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Homework #2: Sound Peeking

Due Dates

HW2 milestone: due Wednesday (10/09, 11:59:59pm Canvas); HW2 webpage updated with milestone video + in-class critique
HW2 final deliverable: due Monday (10/21, 11:59:59pm Canvas); HW2 final webpage/video + in-class presentation

In this assignment, you are to visualize sound in real-time, using 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 + Visualizing 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 a 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"!

Milestone Deliverables (due: 10/09 Wed midnight)

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)
  - upload to YouTube or Vimeo (or CCRMA) and embed the video from your webpage
  - 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 (Compose a computer-mediated music. Narratives that only use minutes of SndBuf pre-existing music is 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!!

Note

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

Final Deliverables (due: 10/21 Mon midnight)

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 (2-3 minutes, with audio, screen capture or with camera) of both your visualizer in action AND your narrative.
- 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.
- instructions for using your visualizers, including any keyboard/mouse control.
- the production build of your visualizer (please specify the platform e.g., MacOS, Windows, or Linux).
- 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?)
  - 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.