ChucK ~ Music Programming Language


ChucK is a programming language for real-time sound synthesis and music creation. It is open-source and freely available on MacOS X, Windows, and Linux. ChucK presents a unique time-based, concurrent programming model that’s precise and expressive (we call this strongly-timed), dynamic control rates, and the ability to add and modify code on-the-fly. In addition, ChucK supports MIDI, OpenSoundControl, HID device, and multi-channel audio. It’s fun and easy to learn, and offers composers, researchers, and performers a powerful programming tool for building and experimenting with complex audio synthesis / analysis programs, and real-time interactive music.

chuck.cs.princeton.edu

BestPractice ~ Audio Time-Stretching Tool


BestPractice is a musician’s practice tool, to slow down or speed up music, either from an MP3 file or directly from a CD. Ordinarily the sound is distorted when slowed down our sped up – you get the effect like when playing a 33 rpm record on 45 rpm speed (remember the Chipmunks?). BestPractice tries to correct this, so you can slow down and speed up music, while keeping the original pitch. It is also possible to change the pitch of the music without affecting its tempo. Play along with for instance Eb tuned guitars without retuning your own, or slow down that high-speed guitar solo on a CD that you like to learn.

BestPractice

bestpractice.sourceforge.net

MuseScore ~ Open Source Music Notation


Create, play and print beautiful sheet music.

MuseScore_2.0_in_full_screen

musescore.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MuseScore

FreePiano ~ An Open Source Virtual Piano


FreePiano is a virtual MIDI keyboard and a VST host for MS Windows. You can use FreePiano to play piano with a computer keyboard or a MIDI keyboard with any VST instrument you like, or output through MIDI, or generate any MIDI message with any key on your keyboard. You can also record your song or export a MP4 movie to share with your friends.

FreePiano

freepiano.tiwb.com
sourceforge.net/projects/freepiano

Denemo ~ Freeware Music Notation


Denemo is a free music notation program for GNU/Linux, Mac OSX and Windows that lets you rapidly enter notation which it typesets using the LilyPond music engraver. Music can be typed in at the PC-Keyboard, played in via MIDI controller, or input acoustically into a microphone plugged into your computer’s soundcard.

www.denemo.org

Rosegarden ~ Music Composition & Editing


Rosegarden is a music composition and editing environment based around a MIDI sequencer that features a rich understanding of music notation and includes basic support for digital audio. It’s an easy-to-learn, attractive Linux application that is ideal for composers, musicians, music students and small studios or home recording environments.

rosegarden

www.rosegardenmusic.com

Cecilia ~ Ear-Bending Sonics


Cecilia is an audio signal processing environment aimed at sound designers. Cecilia mangles sound in ways unheard of. Cecilia lets you create your own GUI using a simple syntax. Cecilia comes with many original built-in modules and presets for sound effects and synthesis.

Cecilia

ajaxsoundstudio.com/software/cecilia

Impro-Visor ~ Jazz Improvisation Adviser


Impro-Visor (short for “Improvisation Advisor”) is a music notation program designed to help jazz musicians compose and hear solos similar to ones that might be improvised. The objective is to improve understanding of solo construction and tune chord changes. There are other, secondary, things it can do, such as improvise on its own. It has also been used for transcription. Because rhythm-section (e.g. piano, bass, drums) accompaniment is automatically generated from chords, Impro-Visor can be used as a play-along device. Now having a wider array of accompaniment styles, its use is not limited to jazz.

impro-visor

www.cs.hmc.edu
sourceforge.net/projects/impro-visor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impro-Visor

OpenSebJ ~ Real-time Sample Mixer


OpenSebJ is a free real time audio sample mixer that runs on Microsoft Windows. The source code for OpenSebJ is released under the GNU General Public License.

  • Supports loading of 255 audio samples, in wav format, which can be played in real time.
  • Sample properties such as volume, pan and frequency can be adjusted individually for each sample. (even during mid-play)
  • A composition tool is provided and presented in a familiar multi-track sequencer environment. Looping compositions are also supported.
  • Samples can be linked to keys on a keyboard and triggered in real time when a key press occurs.
  • Each sample can also have the play cursor position adjusted while the sample is playing, to provide a virtual needle to be moved.
  • Stream to disk recording, allows all audio played from OpenSebJ to be saved.
  • Pitch shifter roll, allows an order to be set up, so that each time a sample is played, the next pitch shift in the sequence is undertaken before the sample is played. i.e. set up a sample to key ‘1’, then set up a pitch shift sequence, high, mid, low, higher, etc. (using frequency values which are transposed onto screen ‘ranges’ to allow easier utilization).

opensebj

evolvingsoftware.com/opensebj

Subvert Audio ~ Encourage Musical Creativity


Subvert Audio is a music program designed to try and stimulate creativity in the user. To do this, it imposes certain restraints on the user, in an attempt to encourage more creative thought processes, and solutions to the problem these restraints introduce. In addition to the restraints imposed, Subvert Audio strives to encourage exploration of the program, and reward efforts to discover/create new ways of using it. It is, essentially, a program that is designed to be subverted, the idea being that in the process of doing so, the user’s creativity will be stimulated.

In some ways, the program is similar to graphical music programming languages such as Max/MSP et al. Indeed, prior knowledge of such environments could be seen as beneficial to Subvert Audio’s methods of stimulating creativity.

subvert_audio_linux

subvertaudio.sourceforge.net