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Visualization

RESERVOIR’s central visualizer is an isometric pillar landscape: each active layer appears as a 3D pillar whose height and density reflect that layer’s current activity. Above the pillars sits a topographic mesh that responds to the overall texture’s evolution, plus the ESN drift chart showing the Echo State Network’s internal state over the last 16 bars as a Tufte-style deviation plot. The visualizer is GPU-accelerated and maintains a smooth frame rate even with hundreds of simultaneous events.

Color Modes

A color mode selector controls how pitch, register, interval, and harmonic relationships are mapped to color across the pillars. Each mode draws from a different tradition of sound-color association.
ModeWhat It Does
GreyscaleBrightness maps to velocity/dynamics only. No pitch-color mapping.
ChromaticEach pitch class (C through B) receives a distinct color from a perceptually uniform palette.
RegisterColor maps to octave register — low pitches are dark, high pitches are bright.
IntervalColor maps to the interval between each note and the lowest currently active pitch.
TensionColor maps to a consonance-dissonance score. Consonant intervals are cool/muted; dissonant intervals are warm/saturated.
Schillingerian12 fully saturated colors mapped to pitch classes following a classical 12-color theory mapping.
ScriabinPitch classes mapped to colors following Scriabin’s synesthetic associations.
Rimsky-KorsakovPitch classes mapped to the key-color associations described by Rimsky-Korsakov — keys as landscapes and weather.
The color mode is a visualization parameter only — it does not affect the generated MIDI output. Switch freely between modes to analyze different aspects of the texture in real-time.

ESN Drift Chart

The Echo State Network drift chart displays the network’s recent internal state as a 16-bar deviation plot. As the network listens to RESERVOIR’s output and feeds back into density, pitch drift, and timbral shift, you’ll see the curves wander. A flat chart means the network is in a settled regime. Wavering curves mean the network is actively shaping the generation. Dramatic excursions mean the network is in a highly responsive state — useful for ambient/drift compositions.