REALTIME WEB TECHNOLOGIES in the NETWORKED Servers for Spontaneous Multiplayer Games
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any open (non-password protected) servers. This would [9] Glitch Lich, 2012, available from: http://glitchlich. allow for spontaneous network collaborations and impro- com/ [Accessed 10 January 2012]. visations to occur, similar to how users join video game REALTIME WEB TECHNOLOGIES IN THE NETWORKED servers for spontaneous multiplayer games. Finally, con- [10] S. Hagen, IPv6 Essentials, 2nd ed. O’Reilly Media, PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENT venience classes/libraries are planned to be constructed 2006. for SuperCollider, C++, Java, Processing, and Max/MSP [11] S. Jorda,` “Faust music online: An approach to col- Rob Canning that will take care of much of the boiler-plate code re- lective composition on the internet,” Leonardo Mu- quired to create an application that utilizes OSCthulhu. sic Journal, vol. 9, pp. 5–12, 1999. Department of Music Goldsmiths, University of London, UK [12] ResRocket, 2004, available from: http://www. 5. CONCLUSION jamwith.us/about us/rocket history.shtml [Accessed [email protected] The OSCthulhu synchronization system offers network mu- February 6th 2012]. sic composers a new choice for enabling network-based [13] L. Sasso, Native Instruments: Reaktor 3- The Ulti- ABSTRACT platform for both message passing, sound processing/syn- compositions and performances. As the results show from mate Hands-on Guide for All Reaktor Fans. Wizoo, thesis and networking. the tests conducted, OSCthulhu can be more effective than 2002. Current real-time web technologies are capable of pro- OscGroups in certain scenarios for networked computer viding composers of network based music with a new in- The Laptop Orchestra model of treating the computer music. If a dislocated ensemble wish to have the fluidity [14] F. Schroeder, A. B. Renaud, P. Rebelo, and frastructure for the distribution, control and synchronisa- as a meta-instrument, utilising its abilities as sound-processor of UDP based networking while maintaining a sufficient F. Gualda, “Addressing the Network: Performa- tion of the networked score. When these technologies are and input for Human Interface Devices (HIDs) has a very level of reliability on the open internet, especially in cases tive Strategies for Playing Apart,” in Proceedings of combined with an adherence to web standards it is pos- different set of demands than for that of the networked of shared musical resources, then OSCthulhu proves to be the 2007 International Computer Music Conference, sible to remove software and platform specific solutions. score. Common practice amongst composers working with a good choice to meet these demands. 2007, pp. 133–140. Cross-platform web browsers present the composer with a networked score systems involve the use of a generalised audio oriented data-flow programming language, with plug- [15] W. R. Stevens, TCP/IP Illustrated. Addison-Wesley standardised and accessible environment where notational ins to deal with networking (often Open Sound Control 6. REFERENCES Professional, 1994. material can be presented to performers. These technologies provide a useful set of tools and (OSC)) and the presentation of notation (MaxScore, Java [1] A. Barbosa, “Displaced Soundscapes: A Survey of [16] W. R. Stevens, B. Fenner, and A. M. Rudoff, UNIX processes to facilitate networked performance. The use Music Specification Language (JMSL), OpenMusic or Lily- Network Systems for Music and Sonic Art Cre- Network Programming: The sockets networking of standards compliant systems over proprietary ones pro- pond based). Visual programming languages such as Pure ation,” Leonardo Music Journal, vol. 13, pp. 53–59, API. Addison-Wesley Professional, 2004. motes interoperability and future proofing and provides a Data or MaxMSP are the lingua franca of many computer 2003. musicians, and when it comes to finding strategies for the [17] T. Sweeney, 1999, available from: http://udn. platform for shared reseach. These systems can also re- duce rehearsal/performance set-up time and complexities presentation of notational material to instrumental musi- [2] R. Bencina, “Oscgroups,” 2010, available epicgames.com/Three/NetworkingOverview.html to a fraction of that currently experienced with more ad- cians, composers will very often use these types of tools from: http://www.audiomulch.com/ rossb/code/ [Accessed 16 May 2010]. ∼ hoc scenarios commonly implemented in this area of per- as they are familiar and flexible tools (for example in Ger- oscgroups/ [Accessed 2 May 2010]. hard Winkler’s Real-time scores [18] or Georg Hajdu’s [18] G. Wang, A. Misra, and P. R. Cook, “Building col- formance. Quintet.net[8].) [3] C. Brown and J. Bischoff, “Indigenous to the laborative graphical interfaces in the audicle,” in This paper argues for the feasibility of how various Net: