SPIRITUS SANCTUS 2 for Csound5/6 (2013)
Arthur B. Hunkins - arthunkins.com - abhunkin@uncg.edu

        In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
        And the earth was without form, and void;
        and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
        And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

        And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
        and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
        and man became a living soul.
                                                                Gen 1:1-2, 2:7

GENERAL

SPIRITUS SANCTUS 2 is a solo performance environment for Csound5 or 6. Suitable for any computer platform that runs Csound, this environment is essentially an instrument that suggests an improvizational structure. It is not a composition, and no performance instructions are given; its instrument is simply intended to be explored creatively. As a result of exploration, performance *may* express itself as a composition (though perhaps more properly, as structured improvization).

The work is available in command-line formats (including FLTK) as well as with a GUI (Cabbage) front end. (For information on Rory Walsh's Cabbage, and to download Cabbage for platforms other than Windows, see www.thecabbagefoundation.org.) Linux and Mac systems must have *their own* binary of Cabbage installed (Cabbage.exe). On these platforms, copy the current files to your Cabbage folder, delete SpiritusSanctus2Cabbage.exe, and run them with your system's Cabbage.exe. (Retain all your Cabbage defaults/Preferences; just be sure that "Always on Top" is unchecked under Options | Preferences.)

On Windows, with all these files in the same directory, simply run SpiritusSanctus2Cabbage.exe.

All cases require that Cound be installed - Csound5.02 or higher for the command-line versions, Csound5.17 or more for the Cabbage versions. Preparations for both formats are discussed below.

INITIAL SETUP - Command-line Versions

[Note: though run from the command line, an "FLTK version" displays a performance GUI very much like that of Cabbage.]

You will probably need to edit several <CsOptions> flags near the beginning of your .csd performance file. (Do this in any text editor; your .csd is a text file.) You must insure that the values of -M0 (your MIDI input device #) and -odac[0] (your audio output device #) match your system. Simply substitute a high number, such as -M99 and -odac99, for the zeros and run the file. The performance will immediately abort and display a list of valid device numbers on your system. Once you identify the appropriate numbers, go back and insert them in place of the zeros. Alternately, you can simply insert these flags/values on the command line.

Also in <CsOptions> - if working on Linux, you'll want to take out the semicolon in front of the Linux line beginning -odac, and insert a semicolon at the start of the corresponding Windows/Mac line.

Additionally, several variables (MACROs) must be preset. (Variables in the Cabbage versions have similar names, but are displayed on the GUI and associated with sliders; much the same is true of the FLTK versions):

CHAN specifies the output channel of your MIDI device. Default = 1. A value of "0" indicates that all controllers are set to 7 and use successive channel numbers from 1 to 8.

CTRL indicates the 1st controlleer number of the basic (consecutive) set of 8. Default = 20.

The precise function of each knob/slider is listed below.

Be sure to attach your MIDI device before running Csound..

INITIAL SETUP - Cabbage Versions

The following files should be placed in the same directory: SpiritusSanctus2Cabbage.exe, SpiritusSanctus2Cabbage.csd, and SpiritusSanctus2Cabbage.htm. If Windows Csound files are included in your distribution, place *all* files in the same directory. Unless you have this special Windows download, Csound 5.17 (or later) must also be installed.

Be sure your MIDI input device is plugged in before proceeding.

Click on SpiritusSanctus2Cabbage.exe (or your Cabbage.exe).  A File Selector (in this Windows version) displays all the .csd files in the directory. If SpiritusSanctus2Cabbage.csd is the only .csd in the directory, it launches immediately - otherwise select it. In the displayed GUI, click Options, then Audio Settings. Next select your Active MIDI Input device (check it), and if necessary, your output device. Finally, close the Audio Settings window.

If you get audio glitches or experience "slider/knob delay" (latency), experiment with a different audio buffer size (in Audio Settings). A smaller size will decrease latency; a larger size will eliminate glitches. Use of the Test button in Audio Settings will readily get you to low-latency performance with no glitching.

PERFORMANCE - Cabbage Versions

Return all MIDI knobs/sliders to zero, and set both GUI sliders to your particular MIDI configuration. (Note that there is an option that allows for CC7 on consecutive channels; it is enabled by selecting MIDI channel zero.) Then move any MIDI knobs/sliders to their initial positions (if other than zero). You can make changes to the GUI settings at any time.

WHAT THE VARIOUS KNOBS/SLIDERS DO - Cabbage and Command-line Versions

Controller #1 (first controller of 8 contiguous): combined volume of tone 1 and tone 2
  Tones 1 and 2 are identical, but slightly detuned - causing beats.
#2: primary timbre control for tone 1
#3: secondary timbre control for tone 1
  Note: secondary timbre control only works when primary control is raised (it is fully active only at maximum primary setting)
#4: base harmonic for combined tones 1 and 2
#5: primary timbre control for tone 2
#6: secondary timbre control for tone 2 (see note above)
#7: speed control for beats
#8: amount of added randomization for beat speed
  Note: beat speed is dependent on base harmonic as well as controllers 7 and 8