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ArtWonk™ is a MIDI and graphics program that produces MIDI music and animation based on algorithmic processes in real time. You compose by connecting "modules" - graphical objects that represent functions and processes - adjusting the parameters as you go. It is like a soft synth, but instead of producing the sound, it produces the notes that control the other synths and sound cards.
ArtWonk will drive MIDI synthesizers, soft synths and sound cards directly, effectively "playing" them in real time or optionally responding to user or environmental parameters; it will also record directly to a standard MIDI file. Real time paint graphics can be created and manipulated on the fly; and both music and paint can be created together as a synesthetic whole.
Winner of Electronic Musician's 2005 Editor's Choice Award.
"Artwonk...takes computer assisted composition to new heights."
"With more than 200 modules, there's not much in the way of real-time composition that you can't do with this program"
"Algorithmic Arts' ArtWonk is an algorithmic-composition program featuring real-time MIDI playback with animated graphics. The program provides a clear, logical work environment for arranging its vast collection of Modules, which can be connected and controlled in numerous ways. ArtWonk is a powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use program for creatively exploring the fertile relationships between music, visual art, mathematics, and nature."
ArtWonk also has been reviewed
in the September, 2004 issue of Electronic Musician Magazine.
Read
the EM review here.
"Interconnecting the modules
is a drag and drop operation. Making edits is as easy as you'd want it to be.
You can't connect signals that are incompatible. I've seen lots of graphical
programming environments, such as MAX and KYMA. This program has no peer in
this area of graphical interactive program development."
Howard Moscovitz - Electro-Music.com
Read the review by Electro-Music.com
Click here for full size screen shot.
ArtWonk Images by Jamy
Sheridan - Click image for full size.
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Because ArtWonk is often used in live performances where computer crashes are unacceptable, ArtWonk uses the ImagXpress high performance, professional graphics imaging engine developed by Pegasus Imaging Corporation. We have found this to be the highest quality, most complete, and most rock solid stable imaging engine available today. |
ArtWonk and MusicWonk are essentially the same program, except MusicWonk does not have ArtWonk's algorithmic graphics components. The MIDI and general algorithmic functionality of both programs are identical, and file formats are compatible between the two programs.
Free Download
ArtWonk is available for free as a full featured player. You can create module patches and you can load and play demo patches and patches created by others, but you can not save the patches (although you can save the .mid MIDI files you create). There is no time limit on the player, and at any time you can purchase a license key to enable the module save menus.
Online Help & Tutorials
ArtWonk has easy to use browser based online help. Tutorials in the manual help you get started, plus there is an ongoing series of tutorials available from the Tutorials Page.
Flash
Tiny Tutorial shows you how to get started.
Genetic music created with ArtWonk driving Scope synthesizers (Spideron.mp3).
View our extensive Sequencers
Tutorial.
View
an example of ArtWonk algorithmic graphics used for scientific illustration.
Browse
the Online Manual.
Printable PDF Manual.
Comparison of ArtWonk/MusicWonk, SoftStep
and BankStep
Use Stand Alone or With Notation Based Sequencers
Music you create with ArtWonk can stand by itself as full compositions, and it can also be imported into your notation based MIDI sequencer. Without changing your existing setup any more than you would to add a processor or soft synth, you get a fresh take on your music, including the ability to create riffs based on non traditional patterns such as DNA sequences, stock market trends, star maps, or virtually any other algorithmic process or data source.
Real Time Ultra Arpeggiator
With ArtWonk you can accept MIDI input from your keyboard, process it in innumerable ways, then send it out to your soft synth, sound card or MIDI sound module with no perceptible lag. This gives you an incredibly flexible tool for building ultra arpeggios that can take input notes and controller movements and generate complex musical phrases and effects, providing independent real-time control over rhythm, duration, accents, chord density, pitch bending, tonal variation, panning, repeats, randomization, etc.
Computer System Requirements
ArtWonk runs on all Windows operating systems from Windows 98 on, including XT 64, Vista 32 and Vista 64. You also need a sound card or MIDI interface. Most sound chips built into PCs and laptops will work fine. SoundBlaster and similar cards, as well as Emu and other pro and semi pro sound cards work well also.
Software Synthesizer Compatibility
ArtWonk is compatible with all known software synthesizers. Most soft synths do not have their own MIDI drivers, and therefore require a program called a MIDI Loop Back in order to run them with ArtWonk or any other MIDI control software. A MIDI Loop Back gives you a set of virtual patch cords, where you can send the output of ArtWonk to a Loop Back input, then connect your soft synth to the same Loop Back output. These programs are available as free downloads, they are easy to install, and once installed they are trouble free. ArtWonk works very well with any of these free MIDI Loop Back drivers. If you don't know which to use, we recommend MidiYoke.
Hubi's MidiLoopBack (Win 95/98 only)
MidiYoke (Win98/2K/XP/Vista)
Maple MIDI Tools (Win98/2K/XP/Vista)
Nerds.de LoopBe1 (Win2K/XP/Vista 64/32 bit)
Sonic
Foundry's Virtual Midi Router (Win98/2K/XP)
VST/VSTi
ArtWonk works very well with popular VST host software such as REAPER, Cubase, Ableton Live, Sonar and FL Studio/Fruity Loops , or the free Wavosaur. Since the output of ArtWonk is a live MIDI stream, essentially an algorithmic keyboard player, it is not a VST application itself. But the VST host programs have MIDI inputs and outputs that can easily be set up to distribute the ArtWonk MIDI stream to the hosted VST and VSTi modules.
