Life Generative Sequencer by Retouch Control

[moalla]

It is in the zone of ”no idea what I am doing”. And while not knowing, combining with other players one does not master, it can feel like being in a lab. It is not always useful, but now and then you stumble into interesting patterns that could set you in a certain mood. I am sometimes in that uninspired lab-mood, and it serves a purpose. Also if one wants to make up moods that may be more like soudscaping. But for songwriting, I am not finding the generative road as lucrative, although it could be used for that too.

I´m torn, one side this player gives some real special randomness, at the other side some klicks and a drumpattern is made. Otherweise yeah it´s much cooler than pattermutator which is seven times overpriced, so this player is something beetween PSQ-1684 and Evolution, with lower functions but more intuitive an uncomplicated.

Do i need a conways life sequencer, or is it like Yonatan wrote about, it´s amazing to create soundcapes but for songwriting it´s in most terms useless. The way it works is as "probability" sequencer when i understand it in the right way, closer to modular hardware than the rest of the players, but i can hear only noticeable differences when i change dots for drums, but for melodic stuff it´s not the big dealbraker.

For people who want more information about the logic behind
https://people.ece.cornell.edu/land/cou ... index.html

[challism]

each variation can store a new XYZ setting, so in a way it kinda does have automation

The variations cannot be automated, which seems like a lost opportunity.

Yes, missed opportunities with the lack of automation and CV inputs. I wish the dev updates this player with plenty of automation (everything that can be automated) andV inputs. I don't understand when devs release devices without full automation and CV in/out. (BTW, nice job with the CV outs on this device... we just need some ins).

ReTouch Control, please report to the emergency room.. ReTouch Control, please report to the emergency room.

[huggermugger]

The variations cannot be automated, which seems like a lost opportunity.

Yes, missed opportunities with the lack of automation and CV inputs. I wish the dev updates this player with plenty of automation (everything that can be automated) andV inputs. I don't understand when devs release devices without full automation and CV in/out. (BTW, nice job with the CV outs on this device... we just need some ins).

ReTouch Control, please report to the emergency room.. ReTouch Control, please report to the emergency room.

The variations can be automated, and also controlled by CV in a Combinator. The only thing that can't be controlled, afaik, is the X Y Z controls.

[RetouchControl]

Yes, missed opportunities with the lack of automation and CV inputs. I wish the dev updates this player with plenty of automation (everything that can be automated) andV inputs. I don't understand when devs release devices without full automation and CV in/out. (BTW, nice job with the CV outs on this device... we just need some ins).

ReTouch Control, please report to the emergency room.. ReTouch Control, please report to the emergency room.

The variations can be automated, and also controlled by CV in a Combinator. The only thing that can't be controlled, afaik, is the X Y Z controls.

Hello Folks,

thanks to all for the interest in the Life player. Just wanted to add some quick comments. As "huggermugger" pointed out (thank you, btw!), the Variations can be automated. Because that bit of the interface is implemented as a display, the usual "Alt+click" to create an automation lane won't work. But if you create a track for the player, then you'll see "Variation Select" in the list of all the parameters which can be automated.

Regarding automation of the X, Y, and Z, the original plan was of course to make those available for automation, however, there were some technical issues (display performance) which made it not possible. So it was not for lack of trying, it just did not work out

Hope this gives some insight.

[challism]

The variations can be automated, and also controlled by CV in a Combinator. The only thing that can't be controlled, afaik, is the X Y Z controls.

Hello Folks,

thanks to all for the interest in the Life player. Just wanted to add some quick comments. As "huggermugger" pointed out (thank you, btw!), the Variations can be automated. Because that bit of the interface is implemented as a display, the usual "Alt+click" to create an automation lane won't work. But if you create a track for the player, then you'll see "Variation Select" in the list of all the parameters which can be automated.

Regarding automation of the X, Y, and Z, the original plan was of course to make those available for automation, however, there were some technical issues (display performance) which made it not possible. So it was not for lack of trying, it just did not work out

Hope this gives some insight.

That makes sense. And thank you for chiming in! What about the possibility of adding a few CV inputs for us?

