All things livecoding
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.
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.
(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. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
JavaScript
FLOSS
SuperCollider
audio
Bacalao - A live-coding library for SuperCollider inspired by Tidalcycles syntax.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
SuperCollider
audio
Cane - A small MIDI sequencer DSL designed around vectors and euclidean rhythms.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
audio
MIDI
Jack
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. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
haskell
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
Cyril - A programming language designed for fast prototyping of visualisations and livecoding visuals. (inactive)
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
Facet - An open source livecoding environment in NodeJS with a text editor in the browser.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
NodeJS
JavaScript
midi
Open Sound Control
audio
synthesis
FaustLive - FaustLive is an advanced self-contained prototyping environment for the Faust programming language with an ultra-short edit-compile-run cycle.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
faust
llvm
FLOSS
audio
DSP
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. See also the pitchglitch actively maintained fork.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Python
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
Gibber - Creative coding for JavaScript.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
visuals
Glicol - A graph-oriented live coding language written in Rust.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
Rust
JavaScript
WebAssembly
FLOSS
audio
visuals
gwion - :musical_note: strongly-timed musical programming language
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
audio
hydra - Live Coding networked visuals in the browser.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
JavaScript
FLOSS
visuals
Improviz - An environment for using and abusing primitive shapes and animated textures. (inactive/deprecated)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Haskell
FLOSS
visuals
Iannix - A graphical open-source sequencer for digital art
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
Open Sound Control
visuals
ixi lang - An experimental project concerned with the creation of digital musical instruments and environments for generative music. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
SuperCollider
audio
ossia score - An interactive sequencer that allows live programming of intermedia, inter-protocol artworks, through a custom visual language.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
C++
FLOSS
audio
kilobeat - A collaborative web-based dsp livecoding instrument inspired by bytebeat and Gibber.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
Krill - Tidal cycle like live coding in NodeJS / Browser. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
NodeJS
Browser
FLOSS
midi
Limut - Live code music and visuals in a web browser.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox | Safari
web
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
visuals
line - A tiny command-line midi sequencer and language for live coding.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
c++
FLOSS
midi
audio
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. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
web
FLOSS
visuals
audio
Max - A visual programming language for media.
Windows | macOS
graphical-language
Commercial
audio
visuals
Melrōse - a MIDI producing environment for creating (live) music
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
golang
web
midi
MIT
Mégra.rs - A high-level, LISP-y live coding language implemented in Rust. Prominently features Markov chains.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
audio
LISP
rust
Mercury | Mercury Playground - A highly abstracted minimal language for the live coding of algorithmic music, designed to make code more accessible for both the performer and the audience. Runs in Max or the Browser.
Windows | macOS
Chrome | Firefox
audio
visuals
MaxMSP
JavaScript
Moonlet - Lua live coding. (inactive)
Windows | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
audio
Mosaic - An openFrameworks based Visual Patching Creative-Coding Platform.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
graphical-language
audio
visuals
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
OSCII - OSCII is a web software for drawing and live-coding textmode visuals and sounds.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
visuals
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
Pulchra - Live coding language for 3D graphics.
Google Chrome | Microsoft Edge | etc.
Web
WebGL
visuals
Punctual - Browser-based, zero-installation, