Keykit

Keykit (http://nosuch.com/keykit/) is a wonderful software by Tim Thompson for MIDI data manipulation. It provides you with a full object-oriented language, ideal for midi data stream algorithmic manipulation. Even if it is not fully open-source you can download the sources as well. Here you can find two "toys" I created for Keykit.

KeyChaos (Maj 2009: updated to V. 1.2 - keychaos_v12.zip) is (yet another!) tool for generating music from fractal algorithms. The tool is based on a three midi voice generator activated by the outcomes of fractals that are displayed on the screen. Several 2D and 3D algorithms can be "played" (Henon, De Jong, Rossler, Hopalong, Lorenz, Duffing, Clifford...), each of them having different musical character. More screenshots here: http://nosuch.com/keykit/download/contrib/keychaos/ (you need a password, usually provided in few seconds). The first version (v 1.1) is here. Instruction of the install process are included in the readme file within the zip package.

Prisoner of the ellipse: (prisoner_of_ellipse.zip) Generative tool for GM instruments. A line bounces within the boundary of an ellipse, triggering midi events at each bounce. Three voices are used, mapped on the first three midi channels. The user can modify the speed of bouncing, the note "volume" (i.e. the MIDI velocity) and the root note of the scale on which the midi events are generated. Instruction of the install process are included in the readme file within the zip package.

The tools are distributed under the conditions of the GNU Public Licence v. 2

NOTE: These tools where developed and tested on Windows XP. I had some problems with color handling in the Linux version of Keykit.