Algorithmic composition
Encyclopedia
Algorithmic composition is the technique of using algorithm
s to create music
.
Algorithms (or, at the very least, formal sets of rules) have been used to compose music for centuries; the procedures used to plot voice-leading in Western counterpoint
, for example, can often be reduced to algorithmic determinacy. The term is usually reserved, however, for the use of formal procedures to make music without human intervention, either through the introduction of chance
procedures or the use of computers. There is a radical distinction (both in terms of philosophy and in the heard result) between composer
s who use indeterminate (e.g. stochastic
) procedures to compose music and those who use routines which produce deterministic results given a fixed input into the algorithm.
Many algorithms that have no immediate musical relevance are used by composers as creative inspiration for their music. Algorithms such as fractals, L-system
s, statistical models
, and even arbitrary data
(e.g. census
figures, GIS
coordinates, or magnetic field
measurements) are fair game for musical interpretation. The success or failure of these procedures as sources of "good" music largely depends on the mapping
system employed by the composer to translate the non-musical information into a musical data stream.
Another way to sort compositional algorithms is to examine the results of their compositional processes. Algorithms can either 1) provide notational information (sheet music
) for other instruments or 2) provide an independent way of sound synthesis (playing the composition by itself). There are also algorithms creating both notational data and sound synthesis.
However, the most common way to categorise compositional algorithms is by their structure and the way of processing musical data. One of the most detailed divisions consists of six partly overlapping models:
Music has also been composed through natural phenomena. These chaotic models create compositions from the harmonic
and inharmonic phenomena of nature. For example, since the 1970s fractals have been studied also as models for algorithmic composition.
As an example of deterministic compositions through mathematical models, the On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences
provides an option to play an integer sequence
as music. (It converts each integer to a note on an 88-key musical keyboard
by computing the integer modulo
88.)
set. Compositions are created by first constructing a musical grammar, which is then used to create comprehensible musical pieces. Grammars often include rules for macro-level composing, for instance harmonies and rhythm
, rather than single notes.
are based on genetic algorithms. The composition is being built by the means of evolutionary process. Through mutation
and natural selection
, different solutions evolve towards a suitable musical piece. Iterative action of the algorithm cuts out bad solutions and creates new ones from those surviving the process. The results of the process are supervised by the critic, a vital part of the algorithm controlling the quality of created compositions.
and the study of neural networks
.
s on a predetermined theme. An early example was Lucasfilm Games' 1982 computer game Ballblazer
, where the computer improvised on a basic jazz theme composed by the game's musical director Peter Langston
; later in the life of that company, now rechristened LucasArts
, an algorithmic iMUSE engine was developed for their flagship game, Dark Forces.
Similar generative music
systems have caught the attention of noted composers. Brian Eno
has produced a number of works for the SSEYO's Koan generative music system, which produces ambient
variations for web-pages, mobile devices, and for standalone performance. The copyright
status of these "generative" works is unclear, although the original "composition" is supplied by the composer and the "performance" is largely the result of the user's computer's own algorithms.
Notable composers known for their use of algorithmic procedures:
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
s to create music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
.
Algorithms (or, at the very least, formal sets of rules) have been used to compose music for centuries; the procedures used to plot voice-leading in Western counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
, for example, can often be reduced to algorithmic determinacy. The term is usually reserved, however, for the use of formal procedures to make music without human intervention, either through the introduction of chance
Chance
- Philosophy, logic and theology :* Chance * Contingency * Indeterminism* Luck* Probability* Randomness- Places :* Chancé, a commune in Brittany, France* Chance, Kentucky, U.S.* Chance, Maryland, U.S.* Chance, Virginia, U.S....
procedures or the use of computers. There is a radical distinction (both in terms of philosophy and in the heard result) between composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s who use indeterminate (e.g. stochastic
Stochastic
Stochastic refers to systems whose behaviour is intrinsically non-deterministic. A stochastic process is one whose behavior is non-deterministic, in that a system's subsequent state is determined both by the process's predictable actions and by a random element. However, according to M. Kac and E...
) procedures to compose music and those who use routines which produce deterministic results given a fixed input into the algorithm.
