SmackTop 0.1 was broken by the most recent OS X 10.5 and 10.6 Java update, which now supports native MIDI. Smacktop 0.2 fixes this and a number of other bugs. As well, the user setup is simplified: Chuck is now distributed and run entirely within the program package, making 0.2 drastically easier to use than 0.1. Please check it out here: http://code.google.com/p/smacktop/
Also, I’ll be presenting on SmackTop @ Ignite Philly this Tuesday 3/2/10. Come say hi, all the proceeds go to Girls Rock Philly.
There is a bit of information on the Vimeo page…but I thought I’d explain a more about what’s going on here, as it may not be immediately obvious to the first time viewer. I won’t bore you here with monome-specific software details, but essentially I’m running 6 channels of audio out of mlr into Ableton Live and modifying FX + transport parameters in Live using the other monome, a nanoKontrol, and (last but not least) SmackTop. My MacBookPro is on a flexible stand made out of PVC, wood, velcro and a garage-door spring. I may post schematics for this later, once I finalize the design. I’m controlling a few key parameters during the set by tilting my laptop: in the beginning of the set I’m modifying the delay on the annoying repeated vocals and at the very end of the set I use it to bring everything out with a high-pass filter. I’m also launching a percussive sample in the beginning by hitting my laptop, though its hard to see in the video. Any questions?
SmackTop 0.1 seems an appropriate jumping off point for this blog. Its an open-source application written in Processing and Chuck which allows the user to send MIDI + audio by tilting + smacking their Mac laptops.
SmackTop can be downloaded here. There is also a reasonably well-documented wiki.
Here’s my first demo video of it in action (meant for headphones):
