Session types

Hi. I’m watching the launch of Kasina with a lot of interest. However I’m not sure I understand well the different session types, especially the Color Organ feature.
Is this possible with this feature to create a session of SpectraStrobe or AudioStrobe and then to play on top of this any mp3, that is a mp3 without any SS or AS signal (and without external audio input) ? This way we could play different music files with the same SS / AS session.

If this is possible, could Mind Workstation create this kind of session for the Kasina ? Or MWS can only create an audio file with SS signal AND embedded music ?

Hope I’m clear enough.
Thanks for the details. Kasina looks good.

Hello Daidy,
Thank you for your question and interest. I am going to answer briefly as throughout this week and going forward we are going to be producing introductory videos and more in depth resources.

Session types on the Kasina:

SpectraStrobe audio

SpectraStrobe is an advanced embedded light control signal. It is similar to AudioStrobe but much more flexible because it can control all 3 of the LED lights and the dynamic range (least brightness to highest brightness) is not affected by the volume of the audio on the player.

SpectraStrobe is put into audio: music, soundscapes, nature sounds, or more traditional entrainment type sessions. It controls the lights but we don't hear the signal as it is above our range of hearing. The Kasina includes dozens of SpectraStrobe sessions on the included SD card.

To make your own SpectraStrobe sessions you need software that can generate the SpectraStrobe reference signal (which identifies the SS signal and sets the volume for dynamic range) and SpectraStrobe audio signals for each of the 3 light channels: Red, Green and Blue.

If you want to produce SpectraStrobe please understand that there will be things to learn and effort required on your part.

So far there are 2 ways to do this:
Craig Tice's The Kasina Effect editor: It works with the audio software MuLab. It is free for a limited number of audio channels and does require some knowledge of audio creation. A paid version from MuLab (not profit for MindPlace) is unlimited in channels (depending on your computer). CraigT's TKE editor is very powerful and realtime so once you get everything set up it is very fun.

Mind Workstation from Transparent Corporation: This is a very professional and feature-rich application that is designed specifically to produce brain entrainment sessions. If you are serious about producing content for yourself or others then you must own this. It has many years of development behind it from a talented team and an overall great company. It supports SpectraStrobe creation for the Kasina. Also AudioStrobe and general bwe (brain wave entrainment) sessions. I recommend it hands down even if it does cost a fair bit of money, it is totally worth it. The middle range product from Transparent: NeuroProgrammer will have SpectraStrobe support in the future.

Lots more to say on that but as mentioned I'll keep it brief.

Kasina Basic Session - KBS

The Kasina Basic Session is a more traditional mind machine session format. This means that it uses a 'script' to control the lights and an onboard sine wave sound synthesizer on the Kasina. The free editor I have created - KBS Editor on the SD card - makes these files. They are very small and the software has been designed to be as easy as possible to use. Within just a few minutes you can create sessions for meditation, learning, focus, etc. They are comparable to what our other machines (and competitors) do. This format is still in development and at this time the only way to mix in music with it is through the AUX jack on the Kasina from another player like a smartphone. Much like our other machines. This will change as the Kasina evolves and joint playback of onboard sound files and a KBS session is on the development roadmap as a high priority.

What is unique about the Kasina Basic Session and how the Kasina handles AudioStrobe is that we have included a special feature called Color Sets. Color Sets are light configurations - like Red Only - Blue Only - Red-Green - Random smooth colors - Random shifting colors, etc. There are several of these Color Sets installed. This gives you a lot of variety and flexibility to have different color experiences.

So in the KBS session you do not program the color of the lights. You program the frequency, brightness, sound pitch and type... etc. The Color Sets control the color of the lights and you have the ability to switch between them in realtime as the session plays back to try out different combinations or use random settings. This is very cool and there is a lot of joy to be found here.

Color Sets are also work along with AudioStrobe content from software, cds (by AUX input) or onboard music files. Instead of just 2 colors for AudioStrobe as there was in the past, the Color Sets map many different color combinations to AudioStrobe and are switchable in realtime while the audio plays.

Color Organ

The Color Organ feature included on the Kasina takes any music and looks at the spectrum of frequencies contained within and maps the lights to the music. The lights are controlled by the beat of the music. There are several different 'modes' for the Color Organ so that it can be adapted to any type of music. It is completely plug and play. Send some music to the Color Organ try out some of the settings and strap in for a great personal light show courtesy of the power of the Kasina engine.

As a side note, the Kasina acts as a USB audio device so the music, SpectraStrobe sessions, AudioStrobe session, Mind Workstation, MuLab output etc.. can play into the Kasina directly from your computer.

So, generally as with most things - there are simple and more involved ways to produce your own content.

That is a broad overview and I hope clears a few things up. Please bear with us as we get everything together for a more complete information package. We first needed to handle all the details of the design, production and release of the Kasina.

Thanks for your interest and anymore questions please ask.

Scott Hendrickson

Thanks a lot for this complete answer !

Quote:

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This will change as the Kasina evolves and joint playback of onboard sound files and a KBS session is on the development roadmap as a high priority.

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So I think the KBSessions will do in the future what I'm imagining. And Color Organ responds only to the beat, no entrainment, pure lightshow, can be fun to try...
Great that MindWorkstation supports your SpectraStrobe innovation, it will make a good pair.
I'll wait for more information but I think it's already pretty much clear for me. Thanks !

