Introduction
The Cyclotron is a high-level graphical scripting tool for generating rhythms. It is designed to work in tandem with either rt, a real-time multi-track digital software mixer, or cmix, for more demanding tasks that cannot be handled in real-time. A virtual bicycle wheel with any number of spokes provides the user with a visual tool for imagining and manipulating cycles of events. The specific aural instantiations of any particular cycle are controlled by simple, rt-like, playcycle commands. Several different wheels can be combined simultaneously, allowing the user to experiment with layers of independent cycles. A variety of simple algorithmic tools are built into the scripting language. A warping function, which can create accelerating and decelerating cycles, provides an easy way to explore the interface between rhythm and timbre. Finally, the Cyclotron can be used in a pseudo-granular-synthesis manner to create continuous textures.
more on the interface example 1 example 2