Links
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Audio Plugins (AU and/or VST)
- KVR Audio
- Comprehensive resource for audio plugins.
- Camel Audio's Alchemy
- A sample manipulation synthesizer with additive/spectral/granular resynthesis capabilities, a powerful modulation system, customizable performance controls and a whole lot more.
- Future Audio Workshop's Circle
- A powerful synthesizer with a focus on ease-of-use. Intuitive UI and the first commercial synth to support OSC. It is a CPU hog though...
- SoundHack
- SoundHack is a standalone spectral audio processing application as well as a bunch of terrific freeware and commercial plugins.
- Sonic Charge's Synplant and µTonic
- Synplant is an genetic algorithm-based synthesizer that makes it incredibly easy and fun to create some sick sounds. µTonic is a purely-synthesized drum machine that focuses on a few key features and does them very well.
- Audio Damage
- A variety of commercial plugins for signal processing effects. Such as Automaton, a unique cellular automata driven effects engine; and Replicant, a favorite for beat slicing madness. There's some free plugins available here too.
- POD Farm
- All the amp models and FX of your Line 6 POD as a plugin (so you can use parameter automation, run multiple copies side by side, etc).
- UHBIK
- A solid bundle of effects plugins at a reasonable price from Urs Heckmann, the maker of the popular Zebra Synth. The main page of his site also has some freebies.
- Flux:: Plugins
- Professional Mastering tools. There's a nice free transient shaper plugin here called BitterSweet.
- Crystal
- A free semi-modular synthesizer featuring subtractive and FM synthesis.
- Togu Audio Line (TAL) plugins
- Free vintage emulation plugins.
- apulSoft ports
- Free plugins ported from win to mac and/or from VST to AU. If you follow the links here you can often find more free plugins from the original plugin authors.
- KingDubby
- Nice free delay plugin (AU only)
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Digital Audio Workstations ("DAWs") and other Music Making Software
- Live
- The hugely popular application for live performance and improvisation.
- Numerology
- Modular Sequencing environment. A great sketchpad for making complex patterns.
- Logic
- Apple's flagship audio product. The studio version comes with a large set of great sounding instruments and effects.
- Sonar
- Probably the best DAW for Windows.
- Ardour
- Free, open source. Runs on Linux.
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Computer Music-Related Sites
- Create Digital Music
- Frequent, interesting news postings.
- electro-music.com
- Large forums area. Official home of the ChucK audio programming language forum.
- SoundCloud
- Like Flickr for audio. My page is here.
- Freesound
- a collaborative database of Creative Commons licensed sounds
- Splice
- A browser-based sequencer.
- Hobnox Audiotool
- A modular music making environment that runs right in your browser. Impressive to say the least.
- Wolfram Tones
- Cellular automata based music generator. (Warning: seems glitchy in some browsers)
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Useful Computer Music Tools
- SPEAR
- Decomposes sounds into sinusoids. Useful for analysis/resynthesis techniques. Works with CNMAT SDIF externals for Max/MSP (see Max/MSP links)
- OSCulator
- "Do music or motion with unusual inputs." My current tool of choice for controlling interactive music with a Wii Remote.
- Jack OS X
- Jack audio connection kit for Mac OS X. Check the main Jack site for Linux info and source code.
- LilyPond
- Music notation with a focus on aesthetics.
- midilog
- Handy command line tool for logging/debugging MIDI communications on an OS X computer.
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Max/MSP Resources
- compusition.com's Max/MSP pages
- In case you didn't notice this part of my site
- Cycling '74 Forums
- Probably the best resource, besides the documentation. RTFM!
- CNMAT objects
- Objects from Berkeley's Center for New Music and Audio Technology. Useful objects for synthesis and working with OSC and SDIF. The Spectral Tutorials are definitely worth checking out.
- Percolate
- Synthesis and DSP objects. Nice Karplus-Strong implementation called mandolin~
- loadbang.net objects
- Objects by Nick Rothwell (aka Cassiel) for embedding Java webservers and databases in Max, running python and groovy code inside Max, and a nifty compositing library for the monome called "shado".
- aka.objects
- Interface objects that can handle things like the Wii remote and iPhone.
- ejies
- Miscellaneous useful objects by Emmanuel Jourdan.
- csound~
- Embed Csound synthesis language in Max
- maxlispj
- Embed the LISP programming language in Max
- Litter objects
- The best random generators for Max
- Max ToolBox
- Handy patching shortcuts. A great time saver! Check out some of the features in this video
- elastic~
- pitch-bending/time-stretching object that uses the same algorithm as Ableton Live. This costs some money, so alternately you may be interested in free_elastic which uses objects that come with Max so you can open it up and see how it works. They each sound better in different circumstances (probably a matter of taste).
- Max Objects
- THE comprehensive database of Max objects.
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Other Visual Multimedia Programming Environments
- Pd (Pure Data)
- Reaktor
- PWGL
- Bidule
- AudioMulch
- Quartz Composer (comes free with OS X)
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Text-based Audio Languages
- ChucK
- Csound
- Common Music
- Impromptu
- SuperCollider
- athenaCL
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Music Hardware
- Akai MPK49
- Solid keyboard controller++ Knobs, sliders, buttons, MPC style drum pads. Aftertouch, arpeggiate, note repeat. I dig it.
- Behringer BCF2000
- Nice entry-level control surface for those of us that can't drop $1000+ on a Mackie. I seriously underestimated how important motorized sliders and endless rotary knobs were going to be in my setup. Unlike the Evolution UC-33, the BCF200 can send data to the computer AND receive data (slider and knob positions) from the computer.
- Monome 40h
- 8x8 grid of backlit buttons. Also comes in 8x16 and 16x16 configurations.
- JazzMutant Lemur/Dexter
- Modular graphic interface with a multitouch screen. The iPhone is a cheap imitation ;)
- M-Audio MIDI controllers
- Inexpensive MIDI controllers. They also make non-keyboard MIDI control surfaces, like the Evolution UC-33.
- PODxt
- Feature-rich hardware unit for a wide range of DSP effects. Interfaces easily with a computer via 24-bit audio and MIDI over USB.
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Periodicals
- Computer Music
- Awesome print magazine. Website has some beginners' tutorials.
- CMJ (Computer Music Journal)
- Quarterly academic publication. Stay on top of new research.
