Visuals

Contrary to haptic feedback which so far provides a simple imitation of the real world, visual computing opens up the realm of visual feedback far beyond what is offered in traditional instruments. While visual feedback is often important in traditional instruments, most of the activity is on a scale that is too small for human vision to detect. Using computer-generated visuals, the computer can provide complex feedback through a channel that is often under utilized in musical performance. The graphical synthesis and processing afforded by Gem[gem()], PDP[Schouten()], and GridFlow[Bouchard()] Pd allows this work to be done entirely within Pd.

reacTable is an interesting example of visual feedback as applied in a realtime performance environment. It has various widgets which represent building blocks along the same lines as objects in Pd. When the user makes a connection between widgets, a visual connection is also made. This visual connection has different colors and textures depending on what kind of connection it is.