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Computer facilities for music at Ircam, as of october 1977 ⁽¹⁾

John K. Gardner, Brian Harvey, James R. Lawson and Jean-Claude Risset

Rapport Ircam 3/78, 1978
Copyright © Ircam - Centre Georges-Pompidou 1978, 1999

Introduction

IRCAM's specially designed building has just been completed : however, since computers need much preparation before being operational, we have already worked for two years to implement computing facilities in a temporary site.

The computing facilities have been developed to make them available to music research in all departments in IRCAM -- in particular in the field of sound analysis, synthesis and control. We had to take into account several requirements :

The facilities should provide for good quality digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion, and for real-time control of sound via inconventional input and output devices.
The facilities should be accessible to several users and be easy to use so as to be appealing to visiting researchers, musicians and scientists, and not only to computer specialists. Extended software should be available.
It was desirable to have as much compatibility as possible with centers active in the field, to take advantage of their progress and to minimize duplication of software efforts.

Requirements 1) and 2) are somewhat contradictory if one envisions only one computer. Requirements 2) and 3) were influential in our choice of the main computer, a DEC 10 with a number of terminals, some of which could be used as stand-alone computers. The stand-alone computer can be most easily equipped so as to satisfy the real-time control mentioned in requirement 1).

We shall enumerate the equipment selected, and the special hardware that was built around it. We shall also indicate some software changes made to the monitor and to some utility programs. We shall then enumerate some of the presently available user programs, with emphasis on additions made to the Music V sound synthesis program.

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Computer facilities for music at Ircam, as of october 1977 (1)

Introduction

Computer facilities for music at Ircam, as of october 1977 ⁽¹⁾