As huggermugger pointed out earlier, X, Y, and Z automation can be crudely achieved if you save each slight turn of the knobs to a new variation, then automate the variations.

I wonder if a solution to X, Y, Z automation could be to deactivate or freeze the display when automation is happening? There could even be a message on the screen that explains why the screen is frozen.

[Faastwalker]

About those 'Output' controls on the right. They appear to have a kind of greyed out look! Is this deliberate?

[moalla]

What do you think about the possibilities of this sequencer, reason folks?

[RetouchControl]

I wonder if a solution to X, Y, Z automation could be to deactivate or freeze the display when automation is happening? There could even be a message on the screen that explains why the screen is frozen.

CV control is a good suggestion, although the frozen screen is not really desirable given that the visual feedback is a key feature of the device. Maybe there is a way around it. Let's see what happens

[RetouchControl]

About those 'Output' controls on the right. They appear to have a kind of greyed out look! Is this deliberate?

Are you referring to the color of the text for the notes? If you are not using Reason 12, then the grey appears somewhat darker .

[selig]

About those 'Output' controls on the right. They appear to have a kind of greyed out look! Is this deliberate?

Are you referring to the color of the text for the notes? If you are not using Reason 12, then the grey appears somewhat darker .

I’m not the one who asked the question, but I see all the knobs in the output section looking washed out compared to the other knobs, as if they are inactive.
I got this wonderful Player to take advantage of the sale but have not had the chance to figure out ever feature, and assumed that section was not active because of the color of the knobs…

[jam-s]

32x32 is a rather small area for game of life. Does it have closed loop boundaries (so that if one cell on the edge would influence the cell on the other side of the screen)?

No, cell generation and influence doesn't wrap around. The four sides of the grid are hard limits to evolution.

I think it would be a nice feature to have a button then to enable wrap around borders as this would allow for some nice infinite patterns. Still 32 by 32 is really small to get something really interesting going on in GoL.

[electrofux]

Does the device produce varying note lenghts within a pattern? Because most generative devices tend to sequence the same 1/16th or whatever note length and that most often results in fiddledidlle patterns. Evolution however produces patterns that are much more viariable and with some luck you can get a nice hook out of nowhere.

[Eski]

Does the device produce varying note lenghts within a pattern? Because most generative devices tend to sequence the same 1/16th or whatever note length and that most often results in fiddledidlle patterns. Evolution however produces patterns that are much more viariable and with some luck you can get a nice hook out of nowhere.

It doesn't look like it to me but maybe automating the rate dial as it plays could produce something similar. I don't think this device is trying to be Evolution, it' seems closer to PSQ1684 in some ways but without all the CV.

[Eski]

Just another thought, stacking 2 off these players is another option to mix note lengths.

[huggermugger]

Does the device produce varying note lenghts within a pattern? Because most generative devices tend to sequence the same 1/16th or whatever note length and that most often results in fiddledidlle patterns. Evolution however produces patterns that are much more viariable and with some luck you can get a nice hook out of nowhere.

Don't think so. Here are four random creations, rate is 1/16th. All notes are 1/16th note duration, even when the same pitch is repeated.

[ksniod]

Does the device produce varying note lenghts within a pattern? Because most generative devices tend to sequence the same 1/16th or whatever note length and that most often results in fiddledidlle patterns. Evolution however produces patterns that are much more viariable and with some luck you can get a nice hook out of nowhere.

Don't think so. Here are four random creations, rate is 1/16th. All notes are 1/16th note duration, even when the same pitch is repeated.

Maybe add AutoLatch MIDI Gate (Static Cling)?

[huggermugger]

Maybe add AutoLatch MIDI Gate (Static Cling)?

Ah, I'm a big fan of AutoLatch, it's so useful for adding life to the generative patterns of many Players. But it would only change the length of incoming Life notes. So all the 16ths would become 8ths, even if they ended up overlapping. AutoLatch won't join the ones that overlap. You'd still hear that steady 16th note pulse.

I think electrofux is wondering if Life can produce notes of varying lengths, like what Evolution does.

