Rethinking the Computer Music Language: SuperCollider

McCartney, J.

doi:10.1162/014892602320991383

Cited by 182 publications

(89 citation statements)

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“…SuperCollider [8], with its client/server architecture allows for synthesis patches to be compiled/interpreted on the client and sent to the server, where they can form a network of language-neutral synthesis elements, on-the-fly. However, there lacks a formal language-level framework (in addition to parameters to unit generators) for describing timing across all parts of the program as well as for exerting low-level timing control.…”

Section: Existing Languages and Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

2004: On-the-Fly Programming: Using Code as an Expressive Musical Instrument

Wang

Cook

2017

A NIME Reader

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On-the-fly programming is a style of programming in which the programmer/performer/composer augments and modifies the program while it is running, without stopping or restarting, in order to assert expressive, programmable control at runtime. Because of the fundamental powers of programming languages, we believe the technical and aesthetic aspects of on-the-fly programming are worth exploring.In this paper, we present a formalized framework for on-the-fly programming, based on the ChucK synthesis language, which supports a truly concurrent audio programming model with sample-synchronous timing, and a highly on-the-fly style of programming. We first provide a well-defined notion of on-thefly programming. We then address four fundamental issues that confront the on-the-fly programmer: timing, modularity, conciseness, and flexibility. Using the features and properties of ChucK, we show how it solves many of these issues. In this new model, we show that (1) concurrency provides natural modularity for on-the-fly programming, (2) the timing mechanism in ChucK guarantees on-the-fly precision and consistency, (3) the Chuck syntax improves conciseness, and (4) the overall system is a useful framework for exploring on-the-fly programming. Finally, we discuss the aesthetics of on-the-fly performance.

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Section: Existing Languages and Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

2004: On-the-Fly Programming: Using Code as an Expressive Musical Instrument

Wang

Cook

2017

A NIME Reader

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“…The case of SuperCollider [11] UGs (ugens) is a little more mixed. The synthesis engine is written in C++, adopting as we would expect, a full OO approach.…”

Section: Unit Generators and Plugins In Other Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting an Object-Oriented Approach to Unit Generator Development: The Csound Plugin Opcode Framework

Lazzarini

2017

Applied Sciences

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This article presents a new framework for unit generator development for Csound, supporting a full object-oriented programming approach. It introduces the concept of unit generators and opcodes, and its centrality with regards to music programming languages in general, and Csound in specific. The layout of an opcode from the perspective of the Csound C-language API is presented, with some outline code examples. This is followed by a discussion which places the unit generator within the object-oriented paradigm and the motivation for a full C++ programming support, which is provided by the Csound Plugin Opcode Framework (CPOF). The design of CPOF is then explored in detail, supported by several opcode examples. The article concludes by discussing two key applications of object-orientation and their respective instances in the Csound code base.

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“…New material is in turn presented to the composer for evaluation and subsequent processing. More recent approaches have focused on developing domain-specific programming languages for music processing that are more aligned with mainstream computer languages and associated technologies, such as SuperCollider3 [McCartney 2002], ChucK [Wang et al 2015], and Tidal [McLean and Wiggins 2010]. These languages afford composer-programmers greater flexibility in defining and controlling the computational processes involved in compositional thinking, while also enable consideration of interactive and performance dimensions, further eroding the boundaries between composition, improvisation and live performance.…”

Section: Interactive Systems: Incorporating Composer Performer and Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Musical Creativity and Musical Metacreation Systems

2016

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The field of computational creativity, including musical metacreation, strives to develop artificial systems that are capable of demonstrating creative behavior or producing creative artefacts. But the claim of creativity is often assessed, subjectively only on the part of the researcher, and not objectively at all. This paper provides theoretical motivation for more systematic evaluation of musical metacreation and computationally creative systems, and presents an overview of current methods used to assess human and machine creativity that may be adapted for this purpose. In order to highlight the need for a varied set of evaluation tools, a distinction is drawn between three types of creative systems: those which are purely generative; those which contain internal or external feedback; and those which are capable of reflection and self-reflection. To address the evaluation of each of these aspects, concrete examples of methods and techniques are suggested to help researchers 1) evaluate their systems' creative process and generated artefacts, and test their impact on the perceptual, cognitive, and affective states of the audience, and 2) build mechanisms for reflection into the creative system, including models of human perception and cognition, to endow creative systems with internal evaluative mechanisms to drive self-reflective processes. The first type of evaluation can be considered external to the creative system, and may be employed by the researcher to both better understand the efficacy of their system and its impact, and to incorporate feedback into the system. Here, we take the stance that understanding human creativity can lend insight to computational approaches, and knowledge of how humans perceive creative systems and their output can be incorporated into artificial agents as feedback to provide a sense of how a creation will impact the audience. The second type centers around internal evaluation, in which the system is able to reason about its own behavior and generated output. We argue that creative behavior cannot occur without feedback and reflection by the creative/metacreative system itself. More rigorous empirical testing will allow computational and metacreative systems to become more creative by definition, and can be used to demonstrate the impact and novelty of particular approaches.

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Rethinking the Computer Music Language: SuperCollider

Cited by 182 publications

References 0 publications

2004: On-the-Fly Programming: Using Code as an Expressive Musical Instrument

2004: On-the-Fly Programming: Using Code as an Expressive Musical Instrument

Supporting an Object-Oriented Approach to Unit Generator Development: The Csound Plugin Opcode Framework

Evaluation of Musical Creativity and Musical Metacreation Systems

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