fi (Teemu Olavi Lahteenmaki)
Subject: Automation music
Keywords: Celluar Automation, Music, Computer composing
Organization: University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 17:35:38 GMT


About automation based music..

Here I will try to describe some ideas of how to generate music by automation.
Yet I haven't heard anyone alse doing this before (tell me if I am wrong).

Actually this is based on quite pure automation theory, and if you are not
familiar with automation, here I will try to explain the basics..
(Note, that the terms I am using here may have better synonymes)



An example of an AUTOMATE

Let's say we have an automate wich have following characteristics:
    Nuber of states: 3 (automate can be in only one state at a time)
    Communication signals used: A and B

Now, we can give the rules (rotes), which controls the state-changes
depenging on the current state and the possible input signals.
So in certain state, whith certain input signal automate changes it's state
to certain state and outputs a certain signal as followed:

    In state:   With input:     Goes to state:      Outputting:
      1           A               3                   B
      1           B               1                   A
      2           B               2                   A
      3           A               1                   A
      3           B               2                   B

Note, that automate can occasionly enter a state with 'no return', when there
are no rules leading out from the state. Also there can be states that has
no connection to others at all, and there may be states that have only
rules leading out.



How to use automation to produce music

Now, we can relate a certain note/sound(/silence) to certain output(/input)
signal. Then, we have unlimited amout of possibilities to group these
automates together to exchange their signals.

One of the easiest thing I have experimented is to connect automates inputs
and outputs into a chain, e.g having automate A outputting to B which outputs
to C which outputs back to A etc...

Of course one might do this like in celluar automation, where they usually use
1 to 3 dimensious arrays of automates each automate interracting with it's
neighbours (like Conways 'Game of Life').
 
The automate system (as many systems) has tendency to stabilize into same
infinitely repeating input/output sequences. To make the music proceed from
such states, it may be necesseary to randomly change, add and delete the
rules being used.


About the potentials of automation music

Almost everything here can be done by any other way, so the amout choices
to experiment is unlimited, and therefore the challence may look too effort
taking. Altough celluar automation is quite intensively studied area
(News group: comp.theory.cell-automata), it's contributions to music have been
given little (if any) attention.

I believe it can be proofed that any note-sequences can be presented by the
terms of automation (it may not be vice, but it can be done). So meaby by
generating intellectually constructed automates, it would be possible to
create any kind of music.

But again, much research has to be done before that can be archieved.
Most of the music generated this way could be classified as 'repetitive music'
or something like that.

Any ideas, suggestions ?

-- 
____________________________________________________________
I  Teemu Lahteenmaki - student of mathematical computing   I
I  Intergalactical University of Jyvaskyla, Finland        I
I_ Internet: tola@jyu.fi __________________________________I