Last Monday in the coding and audio network class we where introduced to Hydra. A free open source visual coding program that can be used both in an internet browser and in software. Hydra has a very simple interface, allowing their users to create graphic visuals with very short lines of code. In my experience I would say Hydra work like a video modular synth because the building blocks and terminology are the same as sound synthesis. It uses oscillators and noise as building blocks, then you can modulate such sources to create any aesthetic desired. The coding language also gives the possibility to create generative processes, where the visuals will change endlessly over time. Java Script can also be used in the program, making it easy to create loops and devises like LFO’s.

Below is a short video of a patch I made. The main elements I experimented with where shapes and pixels, then I modulated the parameters of each elements, creating and interesting generative visual. The video is overdubbed by a generative ambient piece I created a long time ago. Both audio and image fit really well and a lot of synchresis are created, giving the illusion that the music is synced to the visual when its not.

I will continue to experiment with the program and I hope that in the future I will be able to create audio-visual performances with Hydra.