Many algorithms that have no immediate musical relevance are used by composers as creative inspiration for their music. Algorithms such as fractals, L-system
L-system
An L-system or Lindenmayer system is a parallel rewriting system, namely a variant of a formal grammar, most famously used to model the growth processes of plant development, but also able to model the morphology of a variety of organisms...
s, statistical models
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
, and even arbitrary data
Data
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
(e.g. census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
figures, GIS
Geographic Information System
A geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...
coordinates, or magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
measurements) are fair game for musical interpretation. The success or failure of these procedures as sources of "good" music largely depends on the mapping
Mapping
In geomatics or geospatial science and technology:Mapping usually refers to map-making and often used instead of cartography.Mapping term is also sometimes used for geospatial data collection but in fact it is not mapping because a map is created from some cartographic works In geomatics or...
system employed by the composer to translate the non-musical information into a musical data stream.
Models for algorithmic composition
There is no universal method to sort different compositional algorithms into categories. One way to do this is to look at the way an algorithm takes part in the compositional process. The results of the process can then be divided into 1) music composed by computer and 2) music composed with the aid of computer. Music may be considered composed by computer when the algorithm is able to make choices of its own during the creation process.Another way to sort compositional algorithms is to examine the results of their compositional processes. Algorithms can either 1) provide notational information (sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
) for other instruments or 2) provide an independent way of sound synthesis (playing the composition by itself). There are also algorithms creating both notational data and sound synthesis.
However, the most common way to categorise compositional algorithms is by their structure and the way of processing musical data. One of the most detailed divisions consists of six partly overlapping models:
- mathematical models
- knowledge-based systems
- grammars
- evolutionary methods
- systems which learn
- hybrid systems
Mathematical models
Mathematical models are based on mathematical equations and random events. The most common way to create compositions through mathematics is stochastic processes. In stochastic models a piece of music is composed as a result of non-deterministic methods. The compositional process is only partially controlled by the composer by weighting the possibilities of random events. Prominent examples of stochastic algorithms are Markov chains and various uses of Gaussian distributions. Stochastic algorithms are often used together with other algorithms in various decision-making processes.Music has also been composed through natural phenomena. These chaotic models create compositions from the harmonic
Harmonic
A harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency, i.e. if the fundamental frequency is f, the harmonics have frequencies 2f, 3f, 4f, . . . etc. The harmonics have the property that they are all periodic at the fundamental...
and inharmonic phenomena of nature. For example, since the 1970s fractals have been studied also as models for algorithmic composition.
As an example of deterministic compositions through mathematical models, the On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences
On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences
The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences , also cited simply as Sloane's, is an online database of integer sequences, created and maintained by N. J. A. Sloane, a researcher at AT&T Labs...
provides an option to play an integer sequence
Integer sequence
In mathematics, an integer sequence is a sequence of integers.An integer sequence may be specified explicitly by giving a formula for its nth term, or implicitly by giving a relationship between its terms...
as music. (It converts each integer to a note on an 88-key musical keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
by computing the integer modulo
Modulo operation
In computing, the modulo operation finds the remainder of division of one number by another.Given two positive numbers, and , a modulo n can be thought of as the remainder, on division of a by n...
88.)
Knowledge-based systems
One way to create compositions is to isolate the aesthetic code of a certain musical genre and use this code to create new similar compositions. Knowledge-based systems are based on a pre-made set of arguments that can be used to compose new works of the same style or genre. Usually this is accomplished by a set of tests or rules needing to be fulfilled for the composition to be complete.Grammars
Music can also be examined as a language with a distinctive grammarGrammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
set. Compositions are created by first constructing a musical grammar, which is then used to create comprehensible musical pieces. Grammars often include rules for macro-level composing, for instance harmonies and rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
, rather than single notes.
Evolutionary methods
Evolutionary methods of composing musicEvolutionary music
Evolutionary music is the audio counterpart to Evolutionary art, whereby algorithmic music is created using an evolutionary algorithm. The process begins with a population of individuals which by some means or other produce audio , which is either initialized randomly or based on human-generated...
are based on genetic algorithms. The composition is being built by the means of evolutionary process. Through mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
and natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
, different solutions evolve towards a suitable musical piece. Iterative action of the algorithm cuts out bad solutions and creates new ones from those surviving the process. The results of the process are supervised by the critic, a vital part of the algorithm controlling the quality of created compositions.
