jonnor/sndflo

Visual programming SuperCollider using Flowhub

Data-flow programming for SuperCollider?

sndflo allows to program SuperCollider using the Flowhub visual data-flow IDE.

Status

Proof-of-concept working for wiring up Synth's.

Install

Note: Only tested on GNU/Linux. Should work fine on other platforms with minor adjustments in install.

Prerequities

• SuperCollider (version 3.5 or later)
• node.js

Install

git clone https://github.com/jonnor/sndflo.git
cd sndflo

# Install as SuperCollider extension, ref http://doc.sccode.org/Guides/UsingExtensions.html
# On Linux
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/SuperCollider/Extensions || true
ln -s `pwd` ~/.local/share/SuperCollider/Extensions/sndflo
# On Mac OSX
mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Application Support/SuperCollider/Extensions" || true
ln -s `pwd` "$HOME/Library/Application Support/SuperCollider/Extensions/sndflo"

npm install -g node-gyp
npm install

Running

# For Mac OSX only, specify where sclang is
export PATH=$PATH:/Applications/SuperCollider/SuperCollider.app/Contents/Resources/

node sndflo.js --verbose --user MY_FLOWHUB_UUID

Will start up SuperCollider, loading the sndflo runtime and FBP protocol bridge. On success should output something like

Listening at WebSocket port 3569 
OSC send/receive ports:  57120 57122
Registered with Flowhub, should be accessible in UI

Go to http://app.flowhub.io, refresh the runtime list. You should see our sndflo runtime listed, be able to create projects for 'sndflo' and connect.

Note: on GNU/Linux sclang might fail with a segfault if X11 is not available. You can use xvfb-run to work around this.

Vision

• Program audio pipelines visually, by Synth's wiring together with Busses
• Program synths visually, by creating SynthDefs by combining UGens
• Do not replace sclang, integrate with it
  • Allow to use SynthDefs created in sclang in visual pipelines
  • Allow to drive visually created Synth pipelines using sclang Events/Patterns
• Seamless integration with other FBP
  • MicroFlo for communicating with microcontrollers (sensing/acting)
  • NoFlo for general-purpose use, and generating composition/scores
  • Combined audio processing with noflo-webaudio
• Program scores visually, using Streams and Patterns

Usecases

• Generative & algorithmic composed music
• Reactive and interactive art installations
• Audio effect pipelines, processing sound inputs
• Audio and music analysis, feature extraction

sndflo's Issues

error running soundflo

ERROR: duplicate Class found: 'SndFloUiConnection'
/home/s***/.local/share/SuperCollider/Extensions/sndflo/classes/Runtime.sc
/home/s***/.local/share/SuperCollider/Extensions/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/classes/Runtime.sc

ERROR: duplicate Class found: 'SndFloRuntime'
/home/s***/.local/share/SuperCollider/Extensions/sndflo/classes/Runtime.sc
/home/s***/.local/share/SuperCollider/Extensions/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/classes/Runtime.sc

ERROR: duplicate Class found: 'SndFlo'
/home/s***/.local/share/SuperCollider/Extensions/sndflo/classes/SndFlo.sc
/home/s***/.local/share/SuperCollider/Extensions/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/classes/SndFlo.sc

terminate called after throwing an instance of 'boost::filesystem::filesystem_error'

what(): boost::filesystem::status: Too many levels of symbolic links: "/home/s***/.local/share/SuperCollider/Extensions/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo/sndflo"

/home/s***/Programs/sndflo/sndflo.coffee:345
throw err;
^

Error: Runtime exited with non-zero code: null :SIGABRT
at ChildProcess. (/home/s***/Programs/sndflo/sndflo.coffee:115:26)
at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:193:13)
at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:255:12)

Example: Load a graph, send events from SuperCollider pattern/stream

Connecting two nodes to same port causes silence

existing OUT -> IN recv
new OUT -> IN recv // breaks

Possibly due to execution order problem in scsynth?

Protocol: Consider making OSC a FBP transport

The adapter code would then be unncessary, implemented in noflo-runtime instead. Would allow easy use in the Flowhub Chrome app for instance...
Discovery remains a challenge though. Maybe just use live-mode URL?

The WebSocket bridging code could be generic for when needing to use webapp? MicroFlo could also use this...

Code for components not showing on open

noflo-ui does not send the component:source message on WebSocket on hitting "Open"...

Multiple graphs/networks not handled

If you would switch graphs in Flowhub right now, it would modify the already set up network, leading to much confusion and breakage

See also: noflo-webaudio for browser synths

@automata's https://github.com/automata/noflo-webaudio

Protocol: Send default values & types of ports across

Multiple running network after reconnect

If disconnected while network running, reconnecting Flowhub and then hitting "start" again. We get two networks running, where it is impossible to stop the first network

Streaming to browser/other devices

Should be low latency. In my experience this is tricky with HTML5 video/audio element (usually supporting HTTP/RTP etc), so it could be that WebRTC or WebSocket+WebAudio is way to go.

We could either hook into JACK, or SuperCollider itself. SuperCollider might also allow us to spy on internal busses, useful for debugging (edge introspection)

Mostly finding dead projects so far...

• http://sourceforge.net/projects/jackrtp/

Allow writing custom synthdefs in Flowhub

SuperCollider normally interprets synthdefs to load them over to server, so should be pretty doable

Implement remote subgraph support

Will allow seamless interoperation with NoFlo and other FBP runtimes