Csound
Csound community
Csound is a sound and music computing system and domain-specific programming language for audio synthesis, processing, and composition. It provides an orchestra/score model with over 1500 opcodes including dedicated Ambisonic opcodes, used by composers, researchers, and educators across desktop, mobile, embedded, server, and web platforms.
History & Background
Originally developed by Barry Vercoe at the MIT Media Lab and first released in 1985, based on the MUSIC-N series by Max Mathews. Maintained by an international community and released under the GNU LGPL. Csound 7 entered beta in mid-2025; Csound 6.18 remains the stable production release.
Tool Type
Framework / SDK
License
Open Source
Functions
SynthesisCompositionAnalysis
Platforms
WindowsmacOSLinuxiOSAndroidBrowser-based
Status
Actively Developed