Systems which learn
Learning systems are programs that have no given knowledge of the genre of music they are working with. Instead, they collect the learning material by themselves from the example material supplied by the user or programmer. The material is then processed into a piece of music similar to the example material. This method of algorithmic composition is strongly linked to algorithmic modeling of style, machine improvisation, and such studies as cognitive scienceCognitive science
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine...
and the study of neural networks
Neural Networks
Neural Networks is the official journal of the three oldest societies dedicated to research in neural networks: International Neural Network Society, European Neural Network Society and Japanese Neural Network Society, published by Elsevier...
.
Hybrid systems
Programs based on a single algorithmic model rarely succeed in creating aesthetically satisfying results. For that reason algorithms of different type are often used together to combine the strengths and diminish the weaknesses of these algorithms. Creating hybrid systems for music composition has opened up the field of algorithmic composition and created also many brand new ways to construct compositions algorithmically. The only major problem with hybrid systems is their growing complexity and the need of resources to combine and test these algorithms.Works and applications
Algorithmic techniques have also been employed in a number of systems intended for direct musical performance, with many using algorithmic techniques to generate infinitely-variable improvisationImprovisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
s on a predetermined theme. An early example was Lucasfilm Games' 1982 computer game Ballblazer
Ballblazer
Ballblazer is a 1984 computer game created by Lucasfilm Games . It was originally released for the Atari 8-bit systems, such as the Atari 800 and the Atari 5200. It was also ported to other popular platforms of the day, such as the Apple II, ZX Spectrum , Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Atari 7800, and...
, where the computer improvised on a basic jazz theme composed by the game's musical director Peter Langston
Peter Langston
Peter Langston is a computer programmer who wrote and distributed for free several games for Unix systems in the 1970s, including the original version of Empire and the program "Oracle" upon which the later net-wide Oracle was modeled. He is also an experienced jazz, rock, and folk musician.In...
; later in the life of that company, now rechristened LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
, an algorithmic iMUSE engine was developed for their flagship game, Dark Forces.
Similar generative music
Generative music
Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different and changing, and that is created by a system.- Theory :There are four primary perspectives on "Generative Music" Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different...
systems have caught the attention of noted composers. Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
has produced a number of works for the SSEYO's Koan generative music system, which produces ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
variations for web-pages, mobile devices, and for standalone performance. The copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
status of these "generative" works is unclear, although the original "composition" is supplied by the composer and the "performance" is largely the result of the user's computer's own algorithms.
Notable composers known for their use of algorithmic procedures:
- Aphex TwinAphex TwinRichard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
- AutechreAutechreAutechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both natives of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are one of the most prominent acts signed to Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music and through which all Autechre albums...
- Clarence BarlowClarence BarlowClarence Barlow is a composer of classical and electroacoustic works.-Biography:Barlow was born in Calcutta, a member of the anglophone minority, of British and Portuguese descent...
- Natasha BarrettNatasha Barrett (composer)Natasha Barrett is a British composer and performer of electroacoustic art music. Her compositional aesthetics are derived from acousmatic issues, but in addition to acousmatic composition she composes for instruments and live electronics, sound installations, multi-media works and computer music...
- John CageJohn CageJohn Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
- David CopeDavid CopeDavid Cope is an American author, composer, scientist, and professor emeritus of music at the University of California, Santa Cruz...
- Paul DoornbuschPaul DoornbuschPaul Doornbusch is a largely algorithmic composer and performer of contemporary music, often fusing electroacoustic and computer music with instrumental music...
- Gustavo Díaz-JerezGustavo Díaz-JerezGustavo Díaz-Jerez is a Spanish pianist and composer.-Biography:Gustavo Díaz-Jerez studied piano with J. A. Rodriguez at the Conservatorio Superior of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and subsequently with Solomon Mikowsky at Manhattan School of Music in New York City...
- Charles DodgeCharles Dodge (composer)Charles Dodge is an American composer best known for his electronic music, specifically his computer music. He is a former student of Darius Milhaud and Gunther Schuller.-Education and teaching career:...
- Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
- Karlheinz EsslKarlheinz EsslKarlheinz Essl is an Austrian composer, performer, sound artist, improviser and composition teacher.- Biography :Essl was born in Vienna. His studies at the University of Music in Vienna included: composition , electro-acoustic music and double bass...
- Lejaren HillerLejaren HillerLejaren Arthur Hiller was an American composer. In 1957 he collaborated on the first significant computer music composition, Illiac Suite, with Leonard Issacson. It was his fourth string quartet. In 1958 he founded the Experimental Music Studio at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign...
