[L2Ork-dev] Expression of interest in GSoC 2020

[Jonathan Wilkes]

On Mon, Mar 23, 2020 at 7:58 AM Tsz Kiu Pang <osamupang at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Jonathan,
>
> Thank you very much for your feedback.
> Sorry for the late reply, the virus situation in the last two weeks has been quite disruptive.
>
>
> On Mon, 9 Mar 2020 at 12:15, Jonathan Wilkes <jon.w.wilkes at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 8, 2020 at 6:23 PM Tsz Kiu Pang <osamupang at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Thank you very much for your feedback. To me it seems like this project
>> > is not as hard as other projects or projects from other organizations.
>>
>> Some of the implementation may not be as complicated, but conceptually
>> that project is more difficult than the others. (See below.)
>>
>> Also know that if you have a project idea not listed there you may suggest it.
>> You are not limited to the project ideas listed on the summer of code repo.
>>
>> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Perhaps the other GSoC admins can chime in here?
>> >
>> >
>> > It would be great if I could get some feedback from other people, especially
>> > if anyone in Australia who has successfully completed GSoC with Purr Data before.
>>
>> As far as I know we haven't had a student from Australia before.
>>
>> Please search to see if you can find information on any Australian GSoC students
>> from previous years.
>>
>> >
>> >>
>> >> As far as the projects: I think you're on the right track for the
>> >> "warm vinyl" idea. For the ambition of GSoC
>> >> that would probably be one of a small collection of "fake news"
>> >> objects. I'm happy to give some more feedback
>> >> on that and the other project ideas if you'd like.
>> >
>>
>> >
>> > Yes, it would be great if you could please provide me with more feedback.
>> > Another question that I have is to what scale of this fake news library you are expecting?
>> > (e.g. how many objects?)
>>
>> I'd say enough objects to make the library practically useful for
>> artists and teachers. That
>> could potentially be a single class, but I was thinking at least a
>> handful of classes when I wrote
>> that idea.
>>
>> Here' the process I was imagining:
>>
>> 1. Identify a common misconception in DSP or electronic music.
>> 2. Consider what the output in Pd would look/sound like if that
>> misconception were true.
>> 3. Implement an external that produces that output.
>>
>> So if you have found a common misconception that vinyl is "warmer"
>> than digital output,
>> you'd want to consider what "colder" output would sound like coming
>> from, say, some kind of
>> filter you build for Purr Data.
>
>
> I have just created a merge request on GitLab,
> https://git.purrdata.net/jwilkes/purr-data/-/merge_requests/330
> which contains a `fakenews` directory in the `externals` with a `vinyl~` object in it.
> This effect is currently implemented as a low shelf filter, which serves as a starting point to imitate the "warm" sound that a vinyl produces.
> To get to the ideal sound, there are still a couple of things to do:
> 1.  Add the "crackling" sound of vinyl
> 2.  Use a high shelf filter to decrease the amplitude of some high frequency component
>
> In addition to that, I am also planning to
> 1.  Implement a `digital~` object with a high shelf filter to boost the high frequency components to implement a "cold" sound of digital music, as suggested by you.
> 2.  Test the filters thoroughly.
> 3.  Document these objects clearly in the `*-help.pd` patches.
>
> I would much appreciate any feedback.

This sounds interesting. I'll have a look at what you've written when
I get a chance.

How about an object based on this misconception mentioned from the project idea:

"as the frequency in a digital audio signal approaches Nyquist the
accuracy of that signal degrades"

I think having a handful of objects like this would be good idea--
perhaps if you can think of one or two more to add to
what you currently have. (You might check some digital audio and
recording forums to see if you can find a few more
misconceptions to build on.)

Also, you should think about how you can take this idea and really
refine each object over the course of the
summer so that the objects are generally useful. I think your "warm"
vinyl idea is a good start-- by the end of the
summer it should end up as something more than a rudimentary filter.

Does that sound like something which you would be able to successfully complete?

>
>>
>> Then you feed the output of some patch through that filter and let
>> someone listen who believes the
>> misconception. If the implementation was a success, they should reply
>> that the output indeed
>> sounds "digital" and "less warm than vinyl." Then you can remove the
>> filter to show them that it
>> was a trick/fake news.
>
>
> To get feedback from "someone", I guess you are referring to the purr data community?

No. Someone who believes the misconception would be a person who
believes, say, that
analog synths always sound "warmer" and "more present" than digital synths.

Let me know if you have any more questions. Stay safe and sane during
this pandemic!

Best,
Jonathan

>
>>
>> Of course, you must ensure the misconception is indeed a
>> misconception. The more evidence you
>> have for a specific misconception, the more useful the objects will
>> be. Vinyl was just a broad starting point
>> for this project idea; there are many others to explore. The more
>> widespread the misconception, the better.
>>
>> -Jonathan
>>
>> >
>> > Kind regards,
>> > Tsz Kiu
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>
>
> I hope you are staying safe and healthy.
>
> Kind regards,
> Tsz Kiu
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