A curated list of live coding languages and tools
This list was created with the intention of giving a quick-glance over the many possibilities to engage in this practice. For further information, head over to TOPLAP.
- What is live coding
- Websites
- Languages
- Libraries and tools
- To Watch
- To Read
- To Dance
- Conferences
- Community
- Related lists
- Acknowledgement
- How to Contribute
- Code of Conduct
Quoting Wikipedia
Live coding (sometimes referred to as 'on-the-fly programming', 'just in time programming' and 'conversational programming') is a performing arts form and a creativity technique centred upon the writing of source code and the use of interactive programming in an improvised way.
- TOPLAP - The home of Live Coding.
(In Alphabetical Order)
-
afterglow - A live-coding lighting controller, building on the Open Lighting Architecture with Clojure and bits of Overtone.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
lisp
FLOSS
audio
-
Alda - A music programming language for musicians.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
audio
-
Atomiix - A re-implementation and re-invigoration of ixi lang.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
JavaScript
FLOSS
SuperCollider
audio
-
ChucK - Strongly-timed, Concurrent, and On-the-fly Music Programming Language.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
audio
-
clive - Live-coding audio in C.
GNU/Linux
C
FLOSS
audio
-
Conductive - A set of Haskell libraries for livecoding and real-time music applications.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
haskell
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
-
Cyril - A programming language designed for fast prototyping of visualisations and livecoding visuals.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
openFrameworks
FLOSS
visuals
-
Extempore - (Previously Impromptu) A programming language and runtime environment designed to support 'cyberphysical programming'.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
lisp
FLOSS
audio
-
Fluxus - A rapid prototyping, playing and learning environment for 3D graphics, sound and games.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux | Android | PS2
racket-lang
lisp
FLOSS
visuals
-
FoxDot - Live Coding with Python and SuperCollider.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Python
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
-
Gibber - Creative coding for JavaScript.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
visuals
-
Improviz - An environment for using and abusing primitive shapes and animated textures.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Haskell
FLOSS
visuals
-
ixi lang - An experimental project concerned with the creation of digital musical instruments and environments for generative music.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
SuperCollider
audio
-
i-score - An interactive sequencer that allows live programming of OSC-enabled applications, through a visual language and JavaScript scripting.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
C++
FLOSS
audio
-
Krill - Tidal cycle like live coding in NodeJS / Browser.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
NodeJS
Browser
FLOSS
midi
-
LiveCodeLab - A web-based language and environment for VJs, musicians and graphic artists. Allows for immediate and engaging run-as-you-type prototyping, also used in education.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
web
FLOSS
visuals
audio
-
Max - A visual programming language for media.
Windows | macOS
graphical-language
Commercial
audio
visuals
-
Moonlet - Lua live coding.
Windows | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
audio
-
Motifn - Code music in Javascript that plays in your DAW or browser
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
JavaScript
MIDI
audio
WebAudio
-
mutate4l - Live coding integrated into Ableton Live's session view.
Windows | macOS
Max for Live
C#
FLOSS
audio
-
Negasonic - Live coding in the browser with Ruby.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
Ruby
FLOSS
audio
-
ORCΛ - An esoteric live coding environment with two-dimensional syntax.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
audio
FLOSS
-
Overtone - An open source audio environment designed to explore new musical ideas from synthesis and sampling to instrument building, live-coding and collaborative jamming.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
SuperCollider
lisp
FLOSS
audio
FLOSS
-
PraxisLive - Hybrid visual IDE for live creative coding.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Java
Processing
GLSL
graphical-language
FLOSS
visuals
audio
-
Pure Data - An open source visual programming language that can be used to process and generate sound, video, 2D/3D graphics, and interface sensors, input devices, and MIDI.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
graphical-language
FLOSS
audio
visuals
-
re<urse- A language for generating musical patterns.abandoned
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
TypeScript
FLOSS
audio
-
Repetition.sc - A set of tools to build a SequenceableCollection of Events.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
-
serialist - A live coding environment that generates MIDI messages.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
-
Skoar - A high-level language for coding music with SuperCollider.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
SuperCollider
Python
FLOSS
audio
-
Sonic Pi - The Live Coding music synth for everyone.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Ruby
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
-
Speccy - Live code 8-bit algorave in ClojureScript.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
web
FLOSS
audio
lisp
-
Steno - Concatenative little metalanguage for live coding.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
-
SuperCollider - A platform for audio synthesis and algorithmic composition, used by musicians, artists, and researchers working with sound.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
audio
-
synth-x - An experimental live coding environment for making music created with modern web technologies.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
JavaScript
nodejs
audio
-
TidalCycles - Is a language for Live Coding pattern.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linxux
Haskell
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
-
TimeLines - A modular synthesizer for live coding the flow of time.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
Haskell
SuperCollider
audio
-
Vivid - Haskell synth live coding.