- Gottfried Michael KoenigGottfried Michael KoenigGottfried Michael Koenig is a contemporary German-Dutch composer.-Biography:Koenig studied church music in Braunschweig, composition, piano, analysis and acoustics in Detmold, music representation techniques in Cologne and computer technique in Bonn. He attended and later lectured at the...
- Tristan MurailTristan MurailTristan Murail is a French composer. His father, Gérard Murail, is a poet and his mother, Marie-Thérèse Barrois, a journalist. One of his brothers, Lorris Murail, and his younger sister Elvire Murail, aka Moka, also write, and his younger sister Marie-Aude Murail is a French children's writer...
- Paul LanskyPaul LanskyPaul Lansky is an American electronic-music or computer-music composer who has been producing works from the 1970s up to the present day .-Biography:...
- Gary Lee NelsonGary Lee NelsonGary Lee Nelson is a composer and media artist who taught at Oberlin College in the Technology in Music and Related Arts department. He specializes in algorithmic composition, real-time interactive sound and video along with digital film making.-Biography:In 1964, Nelson attended Utrecht...
- Magnus LindbergMagnus LindbergMagnus Lindberg is a Finnish composer and pianist. He is currently the composer-in-residence at the New York Philharmonic.-Education:...
- Gerard PapeGérard PapeGérard Pape is a composer of electronic music, author, and psychologist. He is a former student of David Winkler, George Cacioppo, William Albright, and George Balch Wilson...
- Eduardo Reck MirandaEduardo Reck MirandaEduardo Reck Miranda, Ph.D, , is a Brazilian composer of chamber and electroacoustic pieces but is most notable in the United Kingdom for his scientific research into computer music, particularly in the field of human-machine interfaces where brain waves will replace keyboards and voice commands to...
- Curtis RoadsCurtis RoadsCurtis Roads is a composer of electronic and electroacoustic music specializing in granular and pulsar synthesis, author, and computer programmer....
- Laurie SpiegelLaurie SpiegelLaurie Spiegel is an American composer. She has worked at Bell Laboratories, in computer graphics, and is known primarily for her electronic-music compositions and her algorithmic composition software Music Mouse...
- Javier Torres MaldonadoJavier Torres MaldonadoJavier Torres Maldonado is a Mexican-Italian composer internationally recognized for mostly of his orchestral, chamber, vocal and electro-acoustic works.-Biography:...
- Morton SubotnickMorton SubotnickMorton Subotnick is an American composer of electronic music, best known for his Silver Apples of the Moon, the first electronic work commissioned by a record company, Nonesuch...
- Rodney Waschka IIRodney Waschka IIRodney Waschka II is an American composer known for his algorithmic compositions and his theatrical works.-Biography:Waschka studied at Brooklyn College, at the Institute of Sonology, then newly part of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and earned his doctorate at the University of North Texas...
- Iannis XenakisIannis XenakisIannis Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek ethnic, naturalized French composer, music theorist, and architect-engineer. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers...
- René-Louis BaronRené-Louis BaronRené-Louis Baron is a French inventor, author and songwriter. He was 14 years old when he played for the first time on stage as a jazz clarinetist...
See also
- Artificial creativity
- Computer musicComputer musicComputer music is a term that was originally used within academia to describe a field of study relating to the applications of computing technology in music composition; particularly that stemming from the Western art music tradition...
- Pop music automationPop music automationPop Music Automation is a field of study among musicians and computer scientists with a goal of producing successful pop music algorithmically. It is often based on the premise that pop music is especially formulaic, unchanging, and easy to compose...
- Evolutionary musicEvolutionary musicEvolutionary music is the audio counterpart to Evolutionary art, whereby algorithmic music is created using an evolutionary algorithm. The process begins with a population of individuals which by some means or other produce audio , which is either initialized randomly or based on human-generated...
- Generative musicGenerative musicGenerative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different and changing, and that is created by a system.- Theory :There are four primary perspectives on "Generative Music" Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different...
