Computer-Assisted Composition

OpenMusic & Orchidea

Computer-assisted composition (CAC) is the application of algorithms from a musical perspective. These computational tools become part of composers' workflows, enabling them to produce sketches in sound or score form. ircam offers training courses in two computer-aided composition software packages.

OpenMusic is a graphical programming environment designed to assist composers in their writing work.

Orchidea is a software environment that calculates the best combinations of orchestral sounds to match a target sound by specifying certain constraints. In other words, it is a process that generates a score from a given target sound.

In 2023, based on the results of end-of-training evaluations, 87% of OpenMusic participants have achieved all or most of their objectives, with a satisfaction rate of 100%.

"Watching Claudia explain, create, and troubleshoot patches in OM has been extremely helpful" Venkatesh, student and composer