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Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
111–120 of 123 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#112"Richard Boulanger" is the C-Sound [0] guy. I mention that because anyone interested in audio programming might want to be familiar with C-sound first. Programming audio in C is way more complex than programming audio in C-sound. Starting from scratch might not be preferable to using a toolkit that's been developed for 35 years! [1]
A book I thought was great has no code in it, but is FULL of very useful info about audio and computing it. Computer Music by Dodge and Jerse, ISBN 0028646827 (1997) ... a little pricey, might be hard to find, but very hard to beat.
[1] I haven't seen Richard's book (I'm sure it's great - and I will see it, thanks for the tip) ... he just might be pitching this idea in there!
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#113how about sharing the link to the book and asking in the comments for more resources instead of Ask HN
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#114If 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 actually created Scheme for Max to address this, it enables scripting all of Max in s7 Scheme Lisp. Max is a wonderful environment, but for experienced programmers, not necessarily how you want to code. It's strength is the built in integration with stuff that is a pain to code from scratch: midid handling, GUI elements, scheduler, transport, audio controls, etc. If you're interested in using the Max environment, but writing your work in Scheme, check it out.
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#115I've been getting into this over the past couple of years too and I feel like I sort of hit a wall. I am comfortable writing low level efficient real-time code in C (I'm an ex game dev). I understand most synthesis techniques in pretty good detail. I could probably write a book on subtractive synthesis, and I have implemented a complete functioning FM synth. I get the fundamental concepts around DSP: Nyquist, samplin…
I'd suggest looking at code for how people have done it other projects, there are some really good open source implementations of those sorts of things in languages like Csound, PureData, Faust, SuperCollider, etc. Csound is old school, but the band limited VCO is brilliant (the vco2 opcode)
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#116"Richard Boulanger" is the C-Sound [0] guy. I mention that because anyone interested in audio programming might want to be familiar with C-sound first. Programming audio in C is way more complex than programming audio in C-sound. Starting from scratch might not be preferable to using a toolkit that's been developed for 35 years! [1] A book I thought was great has no code in it, but is FULL of very useful info about a…
Another nice thing about Csound is that if you want to start doing C level dsp in baby steps, extending Csound is very straightforward. MUCH easier than adding objects in Max or PD for example. Max and PD externals require a ton of platform specific boilerplate.
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#117Since we are all here, I have a question. I personally am much more interested in audio sample triggering and/or loop based production in this context than synthesis/wave generation -- and it seems like the overwhelming majority of tools are focused on the latter. In my head, I'm imagining a more programmatic approach to "arrangement of samples and loops," as in, instead of, or perhaps complementing, the classic "gri…
You can do all that in any of the major music programming languages. Max, Pure Data, Csound, Supercollider, all have tons of facilities for this kind of thing.
The Cipriani & Giri books for Max cover working with samples and loops in great detail and are fantastic books.
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
To your first point, this is exactly why Max was created, by Miller Puckette at IRCAM - so the artists didn't have to necessarily chase down coders to change their programs. In that respect, it's been a tremendous success.
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#119"listening in the ocean" by lammers can give you a resource for applications of audio programming. it's all about marine acoustics
Re: Ask HN: How to get started with audio programming?
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
To your first point, this is exactly why Max was created, by Miller Puckette at IRCAM - so the artists didn't have to necessarily chase down coders to change their programs. In that respect, it's been a tremendous success.
Absolutely! I went to a workshop on step sequencers at Ableton Loop which I didn't realise was about Max step sequencers specifically, and it was really interesting - the host asked who in the room was a programmer, and just me and my friend raised our hands out of like 20-30 people. Then he started asking who had built x, y, or z musical thing and everyone else was raising their hands - I thought it was interesting that they didn't see what they were doing as programming, even though it very much is to me!