Sawdust is a program for creating waveforms.
To use Sawdust, you
| 1. | define a set of elements; then |
| 2. | define a set of links, which are sequences of elements; then |
| 3. | define a set of transformations between the links; and then |
| 4. | play the defined transformations, links, or silences, in a user-specified sequence. |
The play command lets you create a sequence of waveforms: you might have a link, followed by a vary, followed by a silence, followed by another link, and then a turn...etc.
Sawdust does not let you mix different sequences together: for that you use some other program (such as SoundEditor on an SGI, or CoolEdit on a PC, or RT on a NeXT or SGI).
Sawdust creates 16-bit signed, integer samples, at a sampling rate of 44100 samples per second.
To start Sawdust, you type
sawdust
...and SAWDUST responds with
S A W D U S T
Compiled Oct 28 1999 11:03:18
*
The asterisk is Sawdust's prompt: the program is waiting for a command.
To quit Sawdust, type exit or quit, or (on a PC) type Control-D.
In general, you can terminate a command in Sawdust by typing a forward slash: /.
An object is a general term for an element, a link, a mingle, a merge, a turn, or a vary.
* help # type the 'help' command commands: change clear delete element elist exact exit forget help link merge mingle name play quit range rate read replay restore save seed show status store turn vary vquick write * # back to the Sawdust prompt
| change | (This command currently doesn't work.) |
| clear | deletes the default soundfile left from previous sessions(s) |
| delete | delete an object |
| element | define one element |
| elist | define a list of elements |
| exact | cause Vary to play the exact time requested |
| forget | delete all defined objects |
| help | list all commands understood by Sawdust |
| link | define a link |
| mingle | concatenate a list of links |
| merge | interlace the constituent elements of a list of links. |
| name | rename the default output soundfile |
| play | create (and hear) the samples for an object or sequence of objects. |
| range | set the amplitude range |
| read | read a text file of input data |
| replay | play a previously created sequence of samples |
| restore | restore objects that were saved with save (in binary) |
| save | save objects to a binary file |
| seed | set Vary's random number seed |
| show | show information about currently defined objects |
| status | show current state of Sawdust |
| store | create samples for a sequence of objects without playing them |
| turn | an algorithm for transforming an initial link to a final link |
| vary | another algorithm for transforming an initial link to a final link |
| vquick | Sets the value for cutrate used by Vary to calculate polynomials |
| write | write objects to an text file |
| quit | exit the Sawdust program |