Specifically to your question the answer is yes with a computer and CraigT's TKE SpectraStrobe player you can play any music file with SpectraStrobe and stream it through the USB cable to the Kasina. And adjust the SpectraStrobe in realtime. I have played with a version of the TKE for the audio effect plugin standard called VST. There is a version of MuLab called MUX which runs as a VST. With a bit of geek sauce I got this to work in WinAmp. So any music file that WinAmp can play can have live SpectraStrobe. It is a bit of hack but I got it to work. More details to follow.

However, you are talking about 2 separate audio streams acting independently of each other whereas they are really meant to be joined together so the intermediary computer application is needed.

Links of interest:

MuLab: http://www.mutools.com/mulab-product.html

MuTools MUX: http://www.mutools.com/mux-product.html

If using MUX and don't like MuLab: http://www.reaper.fm/

Coming soon templates for my fave audio production software: https://www.ableton.com/

Mind Workstation: seriously put this on your shopping list, it is the easiest and most powerful way for structured sessions and we have a lot of great stuff that will be released for it coming:
http://www.transparentcorp.com/products/mindws/

Also, I do want to mention that the Color Organ can pulse along with entrainment tracks if they are in the right range and have a strong beat. That is really all certain types of entrainment tracks are, fast beats.

Indeed I thought Kasina would be able to treat 2 audio streams. But it's ok if not. I already have MWS with which I explore different sessions with different sounds I create. I find mind exploration through entrainment fit well with music and sound design... I'm also using Live, Maschine and VST, especially NI Reaktor, very good for experimental sound design. I never used MuLab, but I'm curious about CraigT's "Kasina Beat Maker" plugin...

On Windows or Mac.. MUX is only Windows VST but MuLab is both Mac and Windows. It sounds like to me that you are well suited knowledge wise to pickup SpectraStrobe editing pretty easily. SpectraStrobe is audio, so anything you can do with audio... arpeggiators, delay effects, stutters, midi control, etc. Can all be done to control the lights. My Ableton templates will include Operator and Sampler presets... there is just so many hours in the day! Please stay tuned. I am shortly going to open up a 'group' for content creators like yourself. PM message me your email if you are interested.

It does sound very intersting ! I will keep in touch to see your Live template and hear more all of this.

Hi,

The MuLab plugins are available for download from the Kasina support site. MuLab Free is from MuTools, as is the alternative approach, MUX, which takes the presets and allows them to be used as VSTs in other software. There is a MuTools forum on KVR - http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=79.This forum is the official support site for MuLab/MUX. There is a heap of MuLab documentation and tutorial material available on the MuTools site.

The Kasina Beatmaker doesn't require a Kasina to be useful - it simply generates beats - from simple to impossibly complex - have a play with it. The other two have audio that can be experimented with without a Kasina.

Please let me know how you get along with any of the MuLab material - there is training material to come, but I would like some first impressions so that I know where the immediate need is. I will do my best to answer any questions and resolve any issues as they arise.

You will find that these presets provide an extraordinarily powerful AV tool. They are also extremely well suited to musicians who wish to add color to their compositions - the MuLab approach might be considered more "artistic". while the MWS approach is more "technical".

Cheers,
Craig

Thanks Craig. I don't have a Kasina yet but for the pleasure of tweaking sounds I will have a play with MuLab, your Beatmaker and other plugins one of these days !

What khz frequencys are used to control spectra strobe and which ones control which color ?

Here are the SpectraStrobe frequencies in brief, more info will be released about it as we intend it to be an open standard but a bit of explanation of the reference signal is required. If you want to play with creating SpectraStrobe Craig's MUX adaption includes a Reference Audio looped recording that you can use in other software as it just a wav file.

Red: 18700 kHz
Green: 19200 kHz
Blue: 19700 kHz

The reference signal is required to play for 1 sec prior to the onset of other control frequencies and to play throughout the stream.

You will find pretty much everything you need to know from the Deep Editor in The Kasina Effect - the color oscillators are set to the specific pitches matching each of the frequencies Neuroasis provided. The signals are limited to -24dB for the colors and -36dB for the reference. Unlike AudioStrobe, brightness is not dependent on volume, but on the relationship between the reference and the color signals. I'm happy to discuss any of the MUXes or parts thereof.

I'm also now pleased to confirm that the separate program from MuLab, MUX, which creates or takes presets like I have provided and allows them to be run as VST devices, works extremely well in a few free DAWs that I have lying around, and from the lack of problems reported on their KVR forum, I'm guessing it works well on pretty much everything out there. Mac or Windows. Runs under Wine or Win XP-7 Virtual Box under Linux Mint 15, Ubuntu Saucy and Puppy something-or-other.

Matter of Linux - Kasina is recognised perfectly by Linux Mint 15 and various mutations of Windows/Linux Host/VirtualBox Guest, etc. MWS doesn't work under Wine (please tell me different, and how!) but works fine under VirtualBox or VMWare freebie VMs with Win XP-7 (mebbe 8, haven't tested it).

Cheers,
Craig

I can verify that to my knowledge MWS does not work under Wine due to deep Windows library integration. Also, works fine in Parallels on Mac which I use it with nearly every day.