Why Use Csound?

No music software is right for everybody. Although you could certainly use Csound to record a country ballad or a hip-hop track, it’s probably not the best tool for the job. Csound is used most often by composers who are interested in exploring the outer reaches of composition and sound design, and by younger musicians (often in college) who are eager to push the boundaries of what can be accomplished artistically using a computer.

Here are some reasons why you might want to use Csound:

You have a strong interest in sound design and unusual sonic resources.

Your music consists largely of abstract soundscapes (either sampled or synthesized) rather than of phrases and chords made up of groups of notes.

You want to interact with your music while it plays, rather than creating a fixed composition that will sound exactly the same every time it is played.

You want to explore microtonal intervals and pitch relationships.

You want to explore intricate, mathematically defined polyrhythms.

You’re fascinated by computer-generated algorithmic composition.

You’re frustrated by the limitations of MIDI sequencers.

You have a background in hardware-based modular synthesis and want to apply your knowledge of patching and modulation to a system that operates in a similar way and provides an essentially unlimited set of modules.

You have a strong background in computer programming and want to use your skill set to create music (about which you may or may not be as knowledgeable).

You plan to pursue a career in music software or digital signal processing, and you want to learn how audio software works at a fairly deep level.

You want the music projects you create today to be fully reproducible (and editable) 10 or 20 years from now, on computer systems not yet invented.

You’ve spent every dollar you had on a decent computer and a decent sound system, and you have no money left to invest in commercial music software.

You have physical limitations that make it difficult for you to use standard types of music technology, such as point-and-click software and keyboard instruments with LCD displays.

Conversely, here are a few reasons why you might not want to dive into learning Csound:

Your main interest is in writing and recording pop music.

Your main interest is in recording acoustic instruments in a multitrack studio environment.

You need to produce finished pieces of music quickly, on tight deadlines.

You’re comfortable with, and want to use, standard music notation.

You’re intimidated by the idea of writing computer programming code, complete with mathematical calculations.

Algorithmic composition is a multifaceted music frontier in which some of the features of a piece of music, such as the precise pitches or rhythms that will be heard, are generated by a computer program rather than directly by the composer.

Modular synthesis using hardware modules (such as oscillators and filters) began with the voltage-controlled systems developed in the 1960s by Robert Moog and Don Buchla. A typical modular instrument contained a number of specialized modules, which were interconnected by the musician using patch cords.