Intelligent MIDI Sequencing with Hamster Control

If you want your kid to go to Cornell and create a hamster-controlled MIDI device, the trick, apparently, is in making sure he has access to both a Habitrail and a Heathkit AO-1 Audio Oscillator construction set.

Guided by inputs based on hamster movements, Markov chains were used to perform such beat and note computations. In culmination, 3 simultaneous voices were produced spanning 3 octaves and 3 rhythmic tiers. Each voice was controlled by two hamsters: one that was responsible for adjusting the rhythmic qualities of the melody and another that modified the note sequence. With all of these elements in combination, an output was produced with very musical qualities. All of this was implemented using an Atmel Mega32 microcontroller, distance sensors, a HamsterMIDI Controller, and 6 hamsters.

I don’t pretend to understand all of this, but the output is lovely – some fusion of Philip Glass and Twink.

Thanks baald

Music: Half Man Half Biscuit :: Irk The Purists

2 Replies to “Intelligent MIDI Sequencing with Hamster Control”

  1. I used to do this with DrumCircle on my old BeOS Machine.
    Running the StarField Simulator (can’t remember what it was called) at the same time on Free Motion was quite a trippy experience.

  2. How cool is that – I was just searching on Google for the lyrics to “Irk the Purists”. They don’t seem to be online, but Birdhouse came 10th on Google’s list anyway!

    Not the first time I’ve searched for a piece of music I’m listening to, and ended up at your site.

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