ProcessPack takes as input .wav sound-files. The user is offered a selectable menu of methods by which to transform these sound-files. Input sound-files may be mono or stereo, at any sample rate. Version 1.4 of ProcessPack incorporates Audition, Dispersal, Echo, FilterBank, Hover, Pan/Spin, PlayMix, Pyramid, ReMix, Reverse and Wraith modules.
Dispersal allows the user to split a recorded sound into segments – as many as 999 in a single process, and apply different type of transpositions to each segment before they are re-mixed into a stereo output file at CD-quality sample-rate (44100 samples per second). The Audition module allows the user to listen to any or all of the soundfiles listed in the soundfile directory. The PlayMix module is a versatile play and mix module for your sound-files, while ReMix allows adjustments to be made to timings, amplitudes and stereo placement in a mix previously made.
The ‘Hover’ module is a revolutionary principle applied to sound-processing, not available in any other software. It is fast, and creates extraordinary transformations. Try it! Pyramid, too, by stacking up to 32 transposed copies of sound-files, creates often unexpected sonic transformations.
Echo allows a wide range of echo-reflections and reverberation to be added to sounds. FilterBank implements harmonic or inharmonic filtering of sounds, while Pan/Spin gives the user great control over a variety of placement and movement of sound in the stereo sound-stage.
‘Dispersal’ – Types of transposition
In the ‘Dispersal‘ module, the transpositions applied to each segment may be internal or external. Internal transpositions are time-varying patterns which are applied to each and every segment. There are many ways of creating the internal transposition patterns. These may be randomly generated, linear or exponential series, either raw or sorted into rising, falling and different types of ‘wedge’ shape; or they may be generated from a ‘Contour’ set, which include geometrical functions like sine-waves, humps or dips, carets or vee-shapes. Additionally, there is an option to freely-draw a contour which the transposition will follow. The range of the transposition is also specifiable, in semitones, from +/- a fraction of a semitone to +/- 40 semitones – a total range of nearly seven octaves!
External transpositions apply to the shape of the successive segments as they are mixed together. Again there is a wide range of selectable methods, including all of those mentioned above for internal transpositions, plus some further options: Harmonic Grid, and Sequence. A Harmonic Grid is a set of specified transpositions given in MIDI note values, where ’60′ indicates no transposition, ’61′ a semitone higher, ’48′ an octave lower, etc. Each segment is allocated one of the transposition pitches in the grid, ensuring that only these transpositions will occur, and no others. The Sequence option permits a sequence of transpositions of any length to be specified, again in MIDI note values, this time with a definite duration for each, specifies in beats. The tempo of the sequence (by default MM = 60) can also be set to any desired value.
Mixing the segments
Several selections from the Dispersal parameters page contribute to the way in which the segments occur in the final mix. Of primary importance are the specified Output soundfile length and the Gap Type. The ‘Outfile length’ will normally determine how the segments are overlapped in the mix. If there are a large number of segments and a relatively short outfile length, the resulting texture will tend to be dense. However, this is modied also by the Gap Type, which may be one of the following: None, Constant, Random, Increasing Linear, Increasing Exponential, Decreasing Linear, or Decreasing Exponential. If the gaptype is set to ‘None’, then the selected output soundfile length will be disregarded, and the user informed how long the output file will be, based on the fact that the segments will be mixed end-to-end. In all other instances the specified output soundfile length will be adhered-to. For example, if the gaptype is ‘Constant’, then the length of gap will be constant, and the selected outfile length will be divided by the number of segments specified, resulting in automatic overlaps of the segments if necessary.
The ‘Increasing’ and ‘Decreasing’ length gaptypes modify the distribution of the segments to be bunched towards the beginning or the end of the mix, either according to a linear or to an exponential law.