The Kyma Language for Sound Design, Version 4.5

Another Way
Re-re-turn of phrase shows a variant on this same algorithm. Rather than building up the sequences of
sequences and storing them in different variables, Re-re-turn of phrase uses the Smalltalk control structure
timesRepeat: to repeatedly replace the old phrase with a new phrase:
| thing |
thing :=
EventSequence events: #(
{Note durationInBeats: 2 frequency: 3 c}
{Note durationInBeats: 1 frequency: 3 g}
{Note durationInBeats: 2 frequency: 2 g}).
6 timesRepeat: [
thing :=
EventSequence events:
(Array
with: thing
with: ((thing dim: 0.5) trsp: 7)
with: (thing trsp: -5))].
thing playOnVoice: self bpm: 160.
Embedded Event-like Behavior
Sometimes the “instrument” itself has some event-like behavior buried within it. Play the Sound called
PnoToHrp and then open it so you can study the MIDI script.
After all the variable declarations:
| pat1 dblPat group |
the first step is to create an EventSequence and save it in the variable called pat1.
pat1 :=
EventSequence events: #(
{Note durationInBeats: 4 frequency: 4 g}
{Note durationInBeats: (8/5) frequency: 4 b flat}
{Note durationInBeats: (12/5) frequency: 5 c}).
pat1 is a sequence that lasts for 8 beats. You could think of it as a whole note in a measure by itself, followed
by a measure containing a half note followed by a dotted half note with both notes under a bracket
labeled 5:4 or “five in the time of four”.
“But,” you are thinking, “it doesn’t sound like that; it sounds more like a group of five, a group of two,
and a group of three.” The secret lies buried within the TimeIndex parameter of PNO, a FunctionGenerator
called time index. Take a look at the Gate parameter of time index. It is saying that for as long as
the key is held down, the gate should be triggered at the rate of 160 beats per minute — scaled to be a little
bit faster so we can get five beats in the time of four. So whatever pitches this “instrument” plays, it
will play quarter note quintuplets at MM = 160 (something like the notation equivalent of a slash above
the note heads to indicate a 5:4 quarter note tremolo on each note):
!KeyDown bpm: 160 * (5/4)
The changing value of the Morph parameter in pno is not controlled by the MIDI script either. Instead, it
is embedded directly in the parameter field as a function that goes from zero to one over the course of 12
seconds (the first 1 just indicates that the ramp should start immediately and continue for 12 seconds
rather than restarting each time a key goes down; otherwise, you would replace the 1 with !KeyDown):
1 ramp: 12 s
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