On 1/15/2018 11:26 PM, wrote:
On Mon, 15 Jan 2018 22:06:44 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 1/15/2018 9:19 PM, wrote:
On Mon, 15 Jan 2018 20:45:21 -0500, Keyser Soze
wrote:

On 1/15/18 8:32 PM, wrote:
On Mon, 15 Jan 2018 18:24:22 -0500,
wrote:


It has been pointed out to me that you can just get a "visualization"
file for a MP3 player that does this exact thing on a big screen TV.

===

Yes, but it wouldn't synchronize with your music.

Why not if it was the MP3 player generating the visualization?
That is what visualizations are. Usually they are so complex the
linkage to the music is not immediately apparent.



Don't forget the water fountains that are synchronized to the Muzak, er,
music, that you enjoy.

That is another strange thing that fascinates me. I have thought about
trying to make something like that for the pool since I have a pump
going anyway. The trick is finding valves that open and close fast
enough. The diaphragm valves in washing machines, sprinkler systems
and ice makers won't cut it.
I don't know if Wayne noticed it but I am roughed in for a fountain or
waterfall sort of thing in a corner of the pool already. There us an
additional 2" and 3/4" pipe going there, in addition to a return from
the pool pump that is on a valve now. (pipe is cheap and easy to put
in when the ground is open. Later not so much)

I did make a water cannon (Bellagio style) that would shoot a quart
sized slug of water across the river once for my neighbor. He wanted
to wet down people speeding in the no wake. He never actually had the
chance to use it tho. The diaphragm style 1" sprinkler valve was fine
for that but I was unloading a tank of air, not the water itself. The
water was sitting in a pipe in the river. A couple of cubic feet of
100 PSI air gave it quite a ride. Thanks to "Modern Marvels" I found
out that is how Bellagio does it.


The fountain systems I am aware of are controlled by a MIDI program
where you can synchronize the valve operations to the music as MIDI
"events".

You can adjust when they occur time-wise relative to the music to adjust
for any delays or for desired timing. For example, an event to turn on
a water valve could occur prior to the time you want the fountain flow
to peak relative to the music.

Most of (if not all) of the elaborate Christmas displays on homes and
landscaping that are synchronized to music is done using a MIDI program
and controller.

Yup. I had an IBM buddy who was on the leading edge of this MIDI
thing, putting together light shows for bands on old IBM DOS PCs.
Compared to WAV or even MP3, a MIDI is a tiny file. He got started
using it to build a piano tuner program that he ran on a "luggable"
5162 (basically a full sized PC/AT with a handle on it). Once he got
started he saw the possibilities. This guy took one of the original
early outs and I lost track of him.


The synthesized sound generators in early MIDI systems were pretty poor.
Instruments really didn't sound authentic at all and they had a very
phony sound. But today, using sampled sounds of actual instruments the
sound generators are very good. Some of the most highly rated, and used
keyboards by professionals and bands today (like the Yamaha MOXF8) can
produce sounds that are not distinguishable from the real thing. Here's
a video of the Yamaha MOXF8. The concert piano sound starts about 50
seconds into the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7ZgiIbfUNw

This is a Yamaha P-115. It uses a lesser version of the sound engine
used in the more expensive Yamaha keyboards. I bought one of these for
Mrs.E. It's not bad for a relatively inexpensive keyboard for home use:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GamF6mSkgFY

Mrs.E. loves listening to piano music but she doesn't really play (nor
do I). I download MIDI piano files from the Internet onto a thumbdrive
for her to listen to, playing on her P-115.