The Kyma Language for Sound Design, Version 4.5

First, in the Class Description field, enter a short description of what this class does. Then select
left in the Parameter list. In the Comment field, remind the user (and yourself many months in the
future when you try to use this Sound again but have forgotten how you set it up) that this is the level of
the left channel, and that the level on the right channel is one minus this value. With left still selected,
change the Field from positiveScale to hotPositiveScale.
Select Variable and enter a comment for this variable as well.
Close the class editor, and save the changes to the edited class. Try out opening Stereo again and paste
the Event Value !Pan into the Left parameter field. Try playing Stereo and controlling the value of
!Pan from the virtual control surface (or MIDI controller). Once you have finished experimenting, close
the Sound editor.
Now let’s improve the stereo placement function. Find the example you retrieved (it should be called
StereoLocator and should have variables in it). Edit it and replace its right parameter with
(1 - ?left squared) sqrt
You may have to choose Large window… (Ctrl+L) from the Edit menu to make the field large enough to
see what you are doing. Close the Sound editor and keep the changes you have made.
Choose New class from example from the Action menu, supply a value for ?left and click on Default
Sound for Variable. This time we don’t have to start from scratch. Drag Stereo from the Sound file window
into the Icon field, and then drag it again into the Parameter field. This sets the icon, parameter
types, and locations to those specified in class Stereo.
Type in ImprovedStereo for the name of this new class. Tab over to the Class Description field
and enter a new description. Close the class editor and save an instance of the new class. Compare the
panning of ImprovedStereo to that of Stereo.
Algorithmic Sound Construction: Your Computer is your Slave
You have by now seen multiple examples of how to construct Sounds in the graphical editor. In those
cases where you can systematically describe the relationships between Sounds and parameters, you can
use the Script Sound to construct complex Sounds for you automatically, according to an algorithm that
you specify in the Smalltalk-80 programming language. Your program can be as simple as a series of
events, saying when each Sound should start, or as elaborate as a new system for music composition. To
specify events, all you have to learn is how to specify the start time of a Sound. For more elaborate projects,
you have the power of a full programming language — Smalltalk-80 — to work with.
Let’s start with simple event script and, step-by-step, develop it into a short program. Find Script in the
Algorithms category of the system prototypes window, drag a copy into your Sound file window, and
open a Sound editor by double-clicking on it. Replace its input wavelet with Attenuator from the system
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