Instant Decomposer eats acoustic input and poops an immediate music stream. This software species was conceived by Katja Vetter in 2010. It has gone through several reincarnations, trying to meet challenges of new hardware habitats. Although being touch-enabled even before the era of tabletization, Instant Decomposer never invaded the i-things and a-things because it preferred open environments. The current wave of small Linux boards offers an alternative direction for propagation. Regarding cpu cycles, the years of plenty are over. Bloated software creatures can’t survive on pico platforms. That’s all right; discharging a few pounds of fat makes you feel fitter. Where Instant Decomposer needed a laptop five years ago, it can do the same thing on a Raspberry Pi today. Keyboard, mouse and (touch) display disappeared from the standard diet, which is likely to cause another mutation in Instant Decomposer’s user interface soon. The short history of Instant Decomposer and public cousins SliceJockey / PicoJockey illustrate a music tool’s adaptation in a world of fast moving hardware targets.

A background of musical instrument making and a one-year Sonology course carved the path for Katja’s activities in the music dsp field, with a focus on real time processing of acoustic signals. Pure Data is her framework of choice, for it’s openness and it’s wonderful community. The blog at www.katjaas.nl is a tribute to open creativity.