Godfried-Willem Raes
"FidelC"
for electric violin, Intel laptop and optional robots
This interactive piece for violin and laptop computer was written on request for Moniek Darge and her Yamaha electric violin. On the computer a large variety of real time sound processing modules are programmed. These modules can freely be activated and combined by the laptopplayer at his/her own discretion and at any time. However many parameters of these processing modules are at any time determined by the violin players input. Without this input the laptop player cannot do anything. Each module has a specific set of slider controllers that appear on the screen as soon as they are activated. One slider allows the player to set the delay time for the module, others the size of the sound chunk to be processed, more sliders for specific parameters as appropriate for the module.
A few modules allow the laptop player to send output and commands to some of our musical robots. This is optional and depends on availability of these machines on places where this piece is to be performed. Under no circumstances however, midi sounds, samples or other electronic sounds may be subsituted for these automats. The automats are restricted to the following:
These robots produce basically non-pitched sounds.
Although the duration of the piece is not limited in the software, it should be restricted to somewhere between 5 and 12 minutes at the most. The piece is conceived as a musical game. The 'score' is completely embedded into the software.
Technical requirements:
- electric violin
(The output of the violin should be connected to the computer's microphone or line input-if preamplified, as well as to a pitch to midi converter).
- Intel laptop PC (minimum 600MHz Pentium 3 with MMX command set and 128MBytes memory).
On this PC our GMT program "gmt_sol.exe" should be installed with all required libaries (DLL and INI files). This program can be obtained for free from the author. There is no software available for the Macintosh. Performers should be instructed in how to use the GMT programmes. Information is available: either by consulting this website (look for GMT and read the manuals), or by consulting with specialists such as Kristof Lauwers or the author.
- Sound system.
A normal good quality stage stereophonic PA system should do. The audio line outs from the computer are fed to the powers amps.
Premiere: 01.12.2001 - Herne, Germany. (by Moniek Darge and the author)
Second performance: 04.12.2001 - Ghent, Logos Tetrahedron (by Moniek Darge and the author)
Third performance: 03.01.2002 - Ghent, Logos Tetrahedron (with 3 automats)
Fourth performance: 02.11.2002 - Krakow, Poland - Audio Art Festival (Moniek Darge and the author)