How does InTime work?
In the 1600's, a Dutch mathematician and scientist name Christian Hyugens invented the pendulum clock. He kept two of his inventions hanging on his bedroom wall. One day, while in bed recovering from an illness, he observed a strange coincidence. The pendulums of the two clocks were swinging back and forth in perfect synchrony. He got up and perturbed one of the pendulums by hand, disturbing the synchrony. But to his amazement, after a time, the pendulums were moving in synchrony again. The two clocks were entraining to one another.
Today, scientists and mathematicians have identified whole classes of rhythms, such as those generated by pendulum clocks, called self-sustained oscillations. Self-sustained oscillations are living rhythms. They continue because energy is constantly being added to keep the rhythm going. Self-sustained oscillations also entrain to one another if they are coupled together so that one rhythm affects the other. Hyugens' clocks entrained because the small vibrations of the wall that held both clocks were enough that each rhythm affected the other.
Living things generate these kinds of rhythms all the time. Heartbeat, respiration, walking, and the sleep-wake cycle are all examples of living rhythms, maintained by a constant input of biological energy. And these oscillations entrain to one another as well as the rhythms of the outside world. For example, your sleep-wake cycle entrains to the rhythm of night and day. When walking or jogging, you may notice that your breathing entrains to the rhythm of your footsteps in polyrhythmic patterns.
The technology behind InTime is based on the theory that the brain's ability to follow the beat in music is a form of entrainment. After listening to a piece for even a few seconds, the brain detects a beat, and gives rise to a self-sustained oscillation. This living rhythm then entrains to the music, not just forgiving, but enjoying sublte and beautifully shaped deviations from precise timing.
The technology behind InTime goes beyond the entrainment of simple rhythms like clock pendulums. InTime senses the multiple rhythms of complex musical performances. It can also adjust its tempo if the tempo of the performance changes. That's what makes InTime different from other music software that attempts to follow the rhythm of live performers. InTime doesn't need to know in advance what notes you intend to play. Instead, it "listens" to you play, and synchronizes its internal oscillations to the music.
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