N-Step is a step away

[ColinP]

N-Step should hopefully be released in about two weeks time, unless beta testing throws up some unexpected problems.

So as usual I'm posting a link to the draft documentation now so that anyone interested can read up in advance and hit the ground running when the software lands.

https://www.adroitsynthesis.com/n-step/

Previous posts on this forum have shown the N-Step Aux module but here's what the N-Step Main module looks like...

nstep1c.png (225.63 KiB) Viewed 6635 times

[huggermugger]

I'm looking forward to the release of this monster!

[Steve W]

Looks well-thought out with a great deal of flexible complexity.

[UrbanCyborg]

Looks as nicely done as all of your work, Colin. Since this is pre-release, I hope you'll forgive a small nit from a former English teacher: pseudo-random is a hyphenate. As Jack Sparrow said, "Sorry, Mate. I couldn't resist."

Reid

[ColinP]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

In the online dictionaries and usage that I've checked pseudorandom is generally one word. Although one does see pseudo-random and pseudo random too.

I tried all three versions and the only one that looked OK in the UI was the two word version.

Overall I have a fairly relaxed attitude to language use as it's so fluid - changing over time and in different places. I tend to drop commas a lot, spell in a mix of British and US English, use " when others tend to use ', use uncommon words like albeit. I also have my own idioms like the ... thing.

[UrbanCyborg]

I did say it was a minor nit. As Mr. Spock would have said, "Yes. Very minor."

Reid

[ColinP]

I figured Reid that your comment was light hearted.

By the way the reason that I didn't just use the word random is that there are both random and pseudorandom operations in N-Step. Although technically they are all pseudorandom!

The "random" operations are unstable ones - they produce totally different results each time they are executed.

The "pseudo random" operations in contrast only "re-randomize" when their seed is changed.

This stability in the pseudorandom operations is exploited in that the phase parameter allows one to shift a fixed "random" pattern backwards and forwards in time (even across Aux module boundaries as all that needs to be trasmitted down the S-Poly chain is the seed and phase rather than the actual pattern).

Also the gate channel version allows one, by varying the density settting, to do deterministic fading in and out of a probabilistic rhythm if that makes sense. While the CV channel version allows you to move, stretch or squash the pitch span while maintaining the underlying pattern of pitch motion.

[Steve W]

Just did some Google searches. On page 1 of each search pseudo-random showed me more hits for pseudorandom than pseudo-random. On-the-other-hand / never-the-less, quasi-random seems to have more of an even distribution between quasirandom and quasi-random.

Of course, Google searches aren't scientific and don't prove much. They are "sort-of-algorithmic" or perhaps "fudged-algorithmic.' But I doubt they are random, psuedorandom, or even quasi-random. Perhaps we could call them the product of partially-random-algorithmic sort-of-intelligent heavily-biased design.



By the way, N-Step was almost exclusively hyphenated on page 1. There was one N Step listing, but only because the name of the site started with NStep. The content for the site used N-Step.

[huggermugger]

To dash or not to dash?

[UrbanCyborg]

Love it!

Reid