You are viewing a web version of AudioMulch's help file.

Getting Started

What is AudioMulch?

AudioMulch is modular, real-time audio software. You can use AudioMulch to synthesize and process live and pre-recorded sound. AudioMulch has a range of modules, called contraptions, that can be connected or patched together to generate sound, route audio and create a range of processed sounds. Each contraption has a graphical interface that you can use to control and interact with the sound. As well as its own internal contraptions, AudioMulch can host plugins such as VST and VSTi plugins, and Audio Unit plugins on Macintosh.

AudioMulch operates in real-time, therefore the software responds instantaneously to changes that you make, and sonic output can be heard immediately. This allows you to interact with the sound from moment to moment. There are also a range of automation features, with which you can pre-determine certain parameters in your work. You can record the sounds you create in AudioMulch to sound files.

AudioMulch is used in studio composition and recording, live, computer-based improvisation and performances with instrumental musicians. The software has been used to create many styles of music including electronica, industrial rock, pop, techno, electroacoustic and acousmatic composition. The real-time nature of AudioMulch makes it ideal for improvisation and live performance.

Navigating the User Interface

The Main Window: Patcher, Properties and Automation Panes, and the Contraptions Palette

The AudioMulch user interface opens with a single window divided into three panes: The Patcher (1), Properties (2) and Automation (3) panes as shown in the image above. Each of these panes is described below.

The size of each pane is variable; you can resize them by clicking and dragging the dividers between the panes. You can show and hide each pane by clicking on the buttons from the Views Toolbar: (Patcher), (Properties) and (Automation). You can also access these panes using the View menu and its associated keyboard shortcuts (F5, F6 and F7 on Windows, Command-5, Command-6 and Command-7 on Macintosh).

The Patcher Pane

Pane number 1 on the screenshot above is the Patcher Pane. You connect contraptions together in this pane to create patches. You also use this pane to change the way contraptions are connected and to visually organise the patch.

Within the Patcher Pane on the left is the Contraptions Palette. This contains a list of all the AudioMulch contraptions. You can create contraptions in the following ways:

Select the contraption that you want to use from the Contraptions Palette by clicking on it and drag-and-drop it into the Patcher Pane on the right.
Double-click on the contraption you want to use and it will appear in the Patcher Pane. You can also right-click on the chosen contraption in the list and select Create Contraption from the popup context menu.
You can also add contraptions to the Patcher Pane directly by using the context menu in the Patcher itself. Right-click in the Patcher Pane to display the context menu, select New, then select the contraption you want by navigating the contraption categories in the menu.

Whichever method you've used to create a contraption, it will now be visible in the Patcher Pane. You can repeat this action for any number of contraptions.

To connect contraptions together you can click on an output of one contraption and drag a patch cord to an input of another with the mouse. To delete a patch cord you can click on it to select it and press delete on the keyboard. Patch cords can be seen in the screenshot above - they are the lines that join the inputs and outputs. You can read more about Inputs and Outputs further down this page in the Contraptions section.

To hear any sound, you must have a SoundOut contraption in the Patcher Pane. The SoundOut contraption represents the audio output of AudioMulch. All other contraptions must connect to the SoundOut directly, or through another contraption, to be heard.

There are many other ways to connect and alter patches in the patcher pane. Go to the Patcher Guide page of this Help File for more information about the Patcher Pane and advanced Patcher controls.

The Properties Pane

Pane number 2 on the screenshot above is the Properties Pane. Most contraptions have their own Property Editor, which can be displayed in the Properties Pane. The Property Editors allow you to change the various parameters of a contraption by adjusting the contraption controls, all of which affect the sound. To open the Property Editor for a contraption, double click on the contraption in the Patcher. To hide a Property Editor, click on the close button (X) of the Property Editor. Note: buses and AuxIn/Outs do not have their own Property Editors as they do not have properties to edit.

Go to the Contraptions Overview page of this Help File for information on common contraption controls and how to use them.

The Automation Pane

Pane number 3 on the screenshot above is the Automation Pane. In this pane you can pre-plan aspects of the music you are creating. Almost all contraption parameters can have their own automation channel. To activate an automation channel, in the Properties Pane, right-click on the contraption parameter you want to automate and select Automate.

You can also activate and de-activate automation channels using the Parameter Control window, which can be shown by clicking the button on the Views toolbar, choosing the Parameter Control item in the View menu, or by using the associated keyboard shortcut (F3 on Windows, Command-3 on Macintosh). Click on the contraption you are working with from the list in the Parameter Control window, choose the parameter you want to automate from the list, and check or uncheck the Automate box.

Go to the Automation Overview page of this Help File for more information on Automation.

Contraptions

AudioMulch contraptions generate and process sound. They fall into the following categories: Input/Output contraptions, Signal Generators, Effects, Filters, Dynamics, Mixers and Buses. AudioMulch also supports VST, VSTi and Audio Unit plugins.

The Patcher Pane section above describes how to create contraptions and edit their properties.

Go to the Contraptions Overview page of this Help File for information on the contraptions and how to use them. If you are using a contraption in AudioMulch and want to know more about it, you can click on the ? button on the contraption's Property Editor. This will open the Help File for that contraption. You can also access the Help File for each contraption by right-clicking on a contraption in the Contraptions Palette, and selecting Help from the popup context menu, or by right-clicking on a contraption in the Patcher Pane and selecting Help from the popup context menu.

