Grid based laptop orchestras

lorks use orchestral metaphor. Sometimes use real istruments as well. This is a growing art form.
configuration of software for eah laptop is a pain in the arse. Custom code, middleware (chuck, etc) HIDs, system config, etc. This can be a “nightmare.” Painful for audiences to watch. Complex setsups and larger ensembles have more problems.
GRENDL: grid enables deployment for laptop orchestras
these kinds of problems are why grid computing was invented. Rules sharing across multiple computers. The shared computers are called organisations. What if a lork was an organisation?
they didn’t want to make musicans learn new stuff. They wanted grendl to be a librarian, not another source of complexity. It would deliver scored and configurations
it deploys files. It does not get used while playing. Before performance, the scores are put on a master computer which distrubtes to ensemble laptops.
grendl executes scripts on the laptops before each piece. Once the piece finishes, the laptop returns to pre-performance state. The composer writes the scripts for each piece.
grendl is a wrapper for the saga api.
they’re trying to make the compositions more portable with tangible control. They have a human/computer readable card with qr codes. Will be simpler to deploy
they’ve been suing this for a year. It has surpassed expectations. Their todo list needs a server application rather than specifying everything at the command line w a script. They’re going to simplyify this with using osc commands to go from composition to composition.
this makes them rethink how to score for a lork. Including archiving and metadata.
grid systems do not account for latency and timing issues and so it’s role in performance is so far liimitted. They have run a piece from grendl.
how do you recover when things go titsup? How to you debug? Answer: it’s the composer’s problem. Things going wrong means segfaults.
the server version gives better feedback. Each computer will now reportback which step borked.
philosophical: Who owns the instrument? The composer? The player? Their goal is to let composers write at the same sort of level as they would for real orchetras