Charming Chaos Tutorial By Tim Conrardy 1. Double click on CHAOS.PRG. Program opens up to a VST style module. 2.To get some immeadiate action from CC (Charming Chaos) select the PLAY button in the transport area. You should now hear the "chaos " portion of CC as many of it's algorithms play agienst each other. . When you have had enough, select the Square STOP button. 3.Now lets make some "tonal" or even pleasant music to generate. In the main view, you will see four sections or modules. Each is a different generator, but identicle to each other.On the far right of each module is a a set of increment buttons. This is to adjust the algorithm used for the module. For this experiment, adjust all 4 modules to algorithm 9 (the end one) 4.When ready, select the Play button on the transport bar.You should hear a pleasant sounding Chaos this time around. However, it is going a bit too fast. You can adjust the tempo while it is playing with the Tempo increment buttons below the trasport. Slow down the tempo to 70 bpm. Much nicer! 5.Now lets have a bit of fun. You will see some funny labled "leds' with each module: TM, AM, PM, CM. These are for the Modulation of the algorithm.You will notice CM (controller modulation) is already selected. You should also hear (if using a stereo module) that the output is panning back and forth.This is caused by modulation of Controller no 10 (panning) 6. Now select PM (pitch modulation) for each module so it is highlighted. Play your MIDI keyboard. Your playing will modulate the notes to what you are playing on your MIDI keyboard. This is an excellent real-time element that is not present on most algorithmic generators. This feature alone makes this application a blast to use. You can also change keys using this function so CC is not so monotanous. You have to experiment and adapt your playing to create changes. 7.Here is another real-time element: try moving your pitch bend wheel. You will see that it adjusts the TEMPO of CC while it is playing! A bit tricky to work with but can be very usefull. 8.Now lets try changing an algorithm. On the transport bar is an icon that looks like DNA. Select this and you are brought into the DNA Seed Contruction module.Here you can create your own algorithms 9.To the far bottom left is the 'seed select' section. This tells you what algorithm you are editing. There is also a copy function that lets you copy one algorithm parameters to another location.Lets try this. The default algorithm to copy to is # 0. Change it to 9. Now change the EDIT algorithm to 1. Select the Big Button by the arrow. This copies algorithm 9's parameters to algorithm 1. 10.At this point, try changing some of the parameters, such as the icons in the Velocity Mapper, the Seed Mode (fromm mono to poly) Change the "beat Template". Also the Note Valuse (8th notes, quarter Notes and sixteenth notes) Also try changing the Depth and Rate controls of the KeyMapper. You could change the scale as well by clicking into the keyboard graphic. But for now, lets keep it the same. When you are ready, select the Check Mark Icon. 11.You are brought back to the main module. At the present time, all the modules are set for algorithm # 9. On one of the modules, decrease the algorithm to no 1, which is the one you just edited. Now PLAY.You will hear some more variations created by the other parameters you have set in your editied version of the algorithm. 12. The trick to working with the DNA Seed construction module is to select what algorithm you want to work on, have a module display that algorithm, and then go into the edit mode. Make sure the "Seed Select" area is set to the correct algorithm, and have at it.Experimentation is the key here. You can also save your algorithms with the Disc Icon.(from within the DNA Seed construction module.) 13. When you feel you have created a good set of algorithms, you can save the whole thing by selecting the In-Arrow Disc Icon, or Save AS from the Menu items. 14. To record the performance as a MIDI file, simply select the RED button on the transport bar.A dialog comes up asking: RECORD MIDI FILE TO DISC? Select START. The item selector appears. Put in a good file name with the MIDI extension and go OK. CC starts recording and saving the generated piece AS IT IS PLAYING. You can also tweak things while it is doing so, and it will record your actions. When you feel you are done, select STOP and rest be assured your performance was recorded (in real-time) 15. There are also a lot of HOT KEYS you can use while it is generating. A good one is CNTRL-1 thru 4. These are the mute/unmute hotkeys for the 4 modules. Also for each module, you can change its Patch, and Midi channel by selecting the appropreiate areas of the module. There is also an area where you can input controlller messages , the defaults being Volume and Panning. Refer to the Controller messages Chart. 16. This should get you started on your exploration of Charming Chaos!There are probably details not covered here, but refer to the manual. Now now you can go ahead and make some CHAOS that is very Charming! ================================================================= DOWNLOAD, UPLOAD and LINKS Upload your Charming Chaos MIDI files and DNA seeds here. The TXT file of the manual is also there: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/atari-midi/files/AOTM/DEC2001_CHARM/ Web page at Electronic Cow: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/electronic_cow/chaos.htm Download: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/electronic_cow/software/chaos.zip The manual: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/electronic_cow/manuals/chaos.htm ==================================================