slippery chicken--preparation for release and licensing of software for algorithmic music composition

自算法作曲技术首次引入以来的50多年里，各种作曲家已经建立了软件程序丰富我们音乐文化的潜力。算法作曲包括使用一步一步的程序，通常封装在软件例程中，来创作音乐。在音乐算法的支持者中，最引人注目的是流行音乐家布莱恩·伊诺。无论训练有素与否，音乐家和作曲家仍然没有完全理解或深入研究这种系统的力量。由于在软件中表达组合思想经常会导致意想不到的、令人惊讶的、令人兴奋的结果，其中大多数是通过传统手段无法实现的，因此有许多财富有待挖掘。因此，算法作曲技术可以在所有流派和风格的现代音乐发展中发挥至关重要和充满活力的作用。“滑鸡”是一个用Common Lisp编程语言编写的音乐作曲软件包。这个系统产生任何审美的音乐。最初的重点是促进电子和器乐声音世界的结合，不仅在声音层面，而且在结构层面。它使用一个序列为基础的方法来生成，在一个通道，完整的乐谱为传统乐器，或与相同的数据编写数字音乐文件为合成器或采样器。它的自顶向下、生成式的方法将会对那些工作时间紧迫的媒体/电影/电视作曲家产生极大的兴趣。由于主要的实际原因，该软件尚未公开可用：超过33,000行代码（约580页），该项目尚未正式文档化，尚未对每种可能性进行全面测试，并打包成某种可自动安装的形式。然而，在技术人员的帮助下，这可以在一年内完成；目前正在为开展这项工作寻求资金。基于网络的文档将伴随着说明性音乐材料和其他输出：音频CD，欧洲讲座-音乐会巡演，研讨会，会议演示，期刊论文，以及展示软件独特功能的可下载演示作品。尽管该系统将作为开源、可免费下载的软件发布，音乐社区可以在非商业目的上免费使用，但确保商业许可协议是该项目的另一个重点。这将分为两层：(a)许可将滑溜鸡全部或部分整合到商业音乐软件程序中；(b)为系统的个人专业用户提供付费支援服务。

The potential for software procedures to enrich our musical culture has beenestablished by various composers in the 50+ years since algorithmic compositiontechniques were first introduced. Algorithmic composition involves the use ofstep-by-step procedures, usually encapsulated in software routines, to createmusic. Most conspicuous amongst proponents of musical algorithms ispop-musician Brian Eno. The power of such systems is still not fullyunderstood or deeply investigated by musicians and composers, whether highlytrained or not. There are many riches to be mined, as the expression ofcompositional ideas in software often leads to unexpected and surprisingly new,exciting results, most of which cannot be achieved via traditional means.Algorithmic composition techniques can thus play a vital and energising role inthe development of modern music across all genres and styles."slippery chicken" is a package of music composition software written in theprogramming language Common Lisp. The system produces music of any aesthetic.The original focus was to facilitate the combination of electronic andinstrumental sound worlds, not just at the sonic but at the structural level.It uses a sequence-based approach to generating, in one pass, complete musicalscores for traditional instruments, or with the same data writing digital musicfiles for synthesisers or samplers. Its top-down, generative approach would beof great interest to media/film/TV composers working to tight deadlines.For mainly practical reasons, the software is not yet publicly available: atmore than 33,000 lines of code (c. 580 pages), the project has not yet beenformally documented, fully tested for every eventuality, and packaged into someauto-installable form. This could, however, be accomplished within one yearwith the help of a technician; funding is being sought to undertake this work.Web-based documentation will be accompanied by illustrative musical materialand other outputs: an audio CD, a European lecture-concert tour, workshops, aconference presentation, a journal paper, and downloadable demonstrationcompositions that show off the software's unique features.Although the system would be released as open-source, freely-downloadablesoftware which the music community at large may use without cost fornon-commercial purposes, securing commercial licensing agreements is anotherfocus of the project. This would be two-tiered: (a) licence to integrateslippery-chicken in whole or in part into commercial music software programmes;and (b) pay-for-support services for individual professional users of thesystem.