Open Sound Control Web Bridge
Creates a simple bridge between your Web page and an OSC app or device.
.----------. .----------------------. .------------------. .----------.
| OSC app | --tcp/udp--> | bridge.js OSC server | => | socket.io client | --websockets--> | web page |
`--(3334)--' `-------( 3333 )-------' `------------------' `----------'
^ |
| |
| |
| .----------------------. .------------------. |
`---tcp/udp----- | bridge.js OSC client | <= | socket.io server | <-------websockets-------'
`----------------------' `-----( 8081 )-----'
Introduction
OSC (Open Sound Control) is a protocol on top of UDP commonly used by audio applications. It could be seem as a /MIDI evolution/.
The objective of osc-web is to make possible to send and receive OSC messages on the Web browser. With this browser capability we could do interesting things like:
- Connect OSC supported controllers to the Web browser
- Use the Web browser as a controller to OSC supported applications (like Puredata, SuperCollider, Max/MSP, ...)
- Create a Web /OSC proxy/ where people all over the world could connect yours OSC controllers or applications without complications with /port fordwarding/
History
Long time ago I was asking for awesome people on AudioXG about that and we come with some options:
- create a Firefox extension using nsISocketTransport
- create a kind of HTTP proxy (thanks @corban, @F1LT3R, @humph and yury!)
The first one works but seems to be a security hole (as yuri saids, no one wants UDP connections on its browsers). Now I'm trying the second alternative, using node.js and socket.io to create a bridge between OSC controllers/applications and the browser.
Prerequisites
- Node.js
- Socket.io
- Some application (Puredata, Renoise, Reaktor, ...) or hardware controller that supports OSC
Installation
First of all, download and install Nodejs LTS from http://nodejs.org, then:
$ git clone git://github.com/automata/osc-web.git
$ cd osc-web/
$ npm install
Using
Run the bridge app on your machine (localhost):
$ cd osc-web
$ node bridge.js
An example is avaitable at web-side/app.html. Host this static asset the way you like:
$ cd web-side/
$ python -m SimpleHTTPServer 5000
Open your browser at http://localhost:5000/app.html.
Now you can run your favorite OSC app/device and send OSC messages through port 3333. Those messages will be send to the HTML page by WebSockets.
Configure your favore OSC app/device to listen to OSC messages coming into port 3334. Any message sent by app.html (hit the button!) will be sent to your OSC app/device.
So, you can see the HTML page as an "OSC node", listening to messages on 3333 and sending messages to 3334.
Take a look at osc-side/ to examples of OSC apps.
Projects using it
- 2011 Experience Design class project: http://codes.nevercool.com and https://vimeo.com/album/1636910
- Shapes (Keely Honeywell) at Laboratory! by Alan Chatham: http://laboratoryspokane.com/2013/10/30/005/ and source code at https://github.com/AlanChatham/005-Values
Related solutions
- npTuioClient: a NPAPI plugin implementing a TUIOClient clone
- PookyTouch: similar to npTuioClient using Java-JS LiveConnect bridge
- Lily's approach: some good notes. Also uses LiveConnect
- MaxJax: OSC bridge using Python Twisted (just sending OSC)