Chris Dobrian’s Algorithmic Composition Blog

Written from 2008 through 2009, UC-Irvine Professor Chris Dobrian’s Algorithmic Composition blog is a treasure trove of interesting perspectives and compositional hints, all bolstered by Max patch concepts and helpful illustrations. By providing a way to consider randomness/noise, standard functions and even gestural shapes as compositional tools, Chris provides a way to see beyond the more mundane generative systems into a more thoughtful and enlightened path through musical creation.

While there are many different ways of approaching algorithmic composition with programmatic tools, Chris’ blog pushes one to consider the intersection of many (or all?) systems, and to think about the use of constraints as a creative tool. But what I really like is the human-ness of it all; the blog covers technical opportunities, but always frames them as options and/or decisions that the artist needs to make for the process to continue.

Sadly, there are only 28 articles in the entire blog, and Chris is busy doing other things. But if you are into the idea of using algorithms/systems/processes to assist in the creation of your music, you should spend a pleasurable day reading through these blog entries and thinking deeply about your path to enlightenment.

In addition to the wealth of patching goodness you'll find on this site, Chris has created yet another source of patching examples. And yes, this is the same Chris Dobrian that wrote the first MSP tutorial!