The setup and the execution of the electroacoustic part of this work requires a Computer Music Designer (Max expert).

Version Information

Documentation date
April 6, 2020
Version
portage 2020
Status
valid
Validation date
April 8, 2020
Documentalist
Etienne Demoulin (Etienne.Demoulin@ircam.fr)
Realisation
  • Maxime Le Saux (Sound engineer)
  • Benoit Meudic (Computer Music Designer)
  • Étienne Démoulin (Computer Music Designer)
Length
20 min
Upgrade motivation
Upgrade for Max8. Simplification of the patch for distribution.
Comment
Ported to Max8 but not yet tested in concert

Other Versions

max6-2013October 31, 2013

PremiereApril 14, 2010

Detailed Staff

3 flutes, 2 alto flutes, bass flute, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass saxophone, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 horns, 2 snare drums, 2 trumpets, 3 tenor trombones with thumb trigger, bass trumpet, tuba, 2 marimbas, bass drum, tam-tam, fortepiano, 2 harp, 2 guitars, 5 electronic/MIDI keyboards/synthesizers, piano, celesta, 12 violins, 10 second violins, 8 violas, 6 cellos, 4 double basses

Detailed staff comes from Brahms, send mail to ressources-contenus@ircam.fr for correction.

Electronic Equipment List

Computer Music Equipment

1 RJ 45 Cable
Cable (generic) - for osc communication between computer on stage and main computer
5 KX 88
MIDI Keyboard (Yamaha)
1 Fireface 800
Sound Board (RME)
1 BCF 2000
MIDI Mixer (Behringer)
1 Midi interface
MIDI Interfaces (generic) - on stage
1 Footswitch / Sustain Pedal
Footswitch / Sustain Pedal (generic) - for the 'clavier4'
2 MacBook Pro
Apple Laptops (Apple) - Main computer, OS >= 10.13
2 Max 8
Max (Cycling74)

Audio Equipment

8 Loudspeaker
Loudspeakers (generic) - see document LEVINAS_technique.pdf for repartition
1 ear-monitor
Headphones (generic) - for click-track (used in the second part of the piece)
1 Digital Mixing Desk
Digital Mixers (generic)

Downloads

declenchements.pdf

35.5 Ko


Instructions

Stage setup

The instruments are distributed in two groups (two orchestras). See document LEVINAS_technique.pdf for full information. The disposition that was adopted for the creation was inversed left-right when compared to the document.

Loudspeakers set-up:

The disposition of the loudspeakers is provided in the document ‘LEVINAS_technique.pdf’.

HP1 and HP2 are used for amplifying guitars and harps.

HP3 and HP4 are used for the diffusion of midi keyboards (clavier1, clavier3 and clavier4).

HP5 and HP6 are used for soundfiles ‘coming from the orchestra’.

HP7 and HP8 are used for soundfiles ‘coming from the backstage’ (event 84, 106, 123 and 166 - see document ‘repartition-soundfiles.txt’).

Introduction to the electronic part:

The electronic relies on 5 midi keyboards that trigger orchestral samples and soundfiles. The keyboards are distributed to 3 players:

  • ‘clavier1’ plays two keyboard (one for viola pizzicatos samples and one for harp samples)

  • ‘clavier3’ plays two keyboards (one for viola pizzicatos samples and one for harp samples)

  • ‘clavier4’ plays one keyboard (piano samples and soundfiles).

To trigger to soundfiles, the instrumentist has to keep pressed the highest key (midi 108), then pressing the successive chromatic keys from C4 (midi 60) to A#5 (midi 82) will respectively trigger events (soundfiles) from bar 78 to 181. The score containing the keys that must be played by ‘clavier4’ for trigerring soundfiles is not included in the main score. You can edit and print it from the file evanoui/doc/declenchements.pdf. Don’t forget to give it also to the instrumentist and to the conductor.