Early Network Music Bands in the San NIME ’06: Proceedings of the 2006 conference Web standards, including the Hypertext Markup Language These systems can, and do work, but this kind of ap- Francisco Bay Area,” August 2002, available on New interfaces for musical expression. Paris, Revision 5 (HTML5), Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) proach is hampered by problems. Multiple, non standard from: http://crossfade.walkerart.org/brownbischoff/ France, France: IRCAM — Centre Pompidou, 2006, and the ECMAScript programming language can combine installations of expensive platform specific softwares and IndigenoustotheNetPrint.html [Accessed 2 August pp. 49–52. with real-time web server technologies, NodeJS and Web- associated plug-ins (often requiring expensive hardware), 2010]. Sockets in one possible work-flow as implemented in the difficulties with networking; Network Address Transla- [19] A. Ward, J. Rohrhuber, F. Olofsson, A. McLean, author’s NodeScore system. D. Griffiths, N. Collins, and A. Alexander, “Live tion (NAT) transversal and the circumvention of firewall [4] Cockos Incorporated, “Ninjam,” 2012, available Algorithm Programming and a Temporary Organi- restrictions, Network Time Protocol (NTP) synchronisa- from:http://www.cockos.com/ninjam/ [Accessed sation for Its Promotion,” Readme Software Art and 1. BACKGROUND tion between clients as well as issues surrounding the in- February 6th 2012]. Culture, 2004. corporation of middleware to enable communications with The pervasiveness of network enabled mobile devices, in some HIDs, are examples of some common problems. It [5] Cycling ’74, 2010, available from: http://cycling74. [20] G. Weinberg, “Interconnected Musical Networks: the western cultural context, from smart phones to tablets suffices to say that many of these configurations are non- com/ [Accessed 27 May 2010]. Toward a Theoretical Framework,” Computer Music and laptops, alongside widespread high speed network ac- trivial to implement and require a technician with con- Journal, vol. 29(2), pp. 23–29, 2005. cess, in recent years has led to an increase in creative siderable understanding of both the specific software and [6] A. De Campo and J. Rohrhuber, “Waiting and Un- 1 musical experiments using these technologies[13]. There network protocols being used. In this context modular- certainty in Computer Music Networks,” in Proceed- [21] S. Wilson, D. Cottle, and N. Collins, Eds., The Su- has been an exponential growth of the laptop ensembles, isation is the best way forward and the separation of the ings of the 2004 International Computer Music Con- perCollider Book. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, many following on the model established by the Prince- score interface from tools designed for the creation of new ference, 2004. 2011. ton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk)[17] followed now by the electronic instruments is an important step. [7] eJAMMING Audio, 2012, available from:http:// [22] M. Wright, 2002, open sound control 1.0 specifi- incorporation of the smart-phone in to the performance ejamming.com/ [Accessed February 6th 212]. cation. Available from: http://opensoundcontrol.org/ environment as with the Stanford Mobile Phone Orchestra spec-1 0 [Accessed 2 May 2010]. (MoPhO). As with their predecessors (groups such as the [8] B. Ford, P. Srisuresh, and D. Kegel, “Peer-to-peer League of Automatic Music Composers and The HUB[7]) 1 communication across network address translators,” these ensembles often create their own ad-hoc strategies The GRid-ENabled Deployment for Laptop orchestras (GRENDL) project [3] aims to eliminate many of the problems associated with the 2005, available from: http://www.brynosaurus.com/ and softwares for interaction. L2ORK for example, [14] practicalities of the performance and organisation of pieces for laptop pub/net/p2pnat/ [Accessed 20 July 2011]. have created their own fork of the Pure Data softare as a orchestras. _314 _315 2. WEB BROWSER AS PLATFORM FOR THE In the mid-nineties Netscape Navigator introduced server- sage and an index indicating which notational material NETWORKED MUSIC SCORE push technologies in two forms, a multi-part response MIME should be displayed. The server filters that information type called multipart/x-mixed-replace which can be used and channels it back down the relevant WebSocket to the The ubiquity of web browsers and document formats has in Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts, and Java ap- target performers interface where the material is then dis- led to the development of web based applications (We- plets which allow a persistent connection via a raw Trans- played. There is no delay while waiting for TCP hand- bApps) that previously would have existed as platform mission Control Protocol (TCP) socket. Today, the most shakes to be completed as the connections between all specific, stand-alone applications.