[CM] Common Music 2 and PWGL

[Torsten Anders]

Dear Juan,

> it looks like PWGL has a similar functionality as OpenMusic

Both OpenMusic and PWGL are decedents of PatchWork by Mikael Laurson, so as quasi siblings their close similarities are no surprise (much like Pd and Max are siblings, also both stemming from IRCAM). 

> where users don't worry much about inner workings of constrained programming. Instead people concentrate on rules to 'search' options for musical goals. 


Actually, that is a main motivation of constraint programming in general, beyond computer music: the user states a problem without having an algorithm, but the computer solves it regardless — by search. 

> Rules are in libraries like legacy PWConstraints. Being so, programming would only be needed in case a library is being developed or extended.


Sorry, I don’t quite understand. 

Developing the rules (constraints) is also programming, but it is (at least ideally, there are borderline cases) purely declarative — the rules describe features the result should have. 

Best wishes,
Torsten

PS: Not sure if it is appropriate to continue this off-topic discussion at the CM mailing list. Just let us know if we better stop that. 


On 7 Apr 2016, at 19:10, Juan Reyes <juanig at ccrma.Stanford.EDU> wrote:
> Dear Torsten,
> 
> Thanks a lot for your response. I couldn't hope for a better and more
> detailed answer on the state of Constrained Based Composition. Now I
> have a clearer view on this state of affairs.
> 
> I see I should first get my hands on an OSX machine to try PWGL to test
> Örjan’s libraries and your extensions.
> 
> On the other hand,  while watching your presentation, and from a user's
> standpoint, it looks like PWGL has a similar functionality as Open
> Music, where users don't worry much about inner workings of constrained
> programming. Instead people concentrate on rules to 'search' options for
> musical goals. Rules are in libraries like legacy PWConstraints. Being
> so, programming would only be needed in case a library is being
> developed or extended.
> 
> Like they say on HCI and design contexts, "there are different hammers
> in the toolbox and you pick the right one for the job you are pursuing".
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> -- Juan
> 
> 
>> The code of most of them is available. There are a few dependencies
>> to the graphics programming of OpenMusic and/or PWGL, but at least
>> in the case of Örjan’s libraries that seems to be limited to a few
>> files, and you can clearly tell the dependencies by the Lisp
>> packages.
>> 
>> His solver by default outputs to a convenient PWGL score object, but
>> by setting an argument you can also get the music represented as a
>> list close to the internal representation of the solver, AFAIK
>> (never needed that).
> 
>