Impromptu version 2.0 is now available for download at:
http://impromptu.moso.com.au/downloads.html
Impromptu v2.0 is a major release with three significant architectural
changes.
1) A new impromptu x86 compiler
2) Audio signal processing directly in Impromptu.
3) A new concurrent garbage collector
The new impromptu x86 compiler uses LLVM for backend code generation
and supports runtime compilation of scheme functions to x86 machine
code. In particular the compiler has been added to impromptu to
support the efficient compilation of scheme code for data processing
tasks such as image processing, audio signal processing and OpenGL.
The compiler is exposed at runtime through the sys:compile call which
accepts a scheme closure and returns a foreign function which may be
called freely from scheme. (help sys:compile #t) will give you a
bunch of examples.
On-the-fly audio DSP programming is now supported directly within the
impromptu scheme environment by allowing x86 code (i.e. compiled
scheme code) to be hot-swapped into the kernel of a custom code
AudioUnit. You may use one or more of these custom code audiounits
anywhere in your audiounit chain - as both generators and or effects.
Code is hot-swapped into an AU kernel by passing a given scheme
closure to the au:code:load function. There is also a mechanism for
sharing memory between the AU and the scheme runtime. (help
au:code:load #t) will give you a bunch of examples.
The primary motivation for the new GC is to provide greater
performance with larger heap sizes.
v2.0 also adds support for Snow Leopard but is no longer provided as a
Universal Binary. Intel only from v2.0 forward.
A brief screen-cast demonstrating the new on-the-fly audio
functionality can be found at:
http://www.vimeo.com/6096554
Cheers,
Andrew.
Received on Mon Sep 07 2009 - 08:14:38 BST