PERFORMANCE NOTES for CLOUD DRAGON by Dave Seidel (2004) - live performance realizations by Art Hunkins. Cloud Dragon is a live-performance rendition of Dave Seidel's Combination Study 1 for Csound. The original scorefile, along with recording and commentary, can be found at http://mysterybear.net/article/4/combination-study-1. Study of these source materials is highly recommended, as live performance of Cloud Dragon is intended to model after the original work. Combination Study 1 was composed in Csound, a software sound synthesis program; and Cloud Dragon is performable in several current varieties of Csound. These versions, all free downloads, are: Maldonado's CsoundAV (http: www.csounds.com/CsoundAV), Lazzarini's MyCsound4 (http://www.nuim.ie/academic/music/musictec/csound) and Ramsdell's csoundgbs/flCsound (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=81968) - both console and simple GUI (flCsound) mode. All three Csounds are prebuilt for Windows systems; the last is also buildable (as console or simple GUI) for Linux. The performer must enable his/her chosen Csound "variety" under CsOptions in the selected Cloud Dragon performance (.csd) file; other options must be commented out by inserting a semicolon at the beginning of their line. The most responsive and bulletproof performance version of Csound is CsoundAV (Windows), and it is the default. In comparison, the other Csounds feel sluggish, though on faster systems their response time (also called "latency") can be improved by inserting the flag -b1000, as indicated in the performance file (under CsOptions). If doing so makes the sound choppy, substitute values for -b progressively up to 4000, until the choppiness disappears. Currently, Macintosh builds of Ramsdell's csoundgbs (as well as Ingalls' MacCsound) experience problems handling the (FLTK) graphics of Cloud Dragon or realtime audio, and so cannot perform it. Several other builds for Linux also will perform at least some versions of Cloud Dragon: Gogins' Csound5 - part of his CsoundVST package (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=81968) and Varga's Csound-4.24.1, a prebuilt Linux binary (http://www.csound.com/istvan/html/cspatches.html - Varga's Windows binary will not work). A limitation of the various Linux packages is that they *may* not be capable of MIDI. CsOptions flags (see above) are similar to those for MyCsound4 and csoundgbs/flcsound, except that the audio output device flag (-o) must be specified in a way unique to Linux. The performance model - following Combination Study 1 - can be described as follows: each of the four drones enters individually at about equal time intervals, and sustains for the entire performance. After the drones are well established, chords, in "close voicing," are introduced - one after the other with no time between. The chords then stop briefly, and a change is made to "open voicing." The chord sequence is then repeated or varied. All chords are approximately equal in duration. Particular attention should be paid to the final two chords of each half: they should sound "cadential." Two possibilities are the progression 9/8 to 5/4 (suggested by the six-chord "order"), and 4/3 to 3/2 (eight-chord "order"). At the end, the drones are left sounding alone for a time, then fade out *together*. Important: please consult the original to get a sense of timing and duration for the various events. The play time of Combination Study 1 just over 8 minutes; performance of Cloud Dragon should take about the same length, but could be somewhat longer or shorter depending on the choices of the performer. There are three major versions of Cloud Dragon - indicated as v1, v2, and v3. They differ by performance instrumentation: v1 uses only computer mouse and monitor; v2 requires a bank of 8 MIDI (continuous) controllers - either pots or sliders; v3 requires 12 (or 14) controllers, configured as a bank of 8 and a bank of 4 (or 6). There are three variants of each version as well - indicated as a, b, and c. Variant a is the most basic, offering preset Chord Ratios; its fixed six-chord sequence (and suggested performance order) is 8/5, 7/5, 6/5, 7/6, 9/8 and 5/4; eight-chord sequences add a final 4/3 and 3/2. Variant b allows the performer to select his/her own Chord Ratios; the choices (numerator and denominator) are integers between 1 and 1500. Default settings are the fixed ones indicated above. In addition, the performer can select a single Chord-to-Drone Root Ratio - a kind of global transposition factor for all chords. (Default is 1/1 - no transposition.) Again, integers up to 1500 are allowed in numerator and denominator. All these ratios *may* be varied during performance, but doing so is not encouraged. Any