A 5edo generative ambient composition made in Pure Data. Every playthrough is unique. This video shows merely one example of what might be generated by the algorithm. No MIDI was used in the patch; all sounds were generated by oscillator matrices I designed in PD.

I made this while on vacation in Key West, FL. The video footage is from the day after I finished the bulk of the composition’s programming.

This piece consists of four note generators, a lead generator, a monophonic sequencer, and a white noise generator, all of which automatically generate their own note choices, durations, and timbres. The overtones on the synths become more exaggerated as time runs on. Each playthrough automatically begins winding down around 3 minutes and finishes by 3:30. The patch can also be set to run indefinitely.

For anyone unfamiliar: “edo” means “equal distribution of the octave.” Almost all Western music is written in 12tet, the system that divides the octave into 12 steps of 100 cents each. This composition divides the octave into 5 steps of 240 cents each.