ftp.nice.ch/pub/next/unix/audio/Looching.README

This is the README for Looching.s.tar.gz [Download] [Browse] [Up]

"Looching" is a program which generates pseudo-NewAge (or perhaps it's the
Real McCoy!) music using the Motorola DSP chip.  I wrote it because I like
to have long droning sounds going while I stare at error messages, read
news, move windows around on the screen, etc.  One of the considerations
that went into the design of the program was to make it place as light a
load on the main CPU as possible, so that "Looching" can be hidden away to
do it's droning without interfering.

The sound-controlling process actually sleeps for 10-20 seconds at a time.
You may notice that there are 2 Looching procs running while the sound is
being generated.  This happens so that the sound-controlling process can
sleep while returning control to the interface to accept any parameter
changes (plus allow you to "hide", "quit", etc.).  I didn't use NeXT's fancy
Orchestra scheduler in order to minimize the CPU load, so this may not be
the best example in the world of how to program music stuff on the Cube.

To get "Looching" up & running, simply unpack it and make Looching.  There's
some help menus included.  You will need to install the executable in one of
your local "Apps" directories to see the fancy "Looching" ikon from the
workspace manager.

Hope you enjoy this -- send e-mail with feedback, etc.  I'm intrigued by the
idea of being able to distribute new music like this.  I didn't even have to
dub a cassette!

Brad Garton
Columbia University Music Department
brad@woof.columbia.edu

These are the contents of the former NiCE NeXT User Group NeXTSTEP/OpenStep software archive, currently hosted by Netfuture.ch.