Advanced Integrations 🌀 Bulka

Advanced Integrations

This page covers advanced techniques for integrating Bulka with external tools and systems.

Hydra: advanced techniques

Syncing patterns with visuals

The H() function lets you use music patterns as Hydra inputs:

Transforming the built-in visuals

With feedStrudel you can apply Hydra effects to pianoroll, scope and others:

Reacting to audio

With detectAudio Hydra reacts to the sound through FFT analysis:

MIDI: advanced techniques

Patterning Control Change

Modulate external synth parameters with CC:

// CC 74 often controls the filter
// A sine modulates the cutoff
note("c2 e2 g2 a2")
.ccn(74)
.ccv(sine.slow(8).range(0, 1))
.midi()

Multi-channel MIDI

Send different patterns to different MIDI channels:

stack(
// Channel 1 - bass
note("c2 e2 g2").midichan(1),
// Channel 2 - lead
note("c4 e4 g4 b4").midichan(2),
// Channel 10 - drums (GM standard)
note("c1 d1 c1 [c1 d1]").midichan(10)
).midi()

Pitch bend and modulation

// Smooth pitch bend
note("c3 e3 g3 c4")
.midibend(sine.slow(4).range(-0.2, 0.2))
.midi()

MIDI input: using controllers

// Connect to a MIDI input
let cc = await midin('Your MIDI Device')

// Use CC controllers to drive parameters
note("c3 e3 g3 b3")
  .lpf(cc(74).range(100, 5000))  // CC 74 → filter
  .lpq(cc(71).range(0, 20))      // CC 71 → resonance
  .gain(cc(7).range(0, 1))       // CC 7 → volume
  .s("sawtooth")

OSC and SuperCollider

Setting up the connection

# Install and start the OSC bridge
npx @strudel/osc

# With debugging to check the messages
npx @strudel/osc --debug

Sending to SuperDirt

// All events go through OSC to SuperCollider
$: s("bd*4, hh*8, ~ sd")
all(osc)

Orbits for separate processing

In SuperDirt each orbit has its own effects:

stack(
s("bd*4").orbit(0),           // Dry signal
s("hh*8").orbit(1).room(0.5), // With reverb
s("~ sd").orbit(2).delay(0.3) // With delay
).osc()

Gamepad

Control patterns with a gamepad:

// gp = gamepad(0) - the first gamepad
// gp.a, gp.b, gp.x, gp.y - buttons
// gp.lstick.x/y - left stick
// gp.rstick.x/y - right stick

// Example (needs a connected gamepad):
// note("c3 e3 g3 b3")
//   .mask(gp.a)  // Plays while A is pressed
//   .lpf(gp.lstick.x.range(200, 5000))
//   .s("sawtooth")

Flok: collaborative live coding

Flok lets several people code together:

  1. Open flok.cc
  2. Create a session
  3. Share the link with others
  4. One codes the sound (Strudel), another the visuals (Hydra)
// Participant 1 — sound
$: s("bd*4, hh*8")
$: note("[c3,e3,g3]").s("sawtooth").lpf(800)

// Participant 2 — visuals
osc(10).rotate(0.1).out()

The Hydra-Strudel extension

An external extension for even tighter integration:

// Load the extension
await loadScript("https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/atfornes/Hydra-strudel-extension@latest/hydra-strudel.js")
await initHydraStrudel()

// One pattern for sound and visuals
myPattern = '0 10 [2 5]*4'.slow(2)
note(myPattern).play()      // Audio
osc(P(myPattern)).out()     // Visuals with the P() function

Practical tips

Integration performance

  • Hydra: complex shaders load the GPU. Start simple.
  • MIDI: Web MIDI has a small latency. For critical uses, use the desktop app.
  • OSC: needs SuperCollider running. Make sure SuperDirt is loaded.

Debugging

// For OSC, start with --debug
// npx @strudel/osc --debug

// For MIDI, check the available devices
// In the browser console: navigator.requestMIDIAccess()

Combining integrations

You can use several integrations at once:

For details on each integration, see the matching docs pages.