dronecaster
project name: dronecaster
project url: https://github.com/northern-information/dronecaster
authors: tyleretters license
description: cast drones & record whatever returns
discussion url: https://l.llllllll.co/dronecaster
documentation url: https://norns.community/dronecaster
tags: synth drone generative

dronecaster

Latest Release

dronecaster

Installation

  1. Install via maiden or clone/download the repo to dust/code.
  2. Restart norns to pickup the SuperCollider Dronecaster engine.
  3. Drone!

Scene System

Dronecaster supports multiple visual styles while keeping audio completely unchanged.

Current Scenes

Classic - Original vector graphics (birds, wind, antenna, lights)
Mountain - Bitmap-based Mt. Zion scene with fog effects

Switch scenes: PARAMS > scene

Adding a New Scene

1. Create scene file: lib/scenes/yourscene/yourscene.lua

local yourscene = {}
yourscene.name = "Your Scene"

local mlrs, mls, screen_levels  -- utils from draw.lua

function yourscene.init(utils)
  mlrs = utils.mlrs
  mls = utils.mls
  screen_levels = utils.screen_levels
end

function yourscene.render(playing_frame, recording_time, drone_name, 
                          hz, amp, playing, alt, alert, hz_num, amp_num)
  -- hz_num/amp_num are raw numbers (55.0, 0.4) - use these for animation
  -- hz/amp are formatted strings ("55 hz", "0.4 amp") - display only
  
  -- Your drawing code here
  screen.level(math.floor(amp_num * 15))
  screen.display_png("yourscene/assets/bg.png", 0, 0)
end

return yourscene

2. Register in lib/draw.lua → draw.load_scenes()

local success, yourscene = pcall(include, "lib/scenes/yourscene/yourscene")
if success and yourscene then
  local init_success, init_error = pcall(yourscene.init, utils)
  if init_success then
    scenes["Your Scene"] = yourscene
    table.insert(scene_names, "Your Scene")
    print("draw: loaded Your Scene")
  else
    print("draw: ERROR initializing Your Scene: " .. tostring(init_error))
  end
else
  print("draw: ERROR loading Your Scene file: " .. tostring(yourscene))
end

3. Reload - scene appears in PARAMS menu

Render Parameters

What Scenes Draw

Scene draws: Main visual area (artistic content)
draw.lua draws: HUD (top menu, clock, play/stop icon, alerts)

Graphics Tips

-- Bitmaps (must be grayscale PNG)
screen.display_png("path/to/image.png", x, y)

-- Blend modes
screen.blend_mode(0)  -- Normal (default)
screen.blend_mode(1)  -- Add
screen.blend_mode(6)  -- Darken (min of source/dest)

-- Brightness (0-15, no true alpha)
screen.level(15)  -- Brightest
screen.level(0)   -- Black

-- Layer by draw order
screen.display_png("bg.png", 0, 0)      -- Back
screen.display_png("fg.png", 0, 0)      -- Front (drawn last)

Folder Structure

lib/scenes/
├── classic.lua              # Original vector scene
└── mountain/
    ├── mountain.lua         # Scene code
    └── assets/
        ├── tower.png        # Bitmap assets
        ├── fg_00.png
        ├── fg_01.png
        ├── fog_gradient_wide.png
        └── fog_noise_line.png

Error Handling

Scene crashes won’t crash dronecaster:

Contribute

We need more SynthDefs! Join the discussion on lines: https://l.llllllll.co/dronecaster