The fundamental principle of IRCAM is to encourage productive interaction among scientific research, technological developments, and contemporary music production. Since its establishment in 1977, this initiative has provided the foundation for the institute’s activities. One of the major issues is the importance of contributing to the renewal of musical expression through science and technology. Conversely, sp…
IRCAM is an internationally recognized research center dedicated to creating new technologies for music. The institute offers a unique experimental environment where composers strive to enlarge their musical experience through the concepts expressed in new technologies.
In support of IRCAM's research and creation missions, the educational program seeks to shed light on the current and future meaning of the interactions among the arts, sciences, and technology as well as sharing its models of knowledge, know-how, and innovations with the widest possible audience.
Engaged with societal and economic issues at the intersection of culture and IT, research at Ircam has forged a reputation for itself in the world of international research as an interdisciplinary benchmark in the science and technology of sound and music, constantly attentive to the new needs and uses in society.
The fundamental principle of IRCAM is to encourage productive interaction among scientific research, technological developments, and contemporary music production. Since its establishment in 1977, this initiative has provided the foundation for the institute’s activities. One of the major issues is the importance of contributing to the renewal of musical expression through science and technology. Conversely, sp…
IRCAM is an internationally recognized research center dedicated to creating new technologies for music. The institute offers a unique experimental environment where composers strive to enlarge their musical experience through the concepts expressed in new technologies.
In support of IRCAM's research and creation missions, the educational program seeks to shed light on the current and future meaning of the interactions among the arts, sciences, and technology as well as sharing its models of knowledge, know-how, and innovations with the widest possible audience.
Engaged with societal and economic issues at the intersection of culture and IT, research at Ircam has forged a reputation for itself in the world of international research as an interdisciplinary benchmark in the science and technology of sound and music, constantly attentive to the new needs and uses in society.
Computer-assisted composition (CAO) offers composers the possibility of integrating algorithms into their creative process. These digital tools fit naturally into their workflow, facilitating the creation of musical sketches in sound form or scores.
IRCAM offers training courses dedicated to two computer-assisted composition software programs and the libraries of the “bach” family.
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.
The bach, cage, dada, and ears libraries for Max are dedicated to computer-assisted composition and were developed by Andrea Agostini and Daniele Ghisi. They can interact with other Max features and are suitable for creating scores and sound synthesis.
In 2024, based on the results of end-of-training evaluations, 100% of OpenMusic participants have achieved all or most of their objectives, with a satisfaction rate of 100%. In 2025, based on the results of end-of-training evaluations, 75% of Orchieda participants have achieved all or most of their objectives, with a satisfaction rate of 100%.
"I absolutely loved this course, and really enjoyed the 6-week format which gave us a chance to explore all subjects in depth. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher. Grégoire was always extremely clear, open to answering all of our questions and his contents were interesting and inspiring. The fact that we got homework each week was brilliant." Andrea, compositeur et étudiant, Orchidea, Online
"Watching Claudia explain, create, and troubleshoot patches in OM has been extremely helpful" Venkatesh, student and composer, Online