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OpenMusic (OM) is a visual programming language based on CommonLisp / CLOS. Visual programs are created by asssembling and connecting icons representing functions and data structures. Most programming and operations are performed by dragging an icon from a particular place and dropping it to an other place. Built-in visual control structures (e.g. loops) are provided, that interface with Lisp ones.
OM may be used as a general purpose functional/object/visual programming language. At a more specialized level, a set of provided classes and libraries make it a very convenient environment for music composition. Above the OpenMusic kernel, live the OpenMusic Projects. A project is a specialized set of classes and methods written in Lisp, accessible and visualisable in the OM environment. Various classes implementing musical data / behaviour are provided. They are associated with graphical editors and may be extended by the user to meet specifical needs. Different representations of a musical process are handled, among which common notation, midi piano-roll, sound signal. High level in-time organisation of the music material is proposed through the maquette concept.
Existing CommonLisp/CLOS code can easily be reused in OM, and new code can be developped in a visual way.
 Designed and developed by the IRCAM Music Representation research group
License and distribution The OM application is distributed by the IRCAM Forum.
This application is compiled with commercial Lisp compilers, for which IRCAM owns redistribution licenses.
OM is currently available for Mac OSX PPC/Intel and Windows XP/Vista platforms.
The OM sources are available for free under the GNU Public License (GPL). They can be downloaded and compiled on compatible Lisp platforms (see the download section). The current OM sources may be compiled on MacOS X or Windows using LispWorks 5.1.2. Older versions (OM 5) are also available and can be compiled for MacOSX PPC using Digitool MCL 5.1 and for Windows XP using Allegro CL 7.0. Please note that the libraries included in the Ircam distribution are not under GPL and are available only through the Ircam Forum. In principle, this distribution will make sense only to people owning these required commercial Lisp compilers.
Although we are conscious that this limitation does not fit clearly into the GPL framework, we think that making the sources available is an oppurtunity to raise collaborations
leading to new versions of OM that would depend only on open sources compiler, particularly on Linux platforms
(a multi-platform code release including SBCL port is currently in progress on sourceforge and available at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ircam-openmusic/).
Other collaborations should be organized for the realization of specialized packages
(e.g. Math, Natural language, Artificial Intelligence, Constraint Programming, Internet, specialized music topics) or enhancement of the kernel.
Please see the contacts section.
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