Tag Archives: Konkreet Performer

Konkreet Performer OSC to MIDI translator

This is an expanded version of the specialized Konkreet Performer OSC to MIDI translator and visualizer I built for the latest version of the Mirage granular sampler. If you’re not familiar with Konkreet Performer and you have an iPad, you need to check it out because it is awesome.

One drawback of using KP with Reaktor is that KP only sends OSC, and Reaktor won’t receive OSC when running as a plugin. Hence, this ensemble, which can be run in Reaktor standalone and will re-route KP’s control signals as MIDI to Reaktor or other synths running in a host.

Instructions are included on a text widget in the readme instrument. This is a 1.0 release so please report any bugs in the comments!

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Using Konkreet Performer and TouchOSC in a host?

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Spending some time with Lemur since its launch, one of the neatest features is the ability to script 14 bit MIDI, to give higher resolution control over various parameters. This is essential in instruments like Loupe and Mirage, where regular 7 bit MIDI just doesn’t give the fineness I want to set loop points. It’s too steppy and jumpy.

I’m working right now on creating Lemur templates for my ensembles, but I’d also like to do version for Konkreet Performer and TouchOSC. This would involve running a Pure Data patch and rerouting PD’s output, which is an extra step, but it would enable fine grained control within a host. As you may have noticed, Reaktor’s OSC capabilities are missing in the plugin versions (for the love of God, why?!)

Anyhow, vote in the poll above if this extended capability for Konkreet, TouchOSC and my instruments interests you.

Update: I’ve hit a few performance issues with Pure Data so I’m going to do the OSC translator as a custom Reaktor patch. Here’s what you do: run Reaktor standalone alongside your host with the translator patch, and redirect its MIDI output to your host. This is easy on Mac because programs can share a core audio interface, but a bit sticky on Windows where ASIO access is exclusive. One solution could be to redirect Reaktor’s output to a different sound interface, or set it to use the DirectX driver. I’m open to suggestions from Windows users.

So, how about it – Reaktor as a translator?

Update 2: things are coming together…

Mixin’ it up with Konkreet Performer

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I was talking to another Reaktor builder about mixing Konkreet Performer signals, so one KP parameter could control 25% of the range of a Reaktor instrument parameter, another could control 10%, and so on. It was an intriguing idea so I worked out the math and knocked this quick test ensemble together.

All it does is mix the X-value signals from the first three nodes in Konkreet Performer, then normalize the range so it’s always 0 to 1. That way you don’t have to fish around making sure everything adds up to 100%. Here’s what the structure looks like:

The output goes to a numeric display so you can see the values.

You could easily adapt this to control whatever parameter you desire, or send the result to MIDI, or even adapt it to mix incoming MIDI CCs instead of Konkreet OSC parameters.

Here’s the ensemble. Happy building!

ParamDrum for Konkreet Performer

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Please note: though this version of ParamDrum has Konkreet Performer mappings, Konkreet Performer is not mandatory. ParamDrum works just fine with a mouse or any MIDI controller.

Hey kids! It’s time for yet another update of ParamDrum.

This time the big deal is Konkreet Performer mappings. Performer is an iPad app that gives you tactile control over anything that can receive OSC, such as Reaktor. Free utiities also let you translate it to MIDI for software and hardware that can’t receive OSC. How good is Konkreet Performer? It’s the reason I went out and bought an iPad in the first place.

Here’s a cheat sheet with the lowdown on who does what where and when in the KP interface:

For those of you who don’t have KP (go get it you fools), the new version still includes a new sample set, a whole lot of new snaps, and new features including optimized randomization.

A funny thing about the beats this thing throws down in conjunction with Konkreet – it’s so easy to make crazy fun beats that you’ll be making and saving one after another at a furious clip. That’s why this edition of ParamDrum has so many more snaps compared to earlier versions. And among the most warped of them, you will find that they only make sense early in the morning when your ears and mind are fresh. When your ears, body and mind are exhausted, late at night, you will lose the ability to follow the sickest beats. So never delete snaps late at night. True story.

ParamDrum KP is free for owners of previous versions. Did I mention that you also need a working installation of Reaktor to use it? I should mention that. You can download ParamDrum KP edition here. Don’t have ParamDrum yet but want in on the game? Buy a license here:

Update: Due to changes in default settings for the latest versions of Konkreet Performer, not all parameters are automatically mapped. Quickest way to fix that is to install this bank in Konkreet Performer via iTunes. Instructions on working with Konkreet banks can be found here.

Setting up iPad OSC touch apps with Reaktor

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Because someone asked on a forum, I decided to write a quick note on how to set up the ports and addresses for Reaktor, Konkreet Performer and TouchOSC.

First, get Reaktor set up. This is straightforward:

This is generally as simple as activating Reaktor to receive OSC. Don’t worry about the outgoing OSC setup for now – the goal is to get Reaktor listening. Take note of the IP address and “local port”.

Now, in Konkreet Performer’s setup screen:

The outgoing address and port in Performer match the local IP address and local port in Reaktor’s OSC settings.

Similarly, in TouchOSC:

Now touch some controls in Konkreet Performer or TouchOSC and you should see messages in the OSC monitor in Reaktor’s OSC settings dialog. If not, then you may have firewall or routing problems.

I’m assuming here that you’re connecting both your computer and iDevice through a standard type of router and the IP addresses you see in these dialogs reflects that. You could also create an ad hoc network in Windows or OS X which often provides lower latency than using a router.

After you have established a connection and are seeing incoming data in Reaktor, it’s time to map some controls. Go into the properties for a knob (for example) and choose an OSC parameter from the OSC Source dropdown menu on the connection tab:

More help is available here:

Konkreet Performer

TouchOSC