Motivation
Potential
• new compositional and performance practices
• somewhere in the middle of composition and improvisation
• new levels of interaction and feedback
• network performance / distributed scores
Existing technologies?
• Max/MSP/Jitter
• Finale
• PDF

Display
eScore BROWSER
Scatter, Scrolling & Pages

Pages Display
• Preview, and Current area
• Read just like a paper score
• Composer/Computer will be building the preview area in advance
• Composer/Computer/Performer changes page
• Large compose time, dependent on page size and tempo

Scrolling Display
• Can be problematic due to graphics becoming blurred
• when moving at fractions of a pixel per frame.
• Larger chunks of material distracting.
• Alternative is to having a scrolling line indicating current position.
• This method lends itself to rhythmical material.
• composer must be composing slightly out of the peripheral vision.

Scatter Display
• Material sent immediately to the screen
• Response is as quick as the performer can react to the new position.
• Not all material is suited to this method of display
• improvisatory and shorter passages are more successful.
• The compose time is very short
• Leave No Trace fragments were generated and displayed in <10 ms

Scatter display in ‘Leave No Trace’
video example

Composition
eScore APP
Material Types
• Text
• Musical Notation
• Graphical Images
• Video
Tools
• Methods of sending material to machines
• Compiling material types, and parts for machines
• Cues and structural setup
• Monitor performances
• Networking / communication

Notation
core single complex
elements events events
II.
eScore eScore
WEB & APP APP: “Event Builder”

core notational elements
eScore DATABASE
Images
Illustrator
SVG
or Gimp
Format
Fonts
via eScore APP, or eScore WEB

eScore DATABASE
eScore WEB
SVGs, PNGs, Fonts
eScore APP
eScore BROWSER

eScore DATABASE
• Symbol Name - a name for the symbol
• Tags - each symbol can be tagged, and filtered by tags
• SVG Data - so data can easily be edited at a later date.
• Drawing Data - optimised code for real-time access
• Raster Data - rasterised version of the data
• Bounds & Relative Position - to stave, or other on screen object
• Namespace - a unique identifier by which data is called by

Event Designer
• A tool where one can design singular and complex events
• Allows a composer to restrict and impose different parameters of a
musical phrase, and if required some flexibility
• Library of algorithmic processes, can be extended by OpenMusic
• Everything is rendered as XML, MusicXML where possible imported too
• Also stored in eScore DB - but usually only locally

Networking
• OpenSoundControl - each machine addressed
• all drawing methods are addressed - low and high level
• events are addressed (compiled application for each instrument)
• Wired or Wireless Networking using UDP - can be done on the internet
• Communication between display machines

Undecided
Christopher McClelland
• Pages display method
• Display screen is divided into two ‘pages’, left and right.
• One ‘page’ is faded out which is the buffer or ‘preview’ area
• this is where the score is being built by the composer.
• The other (current) page, is the page currently being performed.
• When the performer has finished it then becomes the preview area.
• Developed in Java, and is cross platform
• Library of musical symbols in SVG format
• Symbols stored in an sqlite database.

Thank you
Contact
• c.mcclelland@qub.ac.uk
• http://www.sarc.qub.ac.uk/~escore
• http://www.realtimenotation.com/escore
SONIC ARTS RESEARCH CENTRE