The Palette

(The Practice version.)


The Palette, our Brain Opera net instrument, is a Java-based musical instrument which you can perform on from your home. During the performances of the Brain Opera, these instruments will be activated and able to send data directly to our machines on site, where it will be converted to MIDI and performed for the live audience. At various parts in the piece, the physical performers will stop playing and invite the Internet performers to take over.


There are three versions of The Palette; one which plays audio, one which plays MIDI with an internal sound card, and one which plays MIDI with an external MIDI device. All of these are single-user applets. Please read the system requirements very carefully:

  • The Palette for Audio. If your computer can play
    audio files in the .au format, this is the one for you. (All
    Macintosh users must select this one; all PC users who
    don't have a Sound Card or MIDI studio should try this one.)

  • The Palette for internal MIDI. If you have a Windows
    system which plays MIDI (i.e., you have a Sound Card with
    MIDI capabilities on a PC running Windows NT or 95), try
    this one.

  • The Palette for external MIDI. If you have a Windows
    system which sends MIDI to an external device (i.e., you have a
    MIDI interface and external synthesizer attached to a PC running
    Windows NT or 95), try this one. (This is mainly intended for
    experts with home studios!)


    • The Palette was written by John Yu as part of his masters' thesis from MIT. If you would like to read a longer and more complete description of the system, please click here to access John Yu's thesis, submitted May 1996.


    webmaster@brainop.media.mit.edu