Computer-Assisted Composition with Python

Computer-Assisted Composition with Python

Learn to use a Python-based composition framework to explore algorithmic processes for computer-assisted composition.

By CCRMA Summer Workshops

Location

The Knoll

660 Lomita Court Stanford, CA 94305

Refund Policy

Contact the organizer to request a refund.

About this event

  • 3 days 7 hours

Schedule

Meetings will be held in person at CCRMA, or online. Mornings (9AM-noon) will be in-person workshop lectures and labs, with independent exercises in the afternoons. We will run through Thursday, and schedule an additional remote check-in the following Friday.

Instructor

Marc Evanstein

In this workshop we will use a newly developed Python-based composition framework called SCAMP (Suite for Computer Assisted Music in Python) to explore algorithmic processes, data sonification, and other forms of computer-assisted composition. SCAMP has been designed to flexibly accommodate both the creation of acoustic, notated music and the possibility of communicating with external synthesizers or synthesis-based languages like SuperCollider and Max/MSP. Since it is based in Python, it also offers easy access to data analysis and machine learning frameworks.

During the first part of the course, we will acquaint ourselves with the SCAMP framework, and with the fundamentals of Python programming (e.g. lists, dictionaries, functions, classes), with an emphasis on exploring the potential of each concept for musical creation. So if you’re brand new to Python—or even to computer programming—you will have an opportunity to learn the basics. On the other hand, if you’re a seasoned Python programmer, this will be an opportunity to focus on the musical potential of Python, and on exploring the more advanced possibilities of the SCAMP framework.

As we become comfortable with Python and with the SCAMP framework, we will start to explore other topics of interest to attendees. Past workshops have touched on L-systems, Markov chains, spectral music, and interactive music, and more. We will also discuss how SCAMP can connect with other tools that may be part of your compositional workflow. The video below offers an overview of the framework.

A background in programming is helpful but not required. Both seasoned computer musicians and acoustic composers with a mild phobia of computer programming are encouraged to attend. We will all be bringing a unique set of musical and technical skills to the table!

This class offers a limited number of Diversity in Computer Music Scholarships. To apply, fill out the form here.

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Organized by

CCRMA Summer Workshops

The Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) is a multi-disciplinary facility where composers and researchers work together using computer-based technology both as an artistic medium and as a research tool.

Pronouncing "CCRMA": CCRMA is an acronym for the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics it is pronounced "karma" (the first "c" is silent).

Areas of ongoing interest:

  • Composition
  • Applications Hardware
  • Applications Software
  • Synthesis Techniques and Algorithms
  • Physical Modeling
  • Music and Mobile Devices
  • Sensors
  • Real-Time Controllers
  • Signal Processing
  • Digital Recording and Editing
  • Psychoacoustics and Musical Acoustics
  • Perceptual Audio Coding
  • Music Information Retrieval
  • Audio Networking
  • Auditory Display of Multidimensional Data (Data Sonification)
  • Real-Time Applications.

The CCRMA community:

Administrative and technical staff, faculty, research associates, graduate research assistants, graduate and undergraduate students, visiting scholars, visiting researchers and composers, and industrial associates. Departments actively represented at CCRMA include Music, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Art, Drama, and Psychology.

Center activities:

Academic courses, seminars, small interest group meetings, summer workshops and colloquia. Concerts of computer music are presented several times each year, including exchange concerts with area computer music centers. In-house technical reports and recordings are available, and public demonstrations of ongoing work at CCRMA are held periodically.

Research results:

Are published and presented at professional meetings, international conferences and in established journals including the Computer Music Journal, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, and various transactions of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Compositions are presented in new music festivals and radio broadcasts throughout the world and have been recorded on cassette, LP, compact disc, and in the cloud.

$250 – $450