change takes place with the *following* chord. Variant c permits the performer, in addition to the above, to specify Chord-to-Drone Root Ratios independently for each chord (all defaults, 1/1). This variant encourages you to explore the wide-open possibilities of tuning systems referenced by Dave Seidel on his Combination Study 1 webpage (see above). All versions of Cloud Dragon include an on-screen checkbox option - Chord Flanger. Selecting it adds a small degree of richness to each chord. It may be selected and deselected at any time, and takes effect with the following chord. This option is off by default. As in the original, there exists a 50Hz "Euro" option to the default 60Hz "US" BASE pitch. (All pitches are relative to this BASE.) To perform using the 50Hz BASE, simply switch out the semicolons at the beginning of the two lines beginning "#define BASE" under Orchestra Macros in the performance (.csd) file. Specifics of the individual versions follow. Cloud Dragon 1a -- Six chords in preset Chord Ratios (ratios listed above). Drones enter as they are individually clicked. They fade out together when Drones OFF is clicked. Chords succeed each other seamlessly as one is clicked after the other. Chords OFF inserts a rest. This version most closely parallels the original Combination Study 1. Cloud Dragon 1b -- Eight chords with selectable Chord Ratios (default ratios listed above). The preselected ratios, as well as the preselected Chord-to-Drone Root Ratio, are potentially varied in performance. Cloud Dragon 1c -- Eight chords with selectable Chord Ratios and individually selectable Chord-to-Drone Root Ratios. These are all preselected and (optionally) varied during performance. Cloud Dragon 2a -- Six chords, with ratios 8/5, 7/5, 6/5, 7/6, 9/8 and 5/4 set to the first six of eight MIDI controllers. The first controller number for the set of eight contiguous numbers of the bank must be specified on the performance screen prior to performance. (This selection is made to correspond to options available on your MIDI device; locate a series of 8 consecutive controller numbers on the device.) The seventh controller serves as a switch between reduced and open chord spacing; a less than 50% setting = closed chord voicing, a greater than 50% setting = open voicing. The eighth controller controls the drones. Raise the level to start the opening drone sequence; lower it to fade them out together at the end. Preset *all* controllers to zero. There are also on-screen presets for drone order (select a single 1, 2, 3 and 4), fadein length, and entry spacing (between one drone and the next). When performing chords, make sure one has completely died out before turning up another. Always raise chords (and drones) to maximum level. Cloud Dragon 2b -- Eight chords; as in 2a above, except for user-selectable Chord Ratios and a global Chord-to-Drone Root Ratio. (The seventh and eighth Chord Ratios default to 4/3 and 3/2.) Cloud Dragon 2c -- Eight chords; as in 2b above, but with individually selectable Chord-to-Drone Root Ratios. Cloud Dragon 3a -- Six chords, as in 2a above, but with a second bank of four controllers to play the drones. Controller 1 in Bank 2 performs the 3/2 drone, controller 2 the first 2/1 drone, controller 3 the second 2/1 drone, and controller 4 the 1/1 drone. As for bank 1, the numbering of controllers in bank 2 must be contiguous - though the two banks need not be. Both of their initial controller numbers are preset on the performance screen. Controller 7 of bank 1 toggles the reduced/open chord feature - like it does in version 2a. However, controller 8 is here a master level control for all the drones (note that it is located "closest" to the drone controls). Preset it (unlike any others) to the full *on* position; it is used to fade out the drones *together* at the end. (In performance, always raise drones and chords to maximum level.) Cloud Dragon 3b -- Eight chords, with user-selectable Chord Ratios and a global Chord-to-Drone Root Ratio; otherwise generally as in 3a above. Here the eight chords are contained in bank 1, and the master fader for the drones moves to controller 5 in bank 2 (closest to the drones). The closed/open "switch" now is controller 6 in bank 2. Thus, version 3b (and 3c) requires a total of *14* MIDI controllers - 8 in bank 1, 6 in bank 2. Cloud Dragon 3c -- Eight chords; as in 3b above, but with individually selectable Chord-to-Drone Root Ratios. Like 3b, it requires 14 MIDI controllers. Dave Seidel - dave at mysterybear dot com http://www.mysterybear.net/about/5/bio - about Dave http://www.mysterybear.net/article/6/cloud-dragon - about Cloud Dragon Art Hunkins - abhunkin at uncg dot edu http://www31.brinkster.com/abhunkins February 2005