The Kyma Language for Sound Design, Version 4.5

Tap Tempo
This file contains examples of Sounds that can, in various ways, match a tempo that you establish by tapping
on the MIDI keyboard (or other MIDI controllers). You can use these Sounds as examples of how to
set up your own Sounds for live performances with more than one performer (or for that matter, in any
situation where you might have a need to measure the time it takes for someone to tap one key or switch
followed by another).
For example, select and play the Sound called tap tempo sample. As per the instructions that appear on
the virtual control surface, tap the 2 C on your MIDI keyboard followed by the 2 D. The sample is triggered
at the same rate at which you play the two keys on the keyboard. Listen to the tempo, and try
playing something twice as fast or twice as slow.
The Heart of the Clock
Double-click the Sound called stop watch to see how you can use Kyma Sounds to measure time.
The rightmost Sound is an Annotation; double-click it so you can read the explanation in the Text parameter:
Play 2 c to start the clock, and 2 d to stop it. Its value is one tenth
of the number of seconds between start and stop. 2 c triggers a FunctionGenerator
to start a ramp that takes 10 s. 2 d triggers a
TriggeredSampleAndHold on that ramp.
In other words, suppose you have a friend who can run at an unerringly constant speed of 10 kilometers
per hour. Imagine that you look at your watch, and at exactly 11:30 am, you yell, “Start!” Your friend
starts running, and you follow alongside driving a car (not because you are lazy, just because the car has
an odometer). After a while you yell “Stop,” slam on the brakes and read from the odometer that you
have traveled 5 km. If your friend can really maintain a constant rate of 10 km per hour, then you know
exactly how much time has passed without even looking at your watch. Since 5 km is one half of 10 km, it
must have taken half an hour to run that far. So you let your friend get in the car and you go out to have
lunch together.
In this Sound, the FunctionGenerator is the person running. Double-click on it. The Wavetable is Ramp
(a straight line from zero up to one) and the OnDuration is 10 s. The way to trigger this Sound is not by
yelling “Start!” but by pressing MIDI key number 36, as you can see in the Trigger field:
!KeyNumber eq: 36
The way to yell “Stop!” and measure how far the ramp function got is seen in the next Sound to the right,
the TriggeredSampleAndHold. Its Trigger
!KeyNumber eq: 38
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