Generative music performance app now released on Android
Orbits is an application for generative music performance, based around a gravity-based particle simulation. As a sandbox-type toy, there is no goal or ultimate aim.
Instructions:
Place a finger (or multiple fingers) on the screen to create particles. While you hold a finger down, the particle increases in size. Drag while holding down to set a starting direction for the particle (as if pulling back on a slingshot).Release to make the particle take off in the opposite direction. When two particles collide, they play two notes based on the particles’ sizes. The notes are locked to a scale/chord (which changes automatically), and thus are always in tune. Create particles of different sizes to get something interesting. Particles attract each other with a gravity-like force. Try to put particles in orbit around each other to create some interesting movements! Larger particles exert a more powerful force.
Press the Android menu button to open the option menu, where you can turn off the background chord or set the app into “autoplay” mode. When in autoplay, the particles will generate themselves, and you can sit back and watch what happens (you can still interact).
You can find it at the Android Market here.