Haskell
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
-
Vuo - A realtime visual programming language for interactive media.
macOS
visual-language
FLOSS | Commercial
visuals
-
vvvv - A hybrid visual/textual live-programming environment for easy prototyping and development.
Windows
visual-language
Freeware | Commercial
visuals
-
Wulfcode - A Midi live-coding environment for performance or composition.
macOS | Windows* | GNU/Linux*
FLOSS
audio
-
xi - A domain-specific language for Live Coding musical patterns in Ruby.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Ruby
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
(Also in Alphabetical Order)
- Arcadia - Live coding Clojure in Unity3D.
- blink - A library which allows you to edit source code of any Windows C++ project live at runtime.
- Bonzomatic - GLSL and HLSL live coding environment, originally designed for live coding competitions at demoparties.
- CHmUsiCK - Library to make ChucK a 'more algorave like' language.
- cl-collider - A SuperCollider client for CommonLisp.
- dafxpipe - Software for live coding audio effects and synths.
- disclojure - A live coding environment for Overtone and Leipzig.
- EspGrid - Synchronization and sharing for network music.
- Extramuros - Language-neutral shared-buffer networked live coding system.
- Fragment - Collaborative live GLSL coding environment, additive/spectral/granular synthesizer.
- The Force - WebGL live coding performance IDE.
- Gibberwocky - Use Gibber inside Max/MSP and Max4Live.
- Gideros - Lua 2D game engine with live coding capabilities.
- glslViewer - Live GLSL coding render for macOS and Linux.
- hsc3 - A Haskell SuperCollider client.
- hydra - Live Coding networked visuals in the browser.
- HYLOGEN - An embedding of GLSL in Haskell.
- incudine - Music/DSP programming environment for Common Lisp.
- isobar - A Python library for algorithmic composition by expressing and constructing musical patterns.
- jet-live - A library which implements c++ hot code reload approach for Linux and macOS.
- KodeLife - Real-time GPU shader editor, live-code performance tool and graphics prototyping sketchpad.
- LiCK - Library for ChucK, provides intervals, chords, scales, arpeggiators, patterns, effects, etc.
- LÖVELive 💕 - Live coding framework for LÖVE(2D Game Engine).
- Lua2SC - Lua client for superCollider scsynth and supernova.
- Motifn - Code music in Javascript that plays in your DAW or browser
- Petal - A small language on Sonic Pi with similar syntax to TidalCycles.
- pytebeat - A piece of software for doing livecoding bytebeat performances.
- p5-live - Live Coding for p5.js.
- REPL Mode - This mode adds in a Read-Evaluate-Print-Loop console to Processing 3.0.
- Republic - SuperCollider library for conversational coding.
- Ronin - LISP repl for graphics livecoding.
- s2hs2 - An interface between TidalCycles and Processing.
- Siren - A tracker interface that embodies abstractions where programming is realized as the medium for pattern sequencing in a modular fashion.
- sonic-pixels - Interactive lighting effects for Sonic Pi.
- SpectralTricks - A haskell package adding spectral effects to Tidal.
- Supriya - A Python API for SuperCollider.
- tidal-autocode - Auto-generates patterns for TidalCycles (requires Atom editor).
- tidal-chord - An add-on to the amazing live coding project TidalCycles.
- TidalFX - A haskell package adding weirder effects to Tidal from non-standard UGens.
- tidal-maxmsp - Connecting the Tidal live coding environment to MaxMSP.
- TidalUnity - An interface between TidalCycles and Unity 3D.
