256a-fall-2025/hw2

Homework #2: Sound Peeking

Due Dates

• (please update HW1 to use your CCRMA webpage or Medium by Sunday 11:59pm 10/5)
• HW2 milestone: due Tuesday (10/7, 11:59pm); HW2 webpage updated with milestone video
• HW2 final deliverable: due Tuesday (10/14, 11:59pm); HW2 final webpage/video

In this assignment, you are to visualize sound in real-time, using ChucK/ChuGL for the graphics programming, real-time audio, and as a programmable sound source. Your program will visualize: 1) live microphone input and 2) a designed sound narrative written in ChucK and visualized in your visualizer. This is a fun project but there are many moving parts; start early.

Specification (milestone): Design + Visualize the Waveform, Spectrum, and Spectrum History

• go over sndpeek-minimal.ck, and use sndpeek-minimal-guide.pdf as a guide resource.
• explore sndpeek.ck, and its waterfall plot implementation (spectrum history). Ask questions on discord if anything needs to be clarified.
• using our starter code (sndpeek.ck), design and prototype your own basic visualization of time-domain waveform and magnitude spectrum.
• test using the microphone input.
• design and implement a waterfall plot (like sndpeek.ck), a real-time scrolling spectrogram, or another way to display spectrums over time.
  • feel free to experiment on how to represent the spectrum history visually.
• "make it read"!

• Helpful resources
  • ChucK API Reference
  • ChuGL API Reference
  • ChuGL walkthrough
  • ChuGL cheatsheet (How do I do X?)
  • ChuGL examples

Milestone Deliverables

• HW2 project webpage (should be viewable at http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~YOURID/256a/hw2/). It should include:
  • a name and description of your audio visualizer.
  • a few screenshots that capture various parts of your visualizer in action.
  • a short reflection on creating this milestone. (How did you feel as a designer?)
  • a video (0.5 - 2 minutes, with audio, screen capture or with camera) of your visualizer in action.
    • hint: capture your video in full-screen (GG.fullscreen(); will fullscreen ChuGL program)
    • Let your design speak itself ("Show, don't tell"). Don't include explanatory narrations or texts.
    • Use ChuGL UIs for development only. It should not be part of the design itself or the video.
  • upload to YouTube or Vimeo (or CCRMA) and embed the video from your webpage. (DO NOT USE GOOGLE DRIVE)
  • we will take a look at this video together during our in-class critique milestone session (10/10 Thursday).

Specification (final deliverables): An Audio-Visual Narrative

• create a sonic/musical narrative in ChucK to run inside your visualizer (The narrative should justify the medium of computer music. Simple playback of pre-recorded music not allowed).
  • can use a combination of microphone (adc in ChucK) and sound synthesis.
  • think about different "sections" or "movements", and how to transition between them.
  • try to align the aesthetic of your visualizer and your ChucK program (give it personality).
  • (optional): can use keyboard input to have "modes".
• aesthetic goal:
  • technical fanciness not important!
  • making the viewer/listener feel something: important!!

Final Deliverables

• 1) HW2 project webpage (should be viewable at http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~YOURID/256a/hw2/). It should include:
  • a name and description of your audio visualizer.
  • a few screenshots that capture various parts of your visualizer in action.
  • a polished high-resolution video (1.5-3 minutes, with audio, screen capture or with camera) of both your visualizer in action AND your narrative.
    • Please don't include ChuGL development UIs in your final video. They are for development purpose only.
    • hint: capture your video in full-screen (GG.fullscreen(); will fullscreen ChuGL program).
    • upload to YouTube or Vimeo (or CCRMA) and embed the video from your webpage.
    • Show, don't tell.
  • instructions for using your visualizers, including any keyboard/mouse control.
  • all your ChucK code.
  • a final short text section that:
    • conveys your ideas/comments in constructing each program.
    • writes a short reflection on creating this visualizer (How did you feel as a designer creating your visualizer?)
    • describes any difficulties you encountered in the process.
    • acknowledges help you received for this project.
  • feel free to include (or not include) your previous HW2 milestones. If you do, these previous milestones should appear AT THE BOTTOM of your HW2 webpage.
• 2) submit to Canvas: URL to webpage and your ChucK code.

Note

• have fun with it!!!
• comment your code!
• you are welcome to work together, but you must do/turn in your own work.