What is MarcoHack?

MarcoHack v1.02 + pdf manual

MarcoHack is a sound processing program for Macintosh PPC computers developed by Marco Pranger at the Institute of Sonology, The Hague.

Using a SoundHack-style interface, sound files may be processed in a number of ways:
• The main feature of the program is a technique for separating an audio signal into something which is called a source or excitation signal and a resonance characteristic or filter. The excitation signal and resonance characteristic are saved to separate files; the excitation signal is saved as a normal audio file (AIFF) and the resonance characteristic is saved as a file format which can only be used by the program itself.
Within the program it is possible to recombine an excitation signal with any resonance characteristic of your choice in order to create 'hybrid' sounds which combine distinct properties of two different sounds into one. These 'hybrid' like sounds can have a very strong quality of their own.
Furthermore, the program features a series of techniques for processing the resonance characteristic itself, for example a technique which creates a crossfade between two resonance charcateristics.
• An improved technique for convolution which results in a better sound quality in comparison to normal straightforward convolution techniques.
• A technique for stretching sounds in an unfamiliar way which is described by Trevor Wishart in his book Audible Design (Orpheus the Pantomime 1994).
• Several techniques for altering the harmonics of a sound which are also described by Wishart, like stretching the spectrum in an unfamiliar way or thinning the number of harmonics in the spectrum.

All processing techniques are explained in detail in the user manual (PDF) which is included with the program.

 

Download MarcoHack for Mac

Architecture

IBM PowerPC

System Requirements

From Mac OS 8.6 up to Mac OS 9.2

Compatibility notes

I put compatibility at MacOS 8.6-9.2 because that's what I've tried. It might work with earlier versions of OS 8. Does not synthesize/generate any sound on its own, you can use it to analyze other sounds and resynthesize them in different ways. This is a tool for non-reeal-time audio anaysis and sound design.

Emulating this? It could probably run under: SheepShaver