This offering from deadmau5 does seem to borrow from both applications, both in design and protocol control, with all three able to control devices via MIDI and Open Sound Control (OSC) protocols. As Joel puts it, “everybody uses OSC… because it’s basically the most open-ended… no-b llsht protocol that’s lightweight.”Ĭustomizable virtual controllers are nothing new, with applications such as TouchOSC and Lemur being notable predecessors. OSC also allows for the transmission of multiple data types – including floating point numbers and 32-bit integers – whereas MIDI will only allow for integer transmission, and utilizes a high-precision timestamp down to a picosecond of accuracy, compared to MIDI’s roughly 21 millisecond clock accuracy. Commands are written in a dynamic, URL-style scheme, with arguments that can be tacked on to the end of these commands as required, then sent over either a peer-to-peer connection, or over a standard network. In a fantastic example of the power of OSC in theatre, sound designer Jess Paz ( Hadestown, Dear Evan Hansen) used OSC to cue typing sound effects in real time from two phones onstage, which would send broadcast OSC messages to Figure53’s QLab to play randomized typing sounds, all through an interactive interface on the phone “that looked like a keypad and screen… so that audience members really close to could see something on the phone…”Īs a protocol, OSC offers many advantages over other protocols. Not only is it being used to trigger cues, but also in more nuanced applications where MIDI may fall short, such as playing sound effects in real time with triggers coming from networked devices. Only relatively recently has Open Sound Control (abbreviated OSC) really found its footing in the theatrical realm. Recalling snapshots on a console, triggering sound effects and click tracks, and tying cue GOs from lighting, sound, and video departments together with one button press have all utilized this technology. In the world of theater sound, control of devices has been commonplace for years using both MIDI and GPIO protocols. That title changed, though, on July 30, when it was officially released to the public as “OSC/PILOT.” Finding Its Footing In a recent interview with Joel, he told me that this software for nearly eight years was known only as “deadmau5.exe” throughout testing and development. The center of his live production for years has been a customizable touch-based interface used to control Ableton Live. If you’ve ever experienced – or seen a YouTube video of – a live set by Canadian DJ and producer Joel Zimmerman, a.k.a., deadmau5, you know that an average set brings a level of production and control over the music that few other acts can come close to. Editor’s Note: Be sure to check out the recent Signal To Noise podcast with electronic music artist deadmau5 (also embeded at the end of this article), where he discusses the role of technology in his creative process and his full-circle approach to crafting a unique audience experience exemplified in OSC/PILOT.
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