IRIN: Micromontage in Graphical Sound Editing and Mixing Tool

Carlos Caires
CICM Centre de Recherche Informatique et Creation Musicale
Universite de Paris VIII
[email protected]
2, Rue de la Liberte 93526 Saint Denis Cedex 02, France

Abstract
Micromontage technique allows the composer to work a
musical figure point by point, shaping each sound particle
with microscopic precision. The software presented in this
paper combines graphic and script editing with algorithmic
generation and manipulation of sound sequences. It provides several tools to enhance both creation and organic development of the musical material under this compositional
paradigm using a user-friendy visual environment

consideration that sound transformation, far from a mere effect, is an act of composition, a memory of all actions and respective data involved within the process of creating the tiniest sound particle is needed so that a consistent proliferation
of the musical material can be achieved. All data concerning
sound manipulation is therefore stored and accessed through
IRINs graphic interface. IRIN was designed to offer control
over micro-time and macro-time levels of composition, allowing the composer to browse smoothly between them with
an analogous outlook towards musical material.

Introduction

IRIN is a composition tool implemented as a Max/MSP

standalone (Zicarelli 1998), designed to enhance several composition operations enclosed in the micromontage paradigm1 .
It uses a comprehensive user interface containing several editing windows allowing the composer to assemble, view, playback and modify several kinds of sound objects.
Generally speaking, micromontage technique consists of
the extraction of sound samples from sound files and then
rearranging them in time. Each extracted sound sample can
be multiplied and transformed through operations like speed
variation, filtering, panning and amplitude envelope editing
(Roads 2001). These very simple sound processing operations are typically enough to build a wide-ranging sound catalogue. Chosen groups of samples from the pre-composed
catalogue are then arranged in time into more complex sound
structures on a higher time scale that can subsequently be also
transformed and multiplied through several variation operations (Vaggione 1995; Vaggione 1996). This kind of compositional approach calls for a working environment that is able
to keep track of all important sound operations. Taking into
1 IRIN was presented for the first time as Mixage (Caires 2003). Besides introducing several new features, this version now runs under MacOs
X.

Basic IRIN features and use

The functioning of IRIN can be summarized as follows:
1. Load up to 16 Sound files of any size depending on the
available RAM.
2. From each sound Buffer, select a region and edit it in
several ways to obtain a Sample.
3. Place samples on any one of the 4 available tracks,
knowing that tracks are polyphonic and sound parameters are a track independent feature.
4. Store edited Samples in a sample library. Every stored
Sample (in a track or in the library can be retrieved for
later use or further manipulation).
5. Encapsulate sound sequences into a Figure object and
submit them to several variation operations. Store Figures in a library.
6. Encapsulate up to 8 Figures into a Meso-structure object and submit it to several variation operations. Store
the Meso-structures in a library.
7. Add customizable shapes and colours to every sample.
Shapes are used for display in the Timeline window on
shapes view mode.

Proceedings ICMC 2004

8. Control all operations graphically and use a Timeline

to place sound events in time.
9. Render the final result into a multi track audio file.

Classes

Concepts like cell, figure, counterpoint, polyphony, layers, background/foreground, variation/repetition, and so on,
are permanently involved in the process of composing, as
much in instrumental music as in electroacoustic music. IRIN
helps one to compose and organize sound material having
these kinds of concept in mind. Sound objects were organized
hierarchically into three different object classes: Sample, Figure, and Meso-structure. Each class inherits the properties
of its predecessor adding new ones belonging to the domain
of a higher time scale. Together, Sample, Figure and Mesostructure objects form the pre-composition materials yet to be
organized into the macro-scale form of the piece. At the top
level, there is a fourth layer named Timeline. The Timeline
represents the final score where all objects (from the sample to the Meso-structure) are arranged in time to be played
back or exported as an audio file.

3.1

Sample

The Sample is the simplest of IRINs sound objects. This

atomic object contains six properties editable from the Sample edit window (Figure 2):
Source sound file. The name of the file along with the sample start and end points.
Speed variation. Time-domain speed variation: changing
speed also changes pitch.
Filter. Implemented using Max/MSP biquad object (digital
filter specified by coefficients).
Amplitude envelope. Controlled by a breakpoint function
editor accepting up to 256 points.
Phase shift or multi channel trajectory. Depending on the
current audio output configuration one can choose to assign a
phase shift value 2 , or edit a multi channel trajectory.
Shape. Each sample can be assigned to a preset graphic
shape of any color (shapes are used for display in the timeline window on shapes view mode).

Figure 2: Sample editor window.

3.2
Figure 1: Tree-like representation of sound object dependencies

Figure

An array of Samples in a specific order, each one anchored to a specific onset time can be encapsulated in a Figure. Inside a Figure, the order of the events and their onsets
2 Phase shifting in this context is used as a composition technique belonging to the micro-scale domain (micro decorrelation temporelle). It concerns
the definition of spatial attributes of small sound particles by placing micro
delayed replica of it into different channels (Vaggione 2002b).

Proceedings ICMC 2004

are changeable. This means that each point of discontinuity is

a target for a compositional action (Schilingi 1998). Because
this class inherits the properties of the Sample class, each one
of the Sample properties described in the previous section is
also modifiable inside a Figure. Its edit window (Figure 3)
comprises several tools allowing a quick assignment of new
values for phase shift, speed variation and filtering to the entire figure. Among them we can find two resizable multislider panels for speed variation and phase shift edit, a breakpoint filter editor to filter evolution within the Figure, several
reordering, scaling and reverse tools that can affect the whole
figure or just one of its attributes.

