Easy interactive networks with OSC: combine multiple programs! Turn your smartphone into a custom remote!

Learn how to create projects with multiple components that communicate together!

Sometimes a single program can't do everything you need, but your project no longer needs to run on one single program! With just one tool you can create a simple network with 2 or more programs or devices working together, leveraging the best features of each.

• Create an Arduino program that sends live sensor data to a local P5 sketch (or the other way around)
• Run a Max patch and TouchDesigner together for powerful generative visuals AND sounds
• Have a computer run a machine learning model (object detection, posenet, etc.) and send the results to your microcontroller in real-time
• Ditch your laptop on stage during a live performance! Create a custom wireless handheld or wearable interface for your audio software instead, or better yet, turn the smartphone you already own into one.
• Solve any creative problem where no single-program solution exists!

We will go over OSC, the most widely supported real-time communication protocol that exists. OSC is the common language that your favorite hardware/software tool most likely speaks, and which allows multiple independent programs to communicate with each other in real time. You just have to tell them what to say and what to listen for.

See below for an incomplete list of supported platforms:

• TouchDesigner
• Max/MSP
• Ableton (with M4L)
• Processing / OpenFrameworks / p5.js
• Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi
• Unity/Unreal
• Any iOS/Android mobile device
• Just raw code baby (Python, Node.js, C++, etc.)
• Many others (email me in advance if you're curious about a specific platform not on this list!)

If you use any of these or are just curious to explore the potential of networking together multiple programs/devices, this beginner-friendly, 95% code-free (examples provided) workshop is a great starting point.

We will introduce some basic networking concepts and dive right into how to send/receive OSC messages between devices. We'll work in pairs to mix-and-match different software tools together and see what kinds of interactions we can create. Time permitting, we'll have some time for creative brainstorming and ideation at the end. What kinds of projects would you want to make with this technology?

We will go over some boilerplate examples using Max/MSP, TouchDesigner, Arduino (WiFi-enabled) and a mobile device (using the Zig Sim app), so bring at least one of these to the session, but the process works the exact same on any platform. Learn OSC once, apply it anywhere!

Links

• Session slides PDF
• OSC Bridge app (installation instructions here)
• Zig Sim mobile app (iOS or Play Store)
• (optional) TouchDesigner download
• (optional) Max/MSP download