[RetouchControl]

I’m not the one who asked the question, but I see all the knobs in the output section looking washed out compared to the other knobs, as if they are inactive.
I got this wonderful Player to take advantage of the sale but have not had the chance to figure out ever feature, and assumed that section was not active because of the color of the knobs…

That's interesting.... those knobs are actually part of the RE stock graphics! But now that you pointed it out, I can see why one could get the impression that they are disabled. They are NOT!

[RetouchControl]

I think it would be a nice feature to have a button then to enable wrap around borders as this would allow for some nice infinite patterns. Still 32 by 32 is really small to get something really interesting going on in GoL.

The wrap-around is a good suggestion

[RetouchControl]

Does the device produce varying note lenghts within a pattern? Because most generative devices tend to sequence the same 1/16th or whatever note length and that most often results in fiddledidlle patterns. Evolution however produces patterns that are much more viariable and with some luck you can get a nice hook out of nowhere.

Not without automating or controlling via CV the Sequencer Rate. For the latter, you'll have to place the player inside a combinator.

[SebAudio]

I’m not the one who asked the question, but I see all the knobs in the output section looking washed out compared to the other knobs, as if they are inactive.
I got this wonderful Player to take advantage of the sale but have not had the chance to figure out ever feature, and assumed that section was not active because of the color of the knobs…

That's interesting.... those knobs are actually part of the RE stock graphics! But now that you pointed it out, I can see why one could get the impression that they are disabled. They are NOT!

Because of those knobs the right part of the player looks amateurish and not related to the left part. You should change them

[Re8et]

I just saw it is possible to have infinite length patterns... I'm speechless... AMAZING!!
Next video and song will be an infinite sequence for sure...
I need to find the pattern that moves around forever...
There was a whole community wrapped around the first Life Maker by John Colway for ever evolving life forms, from
small worm like to flower of life - city at night style from the sky like... already a song or album title there..
Would be cool to have folders with various auto-extinguishing short patterns, and infinite short (I mean little) patterns,
with maybe also a cut and paste... that would be level 400... final BOSS!
Imagine the fun if it was CRT times and we had a light gun...

Also, if it's possible to add a clear pattern right click function.
There are short auto-extinguishing patterns that are very cool for melody creation, which shortened to 8 bars,
gives very nice rhythmic results. Merge a few of those with an infinite ever evolving pattern (not so easy to find)
And it's perfect creativity and fun merged in a single tool.

Player of the Year!?
The Layer idea is awesome.
I still have to understand what are the M for in notes...

free COMBI 2.0 Life Player patch ! viewtopic.php?f=69&t=7529752&p=622170#p622170

[Bes]

at stage 9999 the device returns an error so infinite is still limited

Re8et you should check out variation 4 of my patch
roses and thorns - bes

it evolves into an infinite symmetry that i liken to a medieval social dance of some kind

[Re8et]

at stage 9999 the device returns an error so infinite is still limited

Re8et you should check out variation 4 of my patch
roses and thorns - bes

it evolves into an infinite symmetry that i liken to a medieval social dance of some kind

The drawing resembles an actual medieval gothic cathedral rosette, one of those hidden codex for musical notes or
frequencies... you gave me an idea...

regarding stage 9999, it takes 36 mins to reach it at 125Bpm. 4,30 min at 999 Bpm (Reason can't go over 999).
I got the error too. Your pattern looks like it's self 'regenerating after maybe 100 stage, repeating a somewhat regular
pattern, but it's not ever evolving as if it was some sort of fractal, which was the case in the original Conway Life Maker for
the most peculiar patterns.
I have yet to find the original library for those Patterns. I believe (think) I have some examples in My OG Mac.

A freeze function could loop the last - 100 stages, mimicking a infinite procedural, until someone don't come out with a true fractal evolving patterns, no one would ever notice it's tricking on you...

[Bes]

be sure to share a patch if you find an example.
in all of my explorations trying to create the slowest death whilst retaining atleast a 2-fold symmetry produced the most interesting musical results especially since the pitch map can be tuned to retain or undermine that symmetry