Author: Clara Juong

A web-based audio-visual programming system, Tweakable prompts users to “make interactive and generative music, sound and visual art” by making them choose from a wide range of components to design their own algorithmic systems while also setting up controls that allow them to adjust how the algorithm works in real-time, hence the name “Tweakable.” According to the Wayback Machine, Tweakable.org was first active on June 6, 2002, and then was inactive from 2003 till 2020; finally, the website we currently have was a version launched on December 17, 2020 (“Wayback”).

There are 3 big components in Tweakable: Data Input/Flow, Sequencing, and Audio, with an additional option to create custom modules as well. Data Input/Flow includes control inputs like sliders and MIDI and controls how information flows in the platform. Sequencing generates and transforms musical patterns using grids, scripts, and mathematical functions, while Audio converts sequences into sound through instruments, oscillators, and automated effects (Woodward). When the user wants to create a new project, they will first choose from a pre-built library made of sequences, audio, video, effects, etc., and they will then connect those components together to create an algorithmic system. Finally, after the system has been made, they will also need to build a user interface so that their algorithm can be tweaked (“Tweakable”).

With its main goal is lowering the entry barrier for programming music or visual art for all users, Tweakable invites users with no background knowledge to not only easily create their own works but also share their projects “without worrying about missing dependencies” since it’s web-based. By being a web where users can tweak and experiment with parameters in live time, Tweakable was one of the earliest pioneering live coding platforms at the time of its creation; and not only does it encompass live coding’s key characteristic of allowing users to write and modify code in real-time to create music and visuals, it also made the algorithmic generation of art more accessible and intuitive with its visual component-based approach, thus opening up the platform to anyone ranging from a total novice to an expert (Woodward).

Finally, here’s a video of me playing around with Tweakable, and the slides are here 🙂

Works Cited

“Tweakable.” IRCAM Forum, forum.ircam.fr/projects/detail/tweakable/#project-intro-anchor. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025. 

“Wayback Machine.” Expand Web Menu, web.archive.org/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025. 

Woodward, Julian. Tweakable – NTNU, www.ntnu.edu/documents/1282113268/1290817988/WAC2019-CameraReadySubmission-10.pdf/bf702376-a6e4-a270-6581-f80f55bbbfec?t=1575408891372. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.

Learning that groove is at the center of West African and African-American music and how it plays a critical role in giving “perception of a human, steady pulse in a musical performance” made me think that this might be the genre I’ll look into for when I’m creating music for our own live performance. As a dancer myself, I’d love to make the audience feel the urge to just break into a dance while they listen to our rhythm. It was interesting how altering such small details can completely change the nuance of the music, there wasn’t a lot of things to say or do.

The fact that the backbeat is presumed to be “some very ancient human musical behavior” that was one of the earliest musical attempts of humankind and that we’re still using it as the backbone of our music compositions after all these years made me wonder if having a backbeat is crucial for all types of music, or whether it can be omitted by choice. Is the reason why it sustained for this long solely due to it being a necessity in creating music, or is it because it’s helpful/personal choice of style/etc.?

Finally, the comment about the current music industries and how “rather convincing electronic tracks have replaced the drummer” in recorded tracks made me remember a question I’ve been harboring for a long time. I’ve always wondered whether the strings/orchestra in the background of songs were live recorded backtracks, or whether they were just electric keyboard synthesizers with keys that mimic the sound of strings playing. I just thought that using simple keyboards would save the musician’s budget by a lot more compared to hiring a live ensemble, and whether we’d be able to tell the difference between the two because nowadays, technology has evolved to the point where the tracks it produces are “rather convincing,” as the writer claims.

p.s. Here’s just a quote that I thought was really powerful — I wanted to write it here so that I’ll keep this in mind as I produce projects in the future. “For what is soul in music, if not a powerfully embodied human presence?”

I thought that the reading’s mention of how live coding is all about opening up rather than being exclusive was spot on with what I thought live coding was. Looking at the performance during my freshmen year, I felt included, almost as if I was part of the musical masterpiece that they were crafting right before my eyes because I could see the entire process of their codes, step by step. And I remember the anticipation, the thrill, as I predicted what was going to happen now — the beat might drop at this moment, or the visuals might change this way, etc. And I think this is what I want to replicate for the audience through my performance by the end of this semester as well, because a big part of live coding “involves showing the screen or making visible the coding process as part of a live performance.” So if the audience isn’t incorporated into my performance, then I believe it decreases the unique and special experience of the audience significantly.

I also liked how similar live coding is to what I think Interactive Media is as well because, in the center of live coding, there’s an element of exchanged feedback from the audience and the coders/performers, as well as being expressive, free, and being present at the moment, which is what I believe Interactive Media artworks strive to be. While there definitely is a rough guideline from the performers’ part, it’s always up for changes based on how the audience interacts and is feeling at the moment, thus adding a sprinkle of spontaneity by capturing the moment that the performance is being held in.