- Machine improvisation
Further reading
- Phil Winsor and Gene De Lisa: Computer Music in C. Windcrest 1990. ISBN 978-1574411164
- Curtis Roads: The Computer Music Tutorial. MIT Press 1996
- George Papadopoulos: AI Methods for Algorithmic Composition : A survey, a Critical View and Future Prospects. AISB Symposium on Musical Creativity, 1999
- Eduardo Reck Miranda: Composing Music with Computers. Focal Press 2001
- Karlheinz EsslKarlheinz EsslKarlheinz Essl is an Austrian composer, performer, sound artist, improviser and composition teacher.- Biography :Essl was born in Vienna. His studies at the University of Music in Vienna included: composition , electro-acoustic music and double bass...
: Algorithmic Composition. in: Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music, ed. by N. Collins and J. d'Escrivan, Cambridge University Press 2007. - ISBN 978-0-521-68865-9. - Abstract - Gerhard Nierhaus: Algorithmic Composition - Paradigms of Automated Music Generation. Springer 2008. - ISBN 978-3-211-75539-6
- Wooller, Rene, Brown, Andrew R, Miranda, Eduardo, Diederich, Joachim, & Berry, Rodney (2005) A framework for comparison of process in algorithmic music systems. In: Generative Arts Practice, 5-7 December 2005, Sydney, Australia. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/6544/
Samples of algorithmic music
- Andrew Sorensen's real-time algorithmic improvisations
- A jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophone solo automatically generated by Band-in-a-BoxBand-in-a-BoxBand-in-a-Box is a MIDI music arranger software package for Windows and Mac OS produced by PG Music Incorporated. It was first introduced in 1990 for the Atari ST. Since then, PG MUSIC has been a recipient of numerous awards....
: OGG vorbis format. - The babelcast (RSSRSS (file format)RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format...
subscription feed, iTMSITunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
free subscription) and telequalia (RSSRSS (file format)RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format...
subscription feed, iTMSITunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
free subscription), algorithmic, computer-generated PodcastPodcastA podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
series by Christopher Ariza - Samples with piano and cello from the computer program Randomusic.
- Samples of Phil Thompson's Gingerbread Fractal Music and software.
- Samples of Paul Ramsay's Parallel Music (uses Shockwave): PMusic: SINGLES; Consemble Plymouth and Consemble (open compositions project).
- Samples of Karlheinz Essl's Lexikon-Sonate (MIDI and mp3).
- Samples from James Anthony Walker the art of jim.
- Samples from Dave Smith roughlight music
- Samples of Gary Lee Nelson's Fractal Music.
- Samples of Martin Dostál's GeneticDrummer System.
- Samples from Ensemble 176's online recordings.
- Fractal Tunes you can make with Tune Smithy 3.0 sample fractal tunes made with Tune SmithyTune SmithyTune Smithy is a Windows-based shareware application, with freeware features.It is an algorithmic composition tool to make fractal music. It is now also used frequently as a retuning tool for microtonal composition, and for music therapy in conjunction with Barbara Hero’s Lambdoma keyboard...
- Abacus Milan Guštar's algorithmic serial minimalistic composition for player piano.
- Samples from SoundHelix (mp3).
- Samples by René-Louis BaronRené-Louis BaronRené-Louis Baron is a French inventor, author and songwriter. He was 14 years old when he played for the first time on stage as a jazz clarinetist...
"Medalmusic system" and "Music-Realcomposer" patented inventions.
Software
- IMPROVISOR for AudioCubes a free software tool for algorithmic composition in which pitch and timing patterns can be separated and linked together, using AudioCubes, smart light emitting hardware blocks, generating completely new musical patterns.
- AC Toolbox, Algorithmic Composition Toolbox, a free software tool for algorithmic composition.
- athenaCL Christoper Ariza's modular, polyphonic, poly-paradigm algorithmic music composition in a cross-platform interactive command-line environment
- BreathCube A vocal algorithmic music generation engine (Windows file)
- cgMusic is a free, extensible algorithmic composition program that can create tonalTonalityTonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
music in various styles. MIDI and MP3 samples are available on the website. - Fractal Tune Smithy an algorithmic composition program written by Robert Walker - see also Tune SmithyTune SmithyTune Smithy is a Windows-based shareware application, with freeware features.It is an algorithmic composition tool to make fractal music. It is now also used frequently as a retuning tool for microtonal composition, and for music therapy in conjunction with Barbara Hero’s Lambdoma keyboard...
