sc — SuperCollider instruments

Four live performance instruments controlled by a Novation Launch Control XL, built in SuperCollider and edited in VS Code.

Setup

1. Install SuperCollider
2. Install the SuperCollider VS Code extension (publisher: rogervila)
3. Connect a Novation Launch Control XL
4. Place samples in samples/a/ (or whichever letter set you want) named 1.wav through 8.wav
5. Boot the SuperCollider server (Ctrl+B in the extension)

---

multiwarp

synths/multiwarp/multiwarp.scd

8-voice warp looper. Each voice independently loops a different sample with decoupled pitch and speed control. Designed for moment archaeology — finding and preserving interesting interactions between sources.

Controls (Launch Control XL)

Control	Function
Fader	Volume (0 to 1.5)
Top button (hold)	Shift — fader controls semitones (-24 to +24) while held
Encoder 1	Loop start point (0.0 to 1.0)
Encoder 2	Loop length (exponential, 0.001 to 0.25 of buffer)
Encoder 3	Playback speed (0.1× to 3.0×, pitch-compensated)
Bottom button (short press)	Recall snapshot
Bottom button (long press 1.5s+)	Save snapshot

Speed and pitch are fully decoupled: speed stretches or compresses time without affecting pitch. Semitones shifts pitch independently via PitchShift.

Snapshot system

8 snapshot slots (one per bottom button). Each snapshot stores the full state of all 8 voices: volume, semitones, speed, loop start and loop length. Snapshots morph between states over a configurable fade time (~wfadeTime). Snapshots are auto-saved to disk on each save and auto-loaded on boot.

GUI

A display window opens automatically on boot. It shows:

• Snapshot buttons — 8 recall buttons (cyan = filled, dim = empty) and 8 save buttons. Click to morph to that snapshot over ~wfadeTime seconds.
• Voice strips — one per voice, each showing:
  • Waveform with loop region highlighted
  • Amp bar (read-only — reflects fader position)
  • Four interactive knobs: pos, len, spd, sem — draggable and track LCXL encoders in real time
• Randomise button — randomises all params except volume (GUI only, no hardware equivalent)

Volume is read-only in the GUI (LCXL faders are not endless encoders and can't be synced with a software control).

To use

1. Set ~wset to your chosen letter inside the boot block in multiwarp.scd
2. Evaluate the boot block — wait for "Ready." in the Post Window
3. Raise faders to bring voices in
4. Use the tweakable lines in multiwarp.scd to set fade time, randomise params, etc.

Sample sets

Samples are organised into lettered sets (samples/a/, samples/b/, etc.). Set ~wset = "a" before booting. Snapshots are stored per-set in synths/multiwarp/snapshots/a.scd etc.

LCXL template

Load synths/multiwarp/lcxl/multiwarp.syx via Novation Components. Top buttons must be configured as momentary.

---

multigranular

synths/multigranular/multigranular.scd

8-voice granular synthesizer. Each voice plays a different sample using granular synthesis with independent control of position, grain size, density, pitch, pan and spray. Shares sample banks with multiwarp.

Controls (Launch Control XL)

Encoders have a shift layer activated by holding the top button — same button that gives semitones on the fader.

Control	Normal	Shift held
Fader	Volume (0 to 1.5)	Semitones (−24 to +24)
Encoder 1	Playhead position (0–1)	Pan (−1 to +1)
Encoder 2	Grain size (0.01–1.0s, exp)	Spray — position jitter (0–0.5, exp)
Encoder 3	Grain density (1–60 grains/sec, exp)	Semitones (−24 to +24)
Top button (hold)	—	Shift modifier
Bottom button (short press)	Recall snapshot	—
Bottom button (long press 1.5s+)	Save snapshot	—

LED rings update when shift is pressed/released to show the active parameter's current value.

