File: musicweaver_AA.zip
       Author: Pete Goodeve (pete@jwgibbs.cchem.berkeley.edu)
      Release: 0.1 -- 19 July 1997
Compatibility: AA:PR
     Location: contrib/audio
  Description: 'The MusicWeaver' MIDI Stream Arranger
        Notes:	This is an initial demonstration of a scheme -- initially,
		but not necessarily, targetted toward MIDI -- to connect
		modules graphically into a configuration for controlling
		and transforming data streams.  A couple of other kinds
		of modules are included to show its potential.  (Only a bare
		minimum of modules unfortunately exist as yet.)
		To run MIDI, you will need a BeBox; the rest of the package
		should be compatible with any AA:PR system.


The 'MusicWeaver' is an implementation of the more general 'DataWeaver'
concept. which provides a graphical, interactive, and dynamic way of linking
data-handling modules together to perform a desired task.  A unique and
important characteristic of the scheme is that data flowing around the
diagram is 'tagged' with an identification of its type, so different kinds
may be mixed within a configuration, even flowing on some of the same paths.
Each element will simply ignore data that it doesn't know about.

The scheme is designed for efficient data transfer along a path.  Copying
is minimized -- usually entirely unnecessary in a simple 'filter'.
Multithreading is of course central, with each path being its own thread,
and the Add-on and Drag-and-Drop metaphors make diagram construction quick
and intuitive.


Usage:
The zip archive should unpack into a single directory with distinct icons.
The only actual executable here is 'Weaver': double-clicking it starts
everything up.  The other application icons are all add-ons, which can
be dragged into the diagram window -- and connected with other drags --
to build a running configuration.

See the README in the package for a full walk-through.