Keep in mind there are actually two domains in music: instruments (sound synthesis) and orchestration. Both Skoar and Alda (which was linked yesterday) are only

Keep in mind there are actually two domains in music: instruments (sound synthesis) and orchestration. Both Skoar and Alda (which was linked yesterday) are only orchestration languages. I've been researching about this and narrowed down by these criteria: (1) Modern and maintained (2) Open source (3) Multiplatform (4) Supports live coding (5) Not MIDI-only output (6) Text-based (7) Not Java (sorry JSyn :P) For me live coding is important since I prefer to compose music in an exploratory fashion. Also, live performances are cool. Read more about live coding and resources in http://toplap.org http://toplap.org The list in no particular order (beware of the brain dump): · ## Overtone (https://overtone.github.io/ https://overtone.github.io/) The coolest kid on the block is actually a frontend to SuperCollider. - Clojure based. - VJ-ready. Integration with Processing via Quil (https://github.com/quil/quil https://github.com/quil/quil) and GLSL shaders via Shadertone (https://github.com/overtone/shadertone https://github.com/overtone/shadertone). - Lots of tooling: https://github.com/overtone https://github.com/overtone · ## SuperCollider (https://supercollider.github.io/ https://supercollider.github.io/) - Object-oriented functional language (similar to Smalltalk/Ruby/C/JS). - Basically Overtone minus Clojure minus VJ plus IDE. - Client-server architecture (which is what allows Overtone to use it as a backend). · ## Sonic Pi (http://sonic-pi.net/ http://sonic-pi.net/) - Ruby DSL + IDE. - Built for Raspberry PI (but runs anywhere SuperCollider and Ruby are available). - Another frontend to SuperCollider. - Designed to be suitable for teaching children. Teacher resources available (http://www.sonicpiliveandcoding.com/ http://www.sonicpiliveandcoding.com/ http://www.raspberrypi.org/learning/sonic-pi-lessons/ http://www.raspberrypi.org/learning/sonic-pi-lessons/) · ## Extempore (https://github.com/digego/extempore https://github.com/digego/extempore) - Scheme-like. - Supports both audio and graphics. - Defines itself as a 'cyberphysical' programming environment (http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1869526 http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1869526). · ## ChucK (http://chuck.cs.princeton.edu/ http://chuck.cs.princeton.edu/) - Real-time sound synthesis and music creation (real-time meant it used to take a real amount of CPU time in non-RT kernels, not sure if it's changed). - Time-based, concurrent programming model (they call it 'strongly-timed'). · ## Fluxus (http://www.pawfal.org/fluxus/ http://www.pawfal.org/fluxus/) - Racket based. - Full-fledged environment. - Defined as 'a 3D game engine for livecoding worlds into existence', though it supports sound too. - Doesn't seem to be actively maintained (most recent release dates from April 2012). · ## Nyquist (https://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/project/music/web/music.software.html https://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/project/music/web/musi...) - (Still researching...) · ## Csound (http://www.csounds.com/ http://www.csounds.com/) - (Still researching...) - Live coding added in a recent version. - Orchestration and synthesis are separate languages. · ## Tidal (http://yaxu.org/tidal/ http://yaxu.org/tidal/) - Haskell based. - Seems to support audio and graphics (defines itself as live coding of patterns). - (Still researching... I just came to know it in a link here.) · ## Skoar (https://github.com/sofakid/Skoarcery https://github.com/sofakid/Skoarcery) - Another SuperCollider frontend. - Only orchestration, though I guess it supports different instruments created in SuperCollider. - Doesn't seem to support live coding? (Added to the list until I research more.) · ## MORE I just found these in the TOPLAP wiki (and Googling around) but had no time to comb through them. Listed in no particular order: - https://github.com/edne/pineal https://github.com/edne/pineal - https://github.com/createuniverses/praxis https://github.com/createuniverses/praxis - http://charlie-roberts.com/gibber/about-gibber/ http://charlie-roberts.com/gibber/about-gibber/ - https://github.com/LuaAV/LuaAV https://github.com/LuaAV/LuaAV - http://hyperyarn.criticalartware.net http://hyperyarn.criticalartware.net - http://www.renickbell.net/conductive/doku.php/ http://www.renickbell.net/conductive/doku.php/ - EXTRA: Live coding light shows https://github.com/brunchboy/afterglow https://github.com/brunchboy/afterglow