Andrew Lowell - Simulation & Proceduralism beyond feature film & FX
This talk by Andrew Lowell goes to some interesting places. First off, it’s about music but the software he’s using to compose it is Houdini. Yes, the 3D graphics program. I’ve talked about unusual inputs before, but what really takes the cake on this one is that he presents it as part of a perfectly viable pipeline: You can make experimental music in 3D software.
Second, it demonstrates some of that flexibility that I’ve been talking about lately. Major changes to the music composition that would usually take hours to do by hand can be made just by adjusting a curve. Not to mention that the whole thing is intrinsically modular.
Third, it demonstrates how knowledge of the bedrock fundamentals of the medium you’re working in is still relevant: knowing music theory and terms gives him the vocabulary to understand what kinds of changes he needs to make to improve his generator. Even in an age of fancy tools, artists are still going to need to understand the basics.
Plus, in one of the later examples, he uses a fluid sim to generate music.