Greetings,
The following is a text-only description of a new program for music
composition. Please don't hesitate to download the demo version on the
Web at http://www.quaderno.com
QUADERNO > THE MUSICAL EXPRESSION
QUADERNO is a program for MIDI sequencing and an aid to musical
composition and research.
It runs on PC (or on Power Mac using Virtual PC)
QUADERNO was created by two musicians who envisioned a program that
would serve their needs as composers. This software is the result of 5
years of intense work and musical research. It was first developed on
the Atari and since one year for the PC . It's a program based
entirely on MIDI; you can perform many types of data transformations
very quickly allowing immediate feedback based upon your musical idea.
The interface is attractively colored; it allows you to link music and
color in a very intuitive way.
A virtual Remote-Control panel allows you to:
1- determine your Recording choices
2- use special Functions to transform your music
3- access the different "Spaces" (various views of your musical data)
1 - RECORDING can be done in different ways:
- Normal MIDI recording with a keyboard or any MIDI instrument
- Simple Recording with the mouse (1 Pattern)
- Multitrack MIDI recording with the mouse (up to 56 Patterns all
together)
- Multitrack MIDI recording (16 tracks or 16 MIDI instrumentalists) in
real-time.
2 - FUNCTIONS:
The functions are very powerful mathematical algorithms that allows you
to transform your music with a single click of the mouse.
Quaderno's Functions include:
Accents- Agitation - Random - Rhythm Analysis - Arpeggiator - Cadences -
Calculation - Canons - Chords - Conversions - Untie - Echoes - Melodic
Evolution - Expression - Harmonization - Legato - Morphing -
Suppress Controllers - Reduce Controllers - Progressions -
Quantize-Random - Quantize-Fill - Quantize-Logic - Quantization Reduction -
Re-Injection - Harmonic Resolution - Rhythm Tracker - Staccato -
Suppress Doubles - Suppress Recovey - Send Sysex - Tessitura -
Melodic Transposition - Formula - Sorting - Wave Creation .
3 - SPACES:
> SESSION:
The basic space of the program . It is made up of a large checkerboard
filled up with 196 small squares, each square is called: an Area. Each
Area is characterized by a name, a number, a MIDI channel, a
synthesizer, a sound, a Scale and a Quaderno. On the left of this large
checkerboard you can find a column with numbers from 1 to 56. Each
number represents a Pattern. Around this axis revolve 14 "satellite"
spaces.
> LIBRARY:
For saving all the files you create in the different spaces with a very
convenient feature, the ability to audition items from the Library
before importing them.
> SONG:
For structuring and organizing all the Patterns (musical figures) you
have developed in the SESSION space, in the same manner as with a
classic sequencer but with functions specific to Quaderno. It's also the
place for export/import of MIDI files.
> MICRO-EDITION:
A graphic representation of all the MIDI events of the selected Pattern.
Each curve is a linear event representation of the various parameters of
your music. You can modify each of these curves independently and use
functions specific to this space: expansion, compression, horizontal and
vertical inversion.
> NOTE-EDIT:
Note events on a grid that represent the pitch on the vertical axis and
time on the horizontal axis. You can
make modifications and transformations on the selected notes
instantaneously, and choose to visualize the color of notes according to
their velocity or pitch,
> CHORDS:
This space allows creation and auditioning of all sorts of chords
according to the set of available scales in use in QUADERNO. You can use
your chord grids in different ways (send them to a free Area, or use
them to reharmonize one or several Patterns).
> HARMONIC MODULATIONS :
To create principles of harmonic modulation that you will be able to
apply in several ways. These harmonic
modulations can be used in real time.
> MIDI SETUP:
To manage and program all Midi peripherals.
> MONITORS:
To "see" the music that you have created in a very original way. The
different Monitors translate into images (color, speed, movement..) the
MIDI events of your music.
> MUSICAL ANALYSIS :
To analyze the harmonic contents of any Pattern and see immediately
which scales the harmony involves and also to extract a chord grid from
this harmonic analysis and use these results in different ways.
> ORCHESTRATION:
To select and extract the different musical elements of a Pattern
according to 7 criteria and 2 Modes. Once you have selected the desired
elements, you can sort them out and send them into different Plans (up
to 6 Plans).
> DYNAMIC PADS:
To re-write in real time your sequence by playing with the mouse on the
4 fundamental elements of a Pattern: Velocities, Durations, Notes and
Rhythms.
> COMPOSER:
To algorithmically generate MIDI sequences without user input (without
keyboard or mouse). You'll select several musical parameters (rhythms,
notes, durations, MIDI controller ) and QUADERNO will generate music
based upon your program (up to 70 tracks).
> REAL-TIME:
Today, we are no longer work in a linear fashion but rather from a
multidimensional perspective. It is in the Real-Time space that you will
understand this new approach. Here, multiple MIDI instrumentalists can
play and record together.
Thank you for taking the time to familiarize yourself with QUADERNO .We
hope that QUADERNO will enable you to compose in a completely different
way and that you will discover a new and pleasurable approach to making
music.
For contact information or demos please email or phone:
(33) 1 43 73 25 96 or (33) 1 48 74 59 19 (Paris/FRANCE)
