Math with Patterns & Prout

Let's say that you want to pick random numbers? You could use Pwhite. But what if you wanted random multiples of 2? You would still use Pwhite:

(
 Pbind(
  \dur,  0.2,
  \note,  Pwhite(0, 6) * 2
 ).play
)

What if you want to square your random numbers?

(
 Pbind(
  \dur,  0.2,
  \note,  Pwhite(0, 5).squared
 ).play
)

You can do any math operation with a pattern as if it was a number.

(
 Pbind(
  \dur,  0.2, 
  \note,  Pseq([1, 2, 3], 15) * Pseq([1, 2, 3, 5, 4], inf)
 ).play
)

If you want to do math with a pattern and a variable that might change over time, you still need to use a Pfunc:

(
 var num;
 num = 5;
 
 Pbind(
  \dur,  0.2,
  \note, Pwhite(0, 5) * Pfunc({num})
 ).play;
 
 Task({
  5.wait;
  num = 2;
 }).play;
)

Let's say you want step through every item in a shuffled array. You could use Pseq:

Pseq([1, 3, 5, 7].scramble, 4)

Or Pshuf does the same thing:

Pshuf([1, 3, 5, 7], 4)

But what if you want the array to reshuffle after every tme through the loop? (As far as I know) there's not a pre-existing pattern for that. But you can write one with Prout.

(
 var arr, rout;
 
 arr = [1, 3, 5, 7];
 
 rout = Prout({ 
  5.do({
   arr.scramble.do({|item|
    item.yield;
  })})
 });

 
 Pbind(
  \dur, 0.2,
  \note, rout
 ).play
)

A Routine is a function that can pause while it's running. It can also return values more than once. Prout is a wrapper for a Routine. Everytime it gets to item.yield, it returns the item and then waits to be asked for it's next return value. Then it starts running again until it finds another yield or runs out of things to run.

Like Pfunc, Prout evaluates variables as it runs. In the above example, if arr had changed, the Prout would have used the new arr:

(
 var arr, rout;
 
 arr = [1, 3, 5, 7];
 
 rout = Prout({ 
  10.do({
   arr.scramble.do({|item|
    item.yield;
  })})
 });

 
 Pbind(
  \dur, 0.2,
  \note, rout
 ).play;
 
 Task({
  2.wait;
  arr = [12, 15, 19, 21];
  2.wait;
  arr = [-12, -13, -11];
 }).play
)

You could do something similar also, this way:

(
 var arr1, arr2, arr3, rout;
 
 arr1 = [1, 3, 5, 7];
 arr2 = [12, 15, 19, 21];
 arr3 = [-12, -13, -11];
 
 rout = Prout({ 
  3.do({
   arr1.scramble.do({|item|
    item.yield;
  })});
  3.do({
   arr2.scramble.do({|item|
    item.yield;
  })});
  3.do({
   arr3.scramble.do({|item|
    item.yield;
  })})
 });

 
 Pbind(
  \dur, 0.2,
  \note, rout
 ).play;
 
)

You can have as many yields as you want in a Routine - or a Prout.

If you want to pass in arguments, you can use a wrapper function:

(
 var rout;
 
 rout = {|arr, repeats = 5|
  Prout({ 
   repeats.do({
    arr.scramble.do({|item|
     item.yield;
   })})
  });
 };

 
 Pbind(
  \dur, 0.2,
  \note, rout.value([0, 2, 4, 6], 6)
 ).play
)

And, as with Pfunc, you can do math:

(
 var rout; 
 
 rout = {|arr, repeats = 5|
  Prout({ 
   repeats.do({
    arr.scramble.do({|item|
     item.yield;
   })})
  });
 };

 
 Pbind(
  \dur, 0.2,
  \note, rout.value([0, 2, 4, 5], 6) * Pseq([1, 2, 3], inf)
 ).play
)

Yielding only works inside Routines. If you try this in a Pfunc, it does not work:

(
 var func; 
 
 func = Pfunc({ 
  5.do({
   [1, 2, 5].scramble.do({|item|
    item.yield; // you can't do this in a Pfunc!!
  })})
 });
 

 
 Pbind(
  \dur, 0.2,
  \note, func
 ).play
)

Note that it does not create an error message, it just behaves in a bizarre way. Silent errors are the hardest to track down, so beware.

Summary

• Patterns can behave like numbers for math operations.
• A Routine is a function that can pause
• A Prout is like a Pfunc, except that it can stop in the midst of things and resume.
• Routines can return more than one item, at any point in their execution, whenever you yield a value.
• You can only yield in a Routine or a Prout