While the straight lines scored over the 'vinyl' sheets work well for musical rhythms there are other ways of performing that I had overlooked in terms of the 'programming' of the record. In particular I was interested in how a single sheet may be able to generate many different sets and spacings of onset triggers by changing the position of the needle on the record. So far a couple of ideas have come to mind.
The first idea I had was that by using geometric shapes I would be able to vary the distance between the triggers by moving the tonearm as the edges of the shapes would not be at a 90ยบ to the attack of the needle, this means the the trigger rhythm generated can be continuously varied through a number of different available patterns, without the need for multiple 'records'. This also makes it more interesting as a tool for semi-generative composition. What this also means is that it is possible to create visual rhythm scores using means other than a basic set of trigger lines with standard musical timings and opens up a lot of potential for exploration.
Another method for rhythm scoring hit me later, the turntables I'm using, the Vestax PDX-d3 have a joystick function that enables the performer to slow the rotational speed of the turntable down very low, slow enough to turn vocals into a whale song. I thought why not add many small triggers around the record in order to add more complex rhythmic variations, and even score longer sections of rhythmic material.
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