Overview

Part of the TrevoScrub series – because, sometimes you just need a good scrubbing.

TrevoScrub-TxT is one of the TrevoScrub Max for Live plugins that will run in Ableton Live with optional Push control. TrevoScrub-TxT combines the Mac OS X text-to-speech capabilities with MSP audio processing and scrubbing. The system provides text sonification and extreme modulation and manipulation. It is useful for creating text-based compositions, illusory sound design, vocal transformations and chaotic sonic textures.

Version .94.7 is now available! Watch this space for updates.

Downloads (Mac Only for full functionality**)

1. Easiest (Ableton Pack) – Ableton Live Set with the Max for Live plugin – TrevoScrub-TxT_v947.alp
2. Most (Everything) – Ableton Set with Max for Live plugin, Max 7 patch, documentation and screen captures – TrevoScrub-TxT_v947.zip (5.6 MB)
3. Max 7 patch only – TrevoScrub-TxT_v947.maxpat.zip (37 KB)
4. Max for Live patch only – TrevoScrub-TxT.amxd.zip (37 KB)
5. TrevoScrub-TxT_overview (PDF)

** NOTE: While you need Max OS X and one Max external for full functionality, you can still use the scrubbing feature of the patch on Windows and without any Max externals. Only the text-to-speech system is Mac only. Drag and drop audio onto the bottom of the waveform window.

** After downloading, click on the “?” button for help and to create your “Scrub_audio” folder.

Installation:

This plugin uses the “shell” external. For Max 7, install “shell.mxo” and “shell.maxhelp” in your “~Documents/Max 7/Library” folder. Download from here: https://cycling74.com/toolbox/bernstein-shell/

TrevoScrub-TxT uses a folder “Scrub_audio” within the same folder as the Max patch. Make sure that this folder exists. The patch’s “voices” menu includes all OS X voice. Check your system preferences and load voices that have not been downloaded yet.

Sonification:

Type some text, choose a voice, sonify, then trigger, loop, adjust speed and loop start and end. In addition, you can load text from a text file or directly from the web.

Transport:

Playback can be triggered in 3 ways: via MIDI, via the internal transport-locked, trigger engine or both combined. When MIDI is used, playback speed is adjusted +- 2 octaves, relative to C3 (MIDI #60). So, C4 would playback at double-speed. Use the ‘Speed’ control knob to manually adjust the playback. You have the choice of the speed control affecting the pitch or time-stretching and compressing. Use the Loop feature to auto trigger at the end of the sample for interesting rhythmic transformations.

Display / Range:

The selection played can be chosen with the mouse in the waveform window or various Push-enabled knobs. For selection, choose ‘loop’ then move the mouse up/down to change the loop size and right/left to shift in time. Use the ‘move’ features to move and/or zoom.

LFOs:

The speed and loop start time can be modulated with the LFOs. Enable one or both LFOs, then adjust the LFO rate, depth and bias. With speed, a depth of 1 and bias of .5 will raise and lower the speed +- .5. With start time, a depth of 100ms and a bias of .5 will shift the start point forward and backward by +- 50ms. Choose from 3 wave shapes for variation in modulation effect.

Patterns:

To save the settings, choose a pattern number then ‘store’. Recall by choosing that pattern number and clicking ‘recall’. The following are saved: start/end times, LFOs, play status, loop, stretch, voice, tempo, trigger and gain. Use MIDI note numbers 1 through 16 to select and recall patterns 1 through 16.

PANIC:

The panic button resets most of the settings to their default. This includes transport , looping LFOs and effects.

Push Control:

Most of the functions are mapped to Push knobs. To enhance playability, these are grouped into banks – Transport, LFOs, Display/Range, Sonification, Patterns, Effects, and PANIC on the end of Bank 5. Use MIDI notes 17 for PANIC or 18/19 for Play/Pause. For best results, set the Push to Chromatic scale mode.

Push Detail:

Bank 1	Bank 2	Bank 3	Bank 4	Bank 5	Bank 6
1 Play Control 2 Loop 3 Stretch 4 Speed 5 Voice 6 Tempo 7 Trigger 8	9 Speed LFO 10 Speed LFO Rate 11 Speed LFO Depth 12 Speed LFO Bias 13 Start LFO 14 Start LFO Rate 15 Start LFO Depth 16 Start LFO Bias	17 Speed LFO Shape 18 Start LFO Shape 19 Display Start 20 Display Length 21 Select Start 22 Select End 23 Select All 24 Undo	25 SONIFY 26 Get URL 27 Pattern 28 STORE 29 RECALL 30 AutoPan 31 Pan Tempo 32 Pan Slew	33 Pan 34 Echo Tempo 35 Echo % 36 Echo Pan 37 Enable Left 38 Enable Right 39 Gain 40 PANIC	41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

Credits:

Credit: By T. Henthorn 2017.
Thanks to: J. Kaiser for bang management
Series: TrevoScrub (also available: TrevoClowder, TrevoXamp)
Source: Music_and_Art_Project/TrevoScrub/TrevoScrub-TxT/
URL: http://trevorhenthorn.com/max
** References: http://deutsch.ucsd.edu/phantom_words

More:

View more patches in the TrevoScrub series…