3.3

Meso-structure

Meso-structure is the locus for polyphonic development

of more complex Figures (Figure 4). Just like the interdependency that has been established between Samples and Figures, a Meso-structure can encapsulate several Figures. Its
editing window comprises an eight-layer sequencer where individual onsets can be assigned to each contained Figure. All
objects inside a Meso-structure keep their individual methods
and properties. A Figure remains a Figure and can therefore
be modified through its own editor which, in turn, gives access to the Sample editor. In fact, the three main IRIN editors
(Sample editor, Figure editor and Meso-structure editor) are
permanently linked. The way IRINs interface was built directly reflects all class dependencies shown in figure 1.

Figure 3: Figure Editor window.

Figure 4: Meso Structure Editor window.

A granulator is also available inside the Figure Editor.

It can be used to output a stream of a pre-defined number
of particles with a particular behaviour as regards the evolution of their properties. The evolution of the duration of its
Samples, of the distance between them, of their phase shift
and of their filtering can be set before outputting into a Figure object. Despite the use of the global laws strategy, the
Figure obtained can be then locally changed by hand since
each one of its elements is an instantiation of the Sample object that, as previously mentioned, can be modified in several
ways. Direct manipulation, therefore, plays an essential role
in this context, since morphological properties of a given Figure (gestalt) arise from its local singularities (Vaggione 1996;
Vaggione 2002a). Eventually, after all local changes have
been performed, a Figure results as a configuration (or pattern) so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely
as a sum of its parts.
How to achieve this is already a compositional issue.

Timeline

At the top-level we have the Timeline window. Timeline

is basically a 4 track sequencer were Samples are represented
as a coloured bar, their size reflecting their duration (Figure
5). Figures are displayed as a white rectangle labelled with
the respective figure library name.
The notion of track used is somehow different from the
one we often find in traditional audio multi-track sequencers.
For instance, whether in ProTools or in Digital performer,
panning and volume curves are edited in the track affecting
the sound blocks placed in background. In the case of IRINs
timeline, because each sound object keeps track of its internal
data, their properties (including panning and envelope amplitude) are a track-independent feature. Thus, every event always keeps the exactly same properties if moved back and

Proceedings ICMC 2004

forth inside a track or if it is changed between tracks.

Moreover, tracks are polyphonic. The main advantage in
this approach is that all kinds of object can be superimposed
in complex configurations and yet all events remain visually
close to one another. Figure 5 shows an example of this: in
track one, for instance, two figures appear over a set of samples. Local sound agglomerations are easily tracked at a quick
glance, since the materials can be arranged as if they were in
a score, overcoming the usual multi-track distribution constraints. As a metaphor for score staffs, tracks may be used
precisely as a compositional tool, helping the composer to arrange the polyphonic stratification of his material in a more
systematic way.

Detailed documentation on these subjects is being prepared.

Acknowledgments

I should like to thank my supervisor, Horacio Vaggione,

for the advice and continued support. I would like also to
thank Christopher Bochmann for reviewing the draft of this
article.
This research is supported by FCT e FSE no a mbito do
III Quadro Comunitario de Apoio.

References

Figure 5: Timeline window.

Finally, Timeline includes two extra tracks: a Sound file
track and a MIDI track. Once included in the Timeline window, they are played along with the contents of the upper
tracks. MIDI track provides a limited representation of score
notation where all midi channels, represented by different
colours, become merged into a four staff score.

Caires, C. (2003). Vers une e criture des processus de micromontage. In Jornees dInformatique Musicale, Montbeliard.
Roads, C. (2001). Microsound. Cambridge, Mass. ; London: MIT
Press.
Schilingi, J. B. (1998). Morphologie et structures musicales. In
Documentation (Ed.), Fonctions danalyse, de reconnaissance, de classification et de reconstitution de sequences
symboliques et numeriques. Paris: IRCAM.
Vaggione, H. (1995). Objets, representations, operations. Ars
Sonora 2, 3351.
Vaggione, H. (1996). Vers une approche transformationnelle en
cao. In C.-U. d. C. Les cahiers du GREYC (Ed.), Journees
dInformatique Musicale 1996.
Vaggione, H. (2002a). Composition musicale et moyens informatiques: questions dapproche. In Formel Informel, pp. 99
117. Paris: LHarmattan.
Vaggione, H. (2002b). Decorrelation microtemporelle, morphologies et figures spatiales. In ADERIM-GMEM (Ed.),
Journees dInformatique Musicale 2002, Marseille.
Zicarelli, D. (1998). An extensible real-time signal processing environement for max. In International Computer Music Conference. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

Discussion

The set of available object transforms is being extended to

include more advanced operations than those included in this
version. It is important to mention that since all data concerning Sample, Figure, Meso-structure or track, is stored inside
Max coll objects with specific labels, it is relatively easy for
experienced MAX users to develop custom functions, making them available to IRIN. For whoever may be interested,
it is also possible to implement global post audio treatment
to each track, simply by intercepting the audio running inside IRIN. This can be achieved using Max send and receive
objects.

Proceedings ICMC 2004