Amazing Maze

Amazing Maze is a super cool project that started back in 1993 when I was working at IRCAM in Paris. This realtime music composition idea has been bouncing around in my head for years! It first came to life in the Lexikon-Sonate (1992-2007) for a computer-controlled piano. Both of these pieces are all about creating a new style of music that:

• composes itself while it's playing


• isn't just redoing some old sheet music


• can react to outside influences


• has endless time expansion


• never sounds the same way twice!

The Magic of Amazing Maze

Amazing Maze is like a computer program that makes music by tweaking sampled instrumental sounds using different compositional strategies. These strategies are carried out in various structure generators, each creating its own unique sound world.

Compositional Algorithms and MaxMSP

The algorithms that shape the music are programmed in MaxMSP, taking advantage of my Real Time Composition Library (RTC-lib). This collection of software modules lets you play around with lots of creative techniques, including serial procedures, permutations, and even controlled randomness!

Diving into Sound Material

The sounds you hear in Amazing Maze come from three different types: points, grids, and planes. These have been specially designed for various instruments to explore sound qualities beyond what you usually hear when playing them.

If you're curious about trying out this innovative software or want to know more, check it out here!