Snapshot system

Same as multiwarp: 8 slots, auto-save on save, auto-load on boot. Each snapshot stores volume, position, grain size, density, semitones, pan and spray per voice. Fade time is controlled by ~gfadeTime.

GUI

• Snapshot buttons — same as multiwarp (cyan = filled, dim = empty)
• Voice strips — one per voice, each showing:
  • Waveform with position marker, scatter zone, and grain flash (pulses at the grain rate)
  • Amp bar
  • Six interactive knobs — cyan (normal encoders): pos, size, den; yellow (shift layer): pan, spray, sem
• Randomise button — randomises all params except volume (GUI only)

To use

1. Set ~gset to your chosen letter inside the boot block in multigranular.scd
2. Evaluate the boot block — wait for "Ready." in the Post Window
3. Raise faders to bring voices in

Sample sets

Shares the same samples/[set]/ directory as multiwarp — no duplicate files needed. Snapshots are stored separately in synths/multigranular/snapshots/a.scd etc.

LCXL template

Load synths/multigranular/lcxl/multigranular.syx via Novation Components. Both buttons must be configured as momentary (identical to the multiwarp template except from param names).

---

multifreeze

synths/multifreeze/multifreeze.scd

8-voice spectral freeze instrument. Each voice loads a different sample, runs it through a phase vocoder chain, and lets you freeze the spectrum at any moment with the top button. Shares sample banks with multiwarp and multigranular.

Controls (Launch Control XL)

Control	Function
Fader	Volume (0 to 1.5)
Top button (press)	Freeze capture — samples current live spectrum into the freeze buffer; also reshuffles the scramble map
Encoder 1	Freeze amount (0.0 fully live → 1.0 fully frozen)
Encoder 2	Smear — spectral blur across neighbouring bins (0.0 none → 1.0 heavy)
Encoder 3	Scramble — bin position reassignment (0.0 none → 1.0 full scramble)
Bottom button (short press)	Recall snapshot
Bottom button (long press 1.5s+)	Save snapshot

The top button is a trigger, not a latch. At freeze=0 you hear the live source flowing through smear and scramble. At freeze=1 you hear the frozen spectrum — captured at the last top button press — through smear and scramble. In between, both blend.

Snapshot system

Same as multiwarp: 8 slots, auto-save on save, auto-load on boot. Each snapshot stores volume, freeze, smear, scramble and semitones per voice. Fade time controlled by ~ffadeTime. Note that the frozen spectral content itself (what was captured at the last top button press) is not stored — only the blend/processing settings are. Recalling a snapshot restores the mix state but not the specific frozen texture, so snapshots are more useful as starting points than complete restorations.

GUI

• Snapshot buttons — same as multiwarp (cyan = filled, dim = empty)
• Voice strips — one per voice, each showing:
  • Waveform with icy blue freeze overlay (opacity = freeze amount), playhead line, capture position marker, and a brief white flash on capture
  • Top edge bar showing freeze intensity
  • Amp bar
  • Four interactive knobs — frz, smr, scr (ice blue, track LCXL encoders); sem (yellow, GUI-only — no hardware equivalent due to LCXL encoder count)
• Randomise button — randomises freeze, smear, scramble and semitones for all voices, and triggers a capture on each voice at its current playhead position (not volume)

To use

1. Set ~fset to your chosen letter inside the boot block in multifreeze.scd
2. Set ~ffftSize if desired (default 2048 — larger gives finer frequency resolution but higher latency)
3. Evaluate the boot block — wait for "Ready." in the Post Window
4. Raise faders to bring voices in
5. Press top buttons to capture freeze snapshots of the source material

Sample sets

Shares the same samples/[set]/ directory as multiwarp and multigranular. Snapshots stored separately in synths/multifreeze/snapshots/a.scd etc.

LCXL template

Load synths/multifreeze/lcxl/multifreeze.syx via Novation Components. Use the same template as multiwarp — both buttons momentary.

