Creating minimal music with code in any programming language
18 days ago
- #programming
- #C
- #music
- The article demonstrates how to create minimal music with code using a simple C program that plays melodies from text notation.
- Digital sound is explained as an array of bytes representing sampled sound wave amplitudes, with discussions on sample rates and amplitude quantization.
- Different oscillator waveforms (sawtooth, square, sine) are introduced and implemented in C to produce musical notes.
- A method to simulate string sounds using random data arrays and smoothing is described.
- Step sequencers are used to play melodies by changing note pitches over time, with an example riff provided.
- The article includes a deobfuscated version of the initial C melody player, explaining its functionality.
- Bytebeat, a niche music genre using terse C expressions, is introduced with an example.
- Simple sound effects like low-pass filters and delay lines are demonstrated to enhance audio output.
- The article concludes with hints at future topics like 1-bit sound and invites reader contributions.