Inputs and Outputs

Signal Generator contraptions have outputs that appear on the bottom of the contraption in the patcher. These contraptions generate sound but don't process sounds from other contraptions; therefore, they don't have inputs.

Contraptions in the Effects, Filters, Dynamics, Buses and Mixers categories have inputs on the top of the contraption and outputs on the bottom.

When you roll over an input or output with the mouse, a popup tool tip displays information about that input or output. To switch off the tool tips, uncheck Show Contraption Input/Output Info in the View menu.

The Patcher Pane section above gives a brief description of how to connect inputs and outputs.

Go to the Patcher Guide page of this Help File for information on more advanced patcher usage.

Real-time Audio and Transport Toolbar Controls

In order to make any sound with AudioMulch, the Enable Audio button in the toolbar needs to be activated. By default, when AudioMulch is first installed, Enable Audio is already active. When activated, the Enable Audio button looks like this: . Click on the button to deactivate Enable Audio. When deactivated, the button looks like this: . You can also activate/deactivate Enable Audio through the Control menu. To process real-time audio input using the SoundIn contraption, the Use Input File option of the SoundIn contraption must be disabled.

Some contraptions are clock-based and require that the clock be started to make sound. In general, contraptions that synchronize to a beat such as Drums, Bassline and Arpeggiator depend on the clock. A number of other contraptions also offer beat synchronization as an option. To find out if a contraption is clock-based, click on ? at the top right of the contraption's Property Editor, which will take you to the Help File page for that contraption. This page will tell you if the contraption is clock-based.

The clock can be started and stopped by clicking on the the Play and Stop buttons on the toolbar or by pressing the space bar on the keyboard. These commands can also be accessed from the Control menu. The clock can be reset to zero using the Go to Start button or the Enter key. Alternatively, you can restart the clock from zero using the Play From Start button located on the toolbar.

Tempo is also controlled from the toolbar. Next to the metronome button , you can adjust the tempo to make the pulse faster or slower by clicking and dragging on the up and down arrows. You can also enter a tempo in beats per minute by typing into the number box.

The Record and Loop buttons located on the Transport toolbar control the record and loop features found in AudioMulch's Automation. The Record button enables Automation recording and can be toggled by clicking with the mouse or by using the Ctrl-R keyboard shortcut.

The Loop button enables the looping of a specific section of automation.

Go to the Automation Overview section of this Help File for further information on Automation looping and recording.

Like AudioMulch contraption parameters, most transport functions can be automated or controlled from MIDI. To configure this, right-click on the transport button you want to control and choose Parameter Control, Quick-Map MIDI Control... or Automate from the context menu. You can access these functions within the Parameter Control window by navigating to the Clock category in the tree on the left. Go to the Automation Overview and Controlling AudioMulch Parameters from MIDI sections of this Help File for more information.

AudioMulch and MIDI

Many of AudioMulch's parameters can be controlled using external MIDI hardware or software controllers. This function must first be enabled using the Enable MIDI button on the Transport toolbar or via the corresponding item in the Control menu. You can configure MIDI control using the Parameter Control window mentioned above (press the button on the View toolbar or choose Parameter Control from the View menu). AudioMulch also provides a fast way to configure MIDI parameter control using Quick Mapping. Go to the Controlling AudioMulch Parameters from MIDI section of this Help FIle for more information.

AudioMulch supports VST and Audio Unit instrument plugins that can be played via MIDI. You use MidiIn contraptions to route MIDI messages from external sources into these plugins. Go to the Patcher Guide and MidiIn pages of this Help File for information about MIDI patching.

You can also synchronize AudioMulch to an external MIDI sequencer. Go to the Synchronizing AudioMulch Parameters to an external MIDI sequencer section of this Help File for more information.

Level Meters

In addition to the Standard, Transport and Views toolbars referred to above, you can view both Input and Output audio level meters. You can hide or display these by checking or unchecking the appropriate View, Toolbars, Input Meters/Output Meters menu item.

Multichannel audio users also have the option of viewing a level meter for each individual input or output contraption (e.g. SoundIn, AuxIns, SoundOut, and AuxOuts). These can be selected on the Audio Input Meters and Audio Output Meters pages of the Settings dialog box. See the Settings Dialog Box page of this Help File for more information.

Status Bar

The Status Bar is visible in the bottom left of the screen and displays a number of things including CPU load used by the current document. It also shows progress when sound files are loading, and indicates how much RAM is being used by samples. The Status Bar also displays how much disk bandwidth is used when playing and recording sound files. All of these displays turn red when too much RAM or disk bandwidth is being used. The CPU load display also turns red if a glitch or audio dropout is detected.

Other Windows

In addition to the Patcher, Properties and Automation panes and the Contraptions Palette, there are several other windows in AudioMulch.

The Metasurface allows you to store snapshots of settings for the entire document and smoothly slide between them using the mouse or MIDI control. You can access the Metasurface by clicking on the button in the Views Toolbar or by selecting Metasurface from the View menu. Go to the Metasurface page of this Help File to find out more about how this window works.

The Notes window is a notepad that you can use to write down information about an AudioMulch .amh document; the note will be saved and stored with that document. You can access the Notes window by clicking on the button in the Views Toolbar or by selecting Notes from the View menu.

The Document Switcher window provides a convenient way to switch between a list of .amh documents, either using the mouse or under MIDI control. You can access the Document Switcher by clicking on the button in the Views Toolbar or by selecting Document Switcher from the View menu. Go to the Guide to the Document Switcher Window section of this Help File for more information about this window.