- Tidal-Unity - TidalCycles meets Unity 3D.
- tida1vm - Another TidalCycles environment inside Docker.
- tidebox - TidalCycles live coding environment inside a Docker container.
- Troop - Real-time collaborative live coding with FoxDot.
- VEDA - Real-time GLSL editor for Atom.
- WavTexture - A Unity example showing how to bake a waveform of an audio clip into a texture and use it in a shader.
- ZeroBrane Studio - Editor that allows live coding using Lua language.
- Algorave Generation - Resident Advisor
- Algorithms are Thoughts, Chainsaws are Tools - A short film on livecoding presented as part of the Critical Code Studies Working Group, March 2010, by Stephen Ramsay.
- Arte Tracks - Live coding and Algorave
- ComputerMusic(now) - Andrew Sorensen.
- Hacking Choreography - A live coded dance performance.
- ICLC YouTube Channel - International Conference on Live Coding.
- Live coding for Algoraving - Shelly Knotts+Joanne Armitage / workshop supported by YSWN + LCRN.
- PBUP - A patchwork portrait - A documentary about PowerBooks UnPlugged, "the first acoustic computer band".
- Programming as Performance - Sam Aaron.
- Programming in Time - Live Coding for creative performances - Andrew Sorensen.
- Run the code - The Guardian
- Show Us Your Screens - A Documentary about live coding practise by Louis McCallum and Davy Smith.
- SuperCollider Tutorials - A video series by Eli Fieldsteel.
- THIS is computer music - Ge Wang.
- TidalCycles YouTube Channel - Official channel of the TidalCycles collective.
- Manifesto (draft) - Obscurantism is dangerous. Show us your screens.
- Origins of Live Coding - Nick Collins - Durham University.
- Herding Cats: Observing Live Coding in the Wild - Thor Magnusson - Department of Music - University of Sussex.
- Algorave: the live coding movement that makes next-level electronic music - MixMag magazine article about live coding (2017).
- Real DJs Code Live - Wired magazine article about live coding (2006).
- Alex McLean's publications - Conference papers, book chapters and journal articles.
- Live Coding Mailing List Archive - A piece of history.
- TOPLAP Wiki - Videos, articles, and papers.
- Collaboration and learning through live coding - Blackwell, Alan ; McLean, Alex ; Noble, James ; Rohrhuber, Julian.
- howto_co34pt_liveCode - Guide on how to live code in SuperCollider based on the performance practice of live coder co¥ᄀpt.
- Run the code: is algorave the future of dance music? - Another part of the Guardian’s underground music series (2017).
- Algorave - Embrace the alien sounds of raves from the past, and introduce alien, futuristic rhythms and beats made through strange, algorithm-aided processes.
- Eulerroom - Algorithmic music streams, mainly live coded and/or algorave but possibly also stranger things.
- Algorave Guidelines - Guidelines to host an Algorave.
- ICLC - International Conference on Live Coding.
- FARM - Workshop on Functional Art, Music, Modeling, and Design.
- ICLI - International Conference on Live Interfaces.
- NIME - New Interfaces for Musical Expression conference.
-
FORUM - A web-based 'discourse' forum for in-depth discussion and exchange around live coding. (formerly found at toplap.lurk.org)
Forum
-
CHAT - A host of many (slack-like) active chat rooms around live coding activities, topics and technologies. (formerly at talk.lurk.org)
Chat
-
We.LURK - An email-based discussion system including several livecoding and algorave related forums.
Mailing List
-
POTAC - Programing of The Art Computer. (inactive)
Weblog
-
/r/livecoding - The Live Coding subreddit.
-
LiveCoders - A semi-curated, rather incomplete list of people doing live coding in the performing arts.
- Awesome Creative Coding - Creative Coding, Generative Art, Interaction Design, Resources.
- Awesome Audio visualization - A curated list about Audio Visualization.
- Awesome Music - A categorized collection of awesome music libraries, tools, frameworks and software.
- Awesome Live Coding Music - A curated list of awesome Music Live Coding Music environments, libraries and talks.
- Programming Languages Used for Music - An historical list of languages to produce music.
- awesome-musicdsp - A curated list of Oli Larkin's favourite music DSP and audio plug-in frameworks.
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