- Fractal Music Composer by Michael Frame, Ginger Booth, and Harlan Brothers (Java)
- FractMusFractMus (software)FractMus is a freeware algorithmic music generator program developed and maintained by Spanish pianist and composer Gustavo Díaz-Jerez. It has been primarily used by composers, performers, software designers, researchers and artists for creating music....
is a freeware algorithmic composition program written by Spanish composer and pianist Gustavo Díaz-JerezGustavo Díaz-JerezGustavo Díaz-Jerez is a Spanish pianist and composer.-Biography:Gustavo Díaz-Jerez studied piano with J. A. Rodriguez at the Conservatorio Superior of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and subsequently with Solomon Mikowsky at Manhattan School of Music in New York City...
. - Harmony Improvisator, a VST plugin that composes with the rules of classical harmonic theory
- Impro-VisorImpro-VisorImpro-Visor is an educational tool for creating and playing a lead sheet, with a particular orientation toward representing jazz solos.- Improvisation Advisor :...
: software that can generate jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
solos algorithmically using a user-specifiable stochastic context-free grammarStochastic context-free grammarA stochastic context-free grammar is a context-free grammar in which each production is augmented with a probability...
. - Intermorphic Noatikl, Noatikl is an algorithmic / trans-generative creativity system for MacMac OSMac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
and Windows with VSTVirtual Studio TechnologySteinberg's Virtual Studio Technology is an interface for integrating software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware with software...
, AU unitAudio UnitsAudio Units are a system-level plug-in architecture provided by Core Audio in Mac OS X developed by Apple Computer. Audio Units are a set of application programming interface services provided by the operating system to generate, process, receive, or otherwise manipulate streams of audio in...
plugins, and is successor to Koan. - Intermorphic Mixtikl, Mixtikl is a 12 track generative music lab with integrated Noatikl algorithmic engine for iPhoneIPhoneThe iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, iPadIPadThe iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
, iPod touchIPod touchThe iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
, MacMac OSMac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
and Windows with web browserWeb browserA web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
, VSTVirtual Studio TechnologySteinberg's Virtual Studio Technology is an interface for integrating software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware with software...
and AU unitAudio UnitsAudio Units are a system-level plug-in architecture provided by Core Audio in Mac OS X developed by Apple Computer. Audio Units are a set of application programming interface services provided by the operating system to generate, process, receive, or otherwise manipulate streams of audio in...
plugins. - Lexikon-Sonate for computer-controlled piano by Karlheinz EsslKarlheinz EsslKarlheinz Essl is an Austrian composer, performer, sound artist, improviser and composition teacher.- Biography :Essl was born in Vienna. His studies at the University of Music in Vienna included: composition , electro-acoustic music and double bass...
(freeware for MacOS) - Musical Algorithms An interactive exploration of the relationship between music and mathematical formulas funded by the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium, project directed by Jonathan N. Middleton.
- Strasheela, a composition system that uses constraint programmingConstraint programmingConstraint programming is a programming paradigm wherein relations between variables are stated in the form of constraints. Constraints differ from the common primitives of imperative programming languages in that they do not specify a step or sequence of steps to execute, but rather the properties...
and supports highly complex rule-based music theories (e.g. harmony). - WolframTones, an algorithmic composer based on 1-dimensional cellular automata.
- Impromptu - A programming environment for real-time algorithmic composition.
- MusiNum Software to make music using number patterns.
- SoundHelix A free Java framework for algorithmic random music composition.
- RGB MusicLab Image data into a music. (MacOS and Windows)
Tutorials
- Algorithmic Composition Tutorials A series of algorithmic composition tutorials.
Articles
- Computer Music Algorithms by Dr. John Francis. Text explaining algorithms with C source code in appendix, plus a number of algorithmic programs compiled in Win32.
- A Few Remarks on Algorithmic Composition by Martin Supper. Computer Music JournalComputer Music JournalComputer Music Journal is an American academic journal that covers a wide range of topics related to digital audio signal processing and electroacoustic music. It is published on-line and in hard copy by MIT Press. The magazine is accompanied by an annual CD/DVD that collects audio and video work...
25.1 (2001) 48-53 - COMPOSING WITH PROCESS: PERSPECTIVES ON GENERATIVE AND SYSTEMS MUSIC podcast, exploring generative approaches (including algorithmic, systems-based, formalized and procedural) to composition and performance primarily in the context of experimental technologies and music practices of the latter part of the twentieth century.