>
> Any and all suggestions are welcome!
>
>
Your needs as you outline them are really quite modest. I think that
(nearly?) all languages debated on this list as well as (nearly?) all
general purpose languages should be capable of these things. That of course
doesn't make your choice any easier. I would suggest you look at some
specialised systems (ChucK, CSound, Impromptu, Processing, PureData,
SuperCollider...) and perhaps some general purpose ones (Java, Lisp, Perl,
Python, Ruby......) and see which one "strikes a chord" with you most.
The relative advantages of systems like this will be hotly debated (I
alphabetised them) by their fans but it's my personal theory that people
originally become fans of systems because it "clicks" with them on a
intuitive level, then later try to justify their choice on a concious level
(which is not to say the differences can't make for interesting debate). I'd
suggest narrowing it down by looking at code examples, then spending a
afternoon or two with likely candidates (I intentionally only mentioned
examples that are freely available). You may also want to consult the
mailing lists archives for these systems to see what culture suits you most.
This may sound like a lot of work but it will pay off in the end in
enjoyment and ease of use. Factors like the quality of the documentation and
maturity are very real but I would suggest going with the system that makes
you forget you are working, trying to learn something new and hard. Sadly
(here) what system that is will differ per person. Then again, that is a
good thing for the exact reason that a generator for random MIDI events will
be worthwhile, despite the number of such systems that's already out there.
Good luck!
Kas.
Received on Mon Jan 25 2010 - 22:54:33 GMT