List of audio programming languages

This is a list of notable programming languages optimized for sound production, algorithmic composition, and sound synthesis.


 * ABC notation, a language for notating music using the ASCII character set
 * Bol Processor, a model of formal grammars enriched with polymetric expressions for the representation of time structures
 * ChucK, strongly timed, concurrent, and on-the-fly audio programming language
 * Real-time Cmix, a MUSIC-N synthesis language somewhat similar to Csound
 * Cmajor, a high-performance JIT-compiled C-style language for DSP
 * Common Lisp Music (CLM), a music synthesis and signal processing package in the Music V family
 * Csound, a MUSIC-N synthesis language released under the LGPL with many available unit generators
 * Extempore, a live-coding environment that borrows a core foundation from the Impromptu environment
 * FAUST, Functional Audio Stream, a functional compiled language for efficient real-time audio signal processing
 * GLICOL, a graph-oriented live coding language written in Rust
 * Hierarchical Music Specification Language (HMSL), optimized more for music than synthesis, developed in the 1980s in Forth
 * Impromptu, a Scheme language environment for Mac OS X capable of sound and video synthesis, algorithmic composition, and 2D and 3D graphics programming
 * Ixi lang, a programming language for live coding musical expression.
 * JFugue, a Java and JVM library for programming music that outputs to MIDI and has the ability to convert to formats including ABC Notation, Lilypond, and MusicXML
 * jMusic
 * JSyn
 * Keykit, a programming language and portable graphical environment for MIDI music composition
 * Kyma (sound design language)
 * LilyPond, a computer program and file format for music engraving.
 * Max/MSP, a proprietary, modular visual programming language aimed at sound synthesis for music
 * Music Macro Language (MML), often used to produce chiptune music in Japan
 * MUSIC-N, includes versions I, II, III, IV, IV-B, IV-BF, V, 11, and 360
 * Nyquist
 * OpenMusic
 * Orca (music programming language)
 * Pure Data, a modular visual programming language for signal processing aimed at music creation
 * Tidal Cycles, a live coding environment for algorithmic patterns, written in Haskell and using Supercollider for synthesis
 * Reaktor
 * Sonic Pi
 * Structured Audio Orchestra Language (SAOL), part of the MPEG-4 Structured Audio standard
 * SuperCollider
 * SynthEdit, a modular visual programming language for signal processing aimed at creating audio plug-ins