athenaCL 1.4.4 review
DownloadathenaCL is a music analysis and algorithmic composition program
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athenaCL is a music analysis and algorithmic composition program. The system can be scripted and embedded, and includes integrated instrument libraries, post-tonal and microtonal pitch modeling tools, multiple-format graphical outputs, and musical output in Csound, MIDI, audio file, XML, and text formats.
Musical parts are deployed as Textures, layered surface-defining objects containing numerous independent ParameterObjects to control pitch, tempo, rhythm, amplitude, panning, and instrument (Csound) parameters. The system includes an integrated library of Csound instruments, and supports output for external Csound instruments, MIDI, and a variety of alternative formats. Over sixty specialized Generator, Rhythm, and Filter ParameterObjects provide tools for stochastic, chaotic, cellular automata based, markov based, wave-form, fractional noise (1/f), genetic, Xenakis sieve, linear and exponential break-point segments, masks, and various other algorithmic models. ParameterObjects can be embedded in other ParameterObjects to provide powerful dynamic and masked value generation. Textures can be combined and edited, and tuned with algorithmic Temperament objects. Texture Clones allow the filtering and processing of Texture events, performing transformations not possible with parameter generation alone.
The analytic and algorithmic systems use Path objects for organizing and sharing pitch groups. Paths provide simultaneous representations of ordered content groups in set-class, pitch-class space, and pitch space. Paths may contain numerous PathVoices (voice leadings) and may be analyzed with both set-class similarity measures and voice leading rankings. As a reference utility, pitch groups can be searched, analyzed, and compared with a wide variety of tools
Requirements:
athenaCL requires Python 2.3 or better. There is no athenaCL binary: athenaCL
interactive sessions run inside a Python interpreter. Python is free and runs on every platform. No additional software is required for basic athenaCL operation.Download Python here: http://www.python.org/2.4
athenaCL produces both Csound and MIDI scores. Csound 4.13 or better is required
to render Csound scores. A Csound installer is included with the MacOS X
distribution of athenaCL. Csound is free and runs on every platform. Download Csound here: http://www.csounds.com
athenaCL produces images with various Python-based graphic output systems. These
output systems include the Python TkInter GUI library and the Python Image Library (PIL), and may require additional Python software. Most Python distributions include TkInter (MacOS systems may require additional configuration); PIL is easily added to Python. Download PIL here: http://www.pythonware.com/products/pil/
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