This is the R&D page from miniMusic. It has been there for a while, but every now and then I visit to see if there’s any change. I love these ideas, I think they are fantastic and inspired. It would be wonderful to see them on a palm device. Who knows, one day.
Anyway, visit the site, here’s what it says anyway…
Whistle & Hum
What would be the easiest way to keep track of your musical ideas, the quicklest way to jot down a tune that springs into your head? Whistle it! Hum it! and have that translated into a score where you can noodle around with it. Maybe you hummed it out of tune? Well, just select it and transpose on your PDA and start working on the harmony. The ‘whislte & hum’ technology is based on an optimized, quick and dirty (and small) realization of pitch recognition and quantizing. By next year, as the hardware becomes available, you could be whistling your voice leading homework, or humming the trumpet’s solo in the 83rd measure of that overture you’re writing for the new Spielberg film.
IMP stands for Improvistational Music Program, and is quite a little devil. This software uses various neural network simulations to invent music as it goes along. Using parameters that you assign, and seed material, IMP will begin exploring the musical landscape that you’ve placed it in. This can simply replace your walkman, or can be a tool to create variations and random material for you to use in composition. Set IMP to compose to a file so that you can drop the passages you like into the miniMusic NotePad and begin building your score.