---

multifm

synths/multifm/multifm.scd

8-voice 2-operator FM drone instrument. All voices drone continuously from boot — bring them in with faders and shape their timbres with the encoders. Designed around snapshot morphing: FM parameters produce dramatic timbral shifts on small moves, so fading between snapshots creates sweeping spectral changes.

Controls (Launch Control XL)

Control	Function
Fader	Volume (0 to 1.5)
Encoder 1	Carrier frequency (30–600 Hz, exponential)
Encoder 2	Modulator:carrier ratio (0.25×–8.0×, exponential)
Encoder 3	Modulation index β (0.01–12.0, exponential) — timbre from pure sine to dense spectrum
Top button (toggle)	Decouple — freezes modulator Hz at current value; LED on while active
Bottom button (short press)	Recall snapshot
Bottom button (long press 1.5s+)	Save snapshot

With decouple off, the modulator tracks the carrier via the ratio — moving enc1 shifts both together and the timbre stays constant. With decouple on, the modulator is fixed at the Hz it had when the button was pressed. Moving enc1 now changes the carrier-to-modulator ratio in real time, producing harmonic series sweeps and beating effects.

Snapshot system

8 slots, auto-saved to disk on each save, auto-loaded on boot. Each snapshot stores volume, carrier frequency, modulator ratio, modulation index, decouple state and frozen modulator Hz per voice. All parameters interpolate smoothly over ~fmfadeTime seconds. Fade time is configured with ~fmfadeTime.

GUI

• Snapshot buttons — 8 recall buttons (amber = filled, dim = empty) and 8 save buttons
• Voice strips — one per voice, each showing:
  • Amp bar
  • Three amber knobs: freq, ratio, index — draggable, track LCXL encoders in real time
  • dcpl indicator — lights amber when decouple mode is active
• Randomise button — randomises freq, ratio and index for all voices (not volume, not decouple state)

To use

1. Evaluate the boot block — wait for "Ready." in the Post Window
2. Raise faders to bring voices in
3. Use enc3 (index) to add FM complexity; enc2 (ratio) to set harmonic character
4. Save a snapshot, then dial in a different texture and save another — use fade time to morph

LCXL template

Load synths/multifm/lcxl/multifm.syx via Novation Components. Top buttons must be toggle (hardware LED reflects decouple state). Bottom buttons must be momentary.

---

Notes

• All instruments use MIDIOut(2) (LCXL port) — a connected Launch Control XL is required. Boot will fail without one.
• Samples are not committed — add your own.
• Snapshot files are generated locally and not committed.
• Only one instrument should be running at a time — booting one clears the other's MIDI responders.

Folder structure

sc/
  synths/
    multiwarp/
      multiwarp.scd     — boot and tweakables (open this)
      engine.scd        — instrument implementation
      gui.scd           — display window
      snapshots/        — saved snapshots per set (generated, not committed)
      lcxl/
        multiwarp.syx   — LCXL template (load via Novation Components)
    multigranular/
      multigranular.scd — boot and tweakables (open this)
      engine.scd        — instrument implementation
      gui.scd           — display window
      snapshots/        — saved snapshots per set (generated, not committed)
      lcxl/
        multigranular.syx — LCXL template (identical config to multiwarp)
    multifreeze/
      multifreeze.scd   — boot and tweakables (open this)
      engine.scd        — instrument implementation
      gui.scd           — display window
      snapshots/        — saved snapshots per set (generated, not committed)
      lcxl/
        multifreeze.syx — LCXL template (identical config to multiwarp)
    multifm/
      multifm.scd       — boot and tweakables (open this)
      engine.scd        — instrument implementation
      gui.scd           — display window
      snapshots/        — saved snapshots (generated, not committed)
      lcxl/
        multifm.syx     — LCXL template (top buttons toggle, bottom buttons momentary)
  samples/
    a/                  — sample set a (1.wav … 8.wav), shared by all instruments
    b/                  — sample set b
    …