IxiQuarks is graphical user interface (GUI) environment for live improvisation that allows for user interaction on hardware, GUI and code level. The ixiQuarks were made with the intention to be suitable instruments for live improvisation. The ixiQuarks tools are divided into the following categories: basic utilities, instruments, effects and filters. These tools all manipulate audio on audio channels and the idea is that the user routes audio from one tool to another, like connecting guitar effect pedals together. There are 52 Audio Channels by default, but that can be changed easily in the preference file. The sound channel can be stereo or mono defined by the radio buttons on the bottom of the quarks browser.

The quarks browser shows the respective categories with lines in between. By pressing the “open” button or hitting “Return” you open the tool.

Many of the instruments in ixiQuarks support Wacom tablet (for pressure) so we recommend trying it out with a tablet. We are working on support for any hardware interface for the instruments.

ixiQuarks exist in 3 different forms: ixiQuarks, ixiQuarks Pro and ixiQuarks as Quarks library for SuperCollider. (ixiQuarks are written in the SuperCollider programming language). For non-programmers, we recommend ixiQuarks, for people that like experimenting with programming and write their own instruments as part of ixiQuarks, we recommend ixiQuarks Pro. For SuperCollider users, we simply recommend installing the ixiQuarks from the repository.

Tools:
basic utilities: AudioIn, Recorder, Player, BufferPool, PoolManager, FreqScope, WaveScope, EQMeter, MixerNode, Amplifier, ChannelSplitter, TrigRecorder.
instruments: SoundScratcher, Predators, Gridder, BufferPlayer, GrainBox, PolyMachine, ScaleSynth
audio effects: Delay, Freeverb, AdCVerb, Distortion, ixiReverb, Chorus, Octave, Tremolo, Equalizer, CombVocoder, RandomPanner, MRRoque, MultiDelay
filters: Bandpass, Lowpass, Highpass, Resonant Lowpass, Resonant Highpass, Resonant, Klanks
generators: Noise, Oscillators

ixiQuarks is a free sofware with a GPL license made by ixi-software