Note: in the score, ‘clavier2’ is the name for the acoustic piano (442 Hz), and ‘pno’ is the name for the pianoforte

Some instruments also need to be amplified:

orchestra I: pianoforte, guitars, acoustic piano, harps

orchestra II: flutes

Patches installation:

On the main computer, you must launch:

  • ‘_MAIN_EVANOUI’, this is the main patch. It is used for playing soundfiles and for adding resonnances to the ‘clavier4’ (piano samples) signal output.

  • set manual IP adress to 192.168.0.1 and submask to 255.255.255.0

On the computer on stage, you must launch 1 patch with Max8:

  • ‘evanoui-mergermidi’ converts the midi keyboards input to osc and send the messages to the main computer.

  • set manual IP adress to 192.168.0.2 and submask to 255.255.255.0

Main computer:

Inputs/Outputs of the computer:

There are no inputs.

There are 15 outputs: respectively ‘clavier1’ (channels 1-2), ‘sfile orchestre’ (channels 3-4), ‘sfile coulisse’ (channels 5-6), ‘clavier4’ (channels 7-8), ‘clavier4-resonnance’ (channel 9-10), ‘clavier4-reverb’ (channel 11-12), ‘clavier2’ (channels 13-14), and ‘click-track’ (channel 15)

Installation:

Copy the folder ‘evanoui’ on your hard disk. Launch Max8, and select this folder (and only this one) in the ‘file preferences’ menu of Max.

In order to test connection between computers, open terminal and type : ping 192.168.0.2. The answer should look as  :

Open the patches ‘_MAIN_EVANOUI’ in Max8.

To Initialize:

1. Set Buffer size and I/O Vector size to 64, sampling rate to 44100.

1. Click on ‘init’.

2. Turn the DAC on

3. Check connection with the patcher on stage (you can use ping or ask the player to test).

3. Trigger the first event with space bar (event 0) before the concert starts. Check the click-track with the conductor (there is a toggle to start and stop it). During the concert, the click-track is automatically started on event 78 and stopped on event 181 (triggered by ‘clavier4’).

Computer on stage:

Copy the file ‘evanoui-mergermidi’ on your hard disk.

Launch the file in Max8.

To initialize the patch:

1. choose the midi input for each of the keyboards (clavier1-1 stands for the viola piz samples, clavier1-2 stands for the harp samples and so on…).

Mixing instructions:

You can map a BCF2000 or Mira to the live mixing faders.

The levels of the keyboards should always be balanced with the acoustic instruments, in order to mix equally the timbres.

The level of the soundfiles should also be balanced. The soundfiles with a ‘marimba’ sound should be loud, and the soundfiles sent to the ‘coulisse-loudspeakers’ (bar 84, 106, 123 and 166) should appear as distant from the stage.

Program Notes

L'écriture de cette partition est basée sur une polyphonie-timbre. Cette polyphonie-timbre est obtenue par des superpositions de tempi faisant évoluer des processus harmoniques et des agrégats complexes. Ces processus évoluent en appoggiatures qui laissent percevoir le déroulement d'échelles évolutives. Ces échelles s'altèrent et se démultiplient en phénomènes octaviants et brisés. (Voir l'ouverture des Nègres, mon deuxième quatuor, Incurver, Se briser). L'orchestre symphonique tente dans cette pièce une mutation conséquente à l'évolution des langues musicales. L'identité originaire de ce que nous appelons « l'orchestre symphonique » résulte du système tonal et de la fin de l'époque baroque européenne. Dans cette pièce, l'apparition d'un groupe instrumental spécifique basé sur différentes familles de « cordes pincées », le pianoforte, la superposition de plusieurs diapasons, les interférences entre les sons propagés dans l'espace par l'acoustique « aérienne » des instruments (le piano notamment) et les sons instrumentaux échantillonnés, provoquent des mouvements résultants et des battements très mobiles.


Updated at

Do you notice a mistake?

IRCAM

1, place Igor-Stravinsky
75004 Paris
+33 1 44 78 48 43

opening times

Monday through Friday 9:30am-7pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday

subway access

Hôtel de Ville, Rambuteau, Châtelet, Les Halles

Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique

Copyright © 2022 Ircam. All rights reserved.