The computer music tutorial

What Hacker News says

1. FelipeCortezJun 2026
   If you want to learn the mumbo-jumbo other commenters are using freely in their comments: https://www.musictheory.net/lessons

   If you want to learn why your flute's FFT visualization has multiple bumps, get a copy of Curtis Roads' Computer Music Tutorial from the local library

   If you want to learn to play an instrument, hire a teacher!

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2. ofalkaedMay 2026
   If you are a programmer then one of the synthesis and composition DSLs would probably be your easiest entry, CSound and SuperCollider are a good place to start, Csound has better non-realtime capabilities, SuperCollider has better realtime, realtime meaning live performance; they overlap a great deal and neither falls completely into realtime or not. PureData is a good option for the less accomplished programmer but still comfortable with programming. There are a great many other DSLs but these three have been around the longest and are well established so a very good place to get started. The Computer Music Tutorial is a great book and the best geberal reference for these languages going over all the techniques in a generic way applicable to most of these DSLs.

   For the non-programmer who does not want to get into programming, something g like LMMS is a good place to start, gives you everything you need and a simple interface that can be quickly learned.

   Or just do like we all used to do, buy a synth and dive in.

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3. DougMerrittApr 2026
   This appears to be mercifully shorter and less intimidating than the must-have bible, "Curtis Roads. The Computer Music Tutorial. MIT Press, Cambs, MA, 1996".

   It says it was originally published by Wiley in 2009, and the rights reverted to the author in 2025, whereupon the author released it on the net for free.

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4. i_am_proteusJul 2025
   Another fine text on this subject I can recommend (at a somewhat higher level, and not provided for free) is The Computer Music Tutorial:

   https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262044912/the-computer-music-tu...

   I suggest having some kind of sequencer and synthesizers (one subtractive, one FM) available to play with while reading. Free VSTs in the free Reaper DAW are a fine starting point.

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5. RossBencinaDec 2024
   A few additional/alternative reading recommendations:

   Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Audio Effects (DAFx). All open access at https://dafx.de/

   Jon Dattorro's Effect Design papers:

   https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~dattorro/EffectDesignPart1.pdf

   https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~dattorro/EffectDesignPart2.pdf

   https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~dattorro/EffectDesignPart3.pdf

   Vadim Zavalishin - The Art Of VA Filter Design https://www.native-instruments.com/fileadmin/ni_media/downlo...

   Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference (open access) https://quod.lib.umich.edu/i/icmc/

   Andy Farnell, "Designing Sound"

   A standard introductory DSP textbook such as Ifeachor and Jervis, Orfanidis, Oppenheim and Schafer.

   "The Computer Music Tutorial" and "Microsound" by Curtis Roads

   Audio Anecdotes book series

   "Music, Cognition and Computerised Sound", edited by Perry Cook

   what am I missing?

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6. ofalkaedDec 2024
   >Boulanger - "The Csound Book"

   Probably the gold standard for such books, wish all the audio DSLs had a book of such quality. Between it and The Computer Music Tutorial Csound is ahead of the rest when it comes to books.

   Edit: Was thinking The Computer Music Tutorial was filled with Csound examples but on second thought I don't think it actually is. Been awhile since I last browsed it.

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