A great, fun, system is CSOUND
Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
71–80 of 123 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#72Long, long ago I made a simple synthesizer for windows using the CoreAudio API (there is a newer one, WASAPI, but I never got it to work well myself since it is so complicated). It's a fun project. It is also easy to add some simple filters this way.
If you don't want to do realtime synthesis, you can also dive in the (uncompressed) WAV file format and make programs that generate sound files.
Another thing that might be nice (but I personally haven't tried) is to synthesize your own drums, 808-style. Google 'kick synthesis' for example.
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#73This is a topic close to my heart as I've always been very into music production and programming, and have dabbled with a few things over the years, but have only started working professionally with audio software in the last few years. What is your background, and which parts of audio programming would you like to focus on? e.g. are you interested in writing your own low-level DSP code, or more interested in hooking…
Thanks for this answer! I don't know much about audio programming, but here's a question. When emulating sounds from physical instruments, can you get close by using only code without using audio samples? If yes, is it harder/easier?
It's not something I know a lot about (I'm more interested in synthesised sounds!) but I believe you can create pretty impressive emulations of physical instruments using techniques like physical modelling. Not sure if it's comparable to a well recorded sample though.
I believe Audio Modelling are one of the leaders in this field: https://audiomodeling.com/
In terms of harder/easier... I'd guess it's a lot harder to code, but easier in terms of not having to sample thousands of different articulations for each instrument! Judging by the huge selection of sampled physical instruments and the small amount of synthesised ones, I guess overall harder. Would be interesting to hear from someone who knows more though!
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#74Short answer: Just do it.
Now that you've read a book, pick an extremely simple task and just do it. For example, maybe try writing a command-line program that will just play a square wave through the speakers. Then, build up your skills by making options for sawtooth, triangle, and sine waves. Finally, in the callback from the audio API, poll the keyboard to decide what tones to play. ;)
FWIW: A few years ago I wrote a functional keyboard and mouse synth program that just did sine, triangle, square waves and harmonics. It sounded a lot like an organ. (I later lost interest.) What helped was that I found a wrapper for MacOS CoreAudio that dramatically simplified the API so all I needed to do was provide a stream of floats. (I don't remember the name.)
Don't fall under the illusion that you can just read books and at the end you'll know how to do this. You'll need to work through simplified tasks to build your skills and understanding before you can write your mini-synth.
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#75If you're new to programming, it might also help you to get started with Max/MSP and YouTube videos that already show you how to make the mini-synth you're after (terrible as a programming environment but great as a learning/prototyping tool). The Computer Music Tutorial by Curtis Roads is a good companion here if you want inner workings. You might be able to snag a PDF copy online to see if it's for you. Audio Progr…
There are other programming toolkits for audio programming as well, like pure data and JUCE. Idk maybe it’s just me but I’m an experienced programmer and I’ve spent hours learning max/msp and really don’t like the visual aspect. I like programming in vim normally and zipping around the file manipulating text very efficiently without ever taking my hands off the keyboard. Max/msp is the exact opposite, everything is d…
I find the same personally, but then I've seen people who would never consider themselves programmers fluently create things in Max, so I guess it depends on your background.
Max actually does have a Javascript API, it's a bit old fashioned and you couldn't use it for any DSP related stuff, but can be useful for some stuff. I used it to build a prototype of something that I'd have no idea how to build visually in Max (basically a macro parameter fader for Max for Live), but is fairly straightforward in code, and took some time to figure out a nice(ish) workflow for working with it with Typescript: https://github.com/tomduncalf/livefader
I wonder if you could use that plus the "gen~" object and/or dynamically generating Max objects from JS to do more advanced synthesis-type stuff. May be more trouble than it's worth though.
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#76I manage a team in this field presently; the answer to your question depends on whether you want to be gainfully employed doing so, or not. Web Audio API and JUCE are the modern building blocks for mostly everything out there; if you're familiar with these, that's a really good place to start. If you're looking for something accessible, SOUL is an excellent domain-specific scripting language that leverages JUCE under…
What is the Web Audio API used for?
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#77A couple of lists with tons of resources:
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#78I manage a team in this field presently; the answer to your question depends on whether you want to be gainfully employed doing so, or not. Web Audio API and JUCE are the modern building blocks for mostly everything out there; if you're familiar with these, that's a really good place to start. If you're looking for something accessible, SOUL is an excellent domain-specific scripting language that leverages JUCE under…
What is the Web Audio API used for?
Games mostly, but there exist web-based digital audio workstations as well:
https://filmora.wondershare.com/audio/best-free-daw-online.h...
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#79Hi, I started with Csound and Cabbage framework[1] which I used to create some VST plugins. Then I moved to javascript lands (as everyone already has runtime called web browser) and I am creating sort of DAW using webaudio. I used Tone.js, but it was somewhat confusing, so I started my own library[2]. It's not finished yet but I have already nice and usable demo - comb organ playable with computer or MIDI keyboard wi…
Cabbage has some great testimonials! > My music used to make children cry. But since using Cabbage the children laugh and dance with joy. > Julie, Montreal
also:
> No vegetables were harmed in the making of this software
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#80Here are four videos on the subject from my absolute favorite Yotuber, One Lone Coder (whom, sadly, is more or less on a hiatus now after having a kid. Damn those pesky kids!!!!)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tgamhuQnOkM&t=77s
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OSCzKOqtgcA&t=2s