ALAHA (Sacred Unity) (2017) for realtime Csound (PC and Android versions) ADDENDUM for version included in Beppi's Android app, QiBrd: Free Virtual Analog Synthesizer Arthur B. Hunkins abhunkin@uncg.edu www.arthunkins.com "In Aramaic, the name Alaha refers to the divine, and whereever you read the word 'God' in a quote from Yeshua [Jesus], you can insert this word. It means variously: Sacred Unity, Oneness, the All, the Ultimate Power/Potential, the One with no opposite. It is related to the name of God in Hebrew, Elohim." Neil Douglas-Klotz, "The Hidden Gospel: Decoding the Spiritual Message of the Aramaic Jesus", p. 27 THE TWO BASIC VERSIONS Alaha.csd is the version for PC's (all platforms), with Csound 5.08 or higher. It requires a MIDI controller with 12 knobs/sliders (sliders, especially long-throw, are best). It is normally performed from the Csound command line (system prompt). AlahaAndroid.csd is for Android devices (all smartphones and tablets - OS 4.1.1 and up). It is performed within Csound6b.apk or Csound6c.apk, alternative Csound Android apps found (free) at: http://arthunkins.com/Android_Csound_Apps.htm Other Csound for Android apps will not work, as they lack the required 12 sliders. Note that to download one of the above apps directly to Android, you must, in Settings -> Security, select Unknown Sources to install apps from other than play.google.com. After installation, copy/paste AlahaAndroid.csd to any user-accessible folder on your device (suggestion: the Music folder). Then Open that file within the app, and Run Csound. AUDIO ISSUES Performance of both versions requires a good set of speakers or headphones. In public performance a context of absolute silence should be prepared, both to be able to experience the opening, as well as to create a relaxed, meditative mood. Overall dynamics should be from very soft to moderate level only. Audio glitching *may* be a problem, especially in the Android version. Android devices only perform to their potential if WiFi is disabled and there are no connections to external elements (such as tethering to a computer or power supply). Otherwise, for Android, it may be necessary to reduce the Sample Rate (toward the top of the .csd) to 44100, 32000, 22050 or even 11025, until there are no more glitches. For PC, possible Sample Rate reductions are the same. Changes are made by any text editor, as .csd's are simple text files. (Of course, the higher the Sample Rate, the better the sound quality.) EDITS TO THE PC VERSION OF ALAHA Alaha.csd will likely require minor text editing - primarily to accommodate a particular MIDI device. First, under - near the top of the .csd, you'll need to adapt for Linux if you are on other than a Windows or Mac system. (Recall that an opening semicolon comments out a row of code; removing the semicolon implements the row). If you have a single MIDI device, the default -M0 is fine. If your console output includes an "unrecognized MIDI device" error, look for the MIDI device list, and substitute your appropriate device number for the zero in -M0; then rerun Csound. (If you have more than one audio output device, you may need to follow a similar procedure for -odac, appending the appropriate device number - e.g., -odac6. The default is effectively -odac0, the number of your usual stereo device.) Then there are additional orchestra variables (also listed toward the top of the .csd): CHAN, CTRL1 and CTRL2. These will likely need modification. (Optionally, you could program your controller to conform to this composition's defaults.) CHAN defines the MIDI Channel your controller is sending on (default is 1, the normal channel). A special code, CHAN "0", indicates that your MIDI device sends Continuous Controller 7 (CC 7) messages on the first 12 channels. In all *other* cases, CTRL1 specifies the beginning controller number of 8 successive controls, and CTRL2 for a second set of 4. (Default for CTRL1 = CC 20; for CTRL2, CC 28.) Substitutions must always be enclosed by #'s. PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS The individual MIDI or Android sliders vary the following parameters: SLIDERS 1 - 7: controls the amplitudes of 7 consecutive partials of a single harmonic series, starting with the fourth harmonic (i.e., harmonics 4 - 10). Harmonics 1-3 are absent. (The implied fundamental is 256hz.) SLIDER 8: overall volume control for the previous 7 sliders (harmonics). None of the individual harmonics will sound unless this control is raised. SLIDER 9: amplitude control for "Shimmer" applied to the 7 harmonic sliders. SLIDER 10: the average random "Shimmer Rate" (cps) for the 7 harmonic sliders. (The rate varies from about 5 - 40 cps.) SLIDER 11: effectively an amplitude control for additional "High Harmonics" - 10 through 30 of the same series. Operationally, sliders 11 and 12 are completely independent from the first 10 sliders. SLIDER 12: amount of additional reverb "brightening" and stereo expanding of the timbre emanating from slider 11. Slider 12 has no effect unless slider 11 is raised. Performance is completely improvised; it has no score. Simply be aware of the following guidelines/suggestions: 1) Set all controls to 0 before starting Csound. 2) Overall volume should not exceed moderate. 3) Slider 8 must be open before any of the 7 harmonics will sound. 4) Slider 10 (Shimmer Rate) will have no effect until slider 9 (Shimmer Amp) is raised. 5) Sliders 11 and 12 are independent of the others, representing a range of higher harmonics and controlled in amplitude by slider 11. Slider 12's "brightening" is no-op when slider 11 is at zero. Also: controls are generally intended to be moved one at a time, and to be continuous - with no jumps in value (important for Android sliders). Overall pace is fairly slow and consistent - no dramatic events. It is recommended that you treat the seven contiguous harmonics as a single sonority, sometimes augmented by a higher, brighter sound (sliders 11 and 12) which - though they can also be heard separately - are primarily an upper extension of the lower harmonics. In sum, there should be no prominent gaps in the harmonic series. (Added and subtracted tones are preferably taken from one end of the current grouping or the other.) There is no suggested duration for performance. ADDENDUM for version included in Beppi's Android app, QiBrd: Free Virtual Analog Synthesizer The Android version of this work has been adapted as an instrument for Beppi's app, QiBrd. The instrument's name is Alaha. QiBrd is available here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=beppisapps.solosynth&hl=en or by searching for QiBrd in the Google play store. QiBrd is designed for smartphones only (no tablets), and requires Android OS 5.0+. Following the preliminary steps listed below, ALAHA may be performed within the app. Alaha's 12 "sliders" correspond directly to Sliders/Knobs 1-12 as previously described. Importantly, *the same Performance Considerations (see above) apply as for the other Alaha versions*. Note that: 1) this app's controls are somewhat more difficult to operate (and less intuitive) than those of the other two versions; and 2) as compared to the non-Android version, audio fidelity in the app is somewhat limited and less well defined. (Also, the relative amplitude among the harmonics is distorted to a degree; levels may need to be manually adjusted for proper blend and balance.) At maximum level, the 7 harmonics are intended to fuse into a homogeneous sonority, with no individual tones prominent. Preliminary Steps To *perform* Alaha (in contrast to freely improvising with, and exploring the instrument): 1) After selecting the Alaha instrument (tap the name box in upper right corner), press the Reset icon (it looks like Repeat). 2) Drag the settings for the 12 "sliders" to zero (bottom left of their boxes). 3) Press the Lock icon (immediately above Reset). 4) Drag the multitouch pad setting (Overall Volume/Pitch) to the upper left corner. (This will set the theoretical fundamental pitch to 256Hz, the specified frequency for the other versions of Alaha.) 5) Perform by dragging individual sliders, leaving the multitouch pad *completely alone*. (Recall that none of the first 7 "sliders" will respond until you raise "slider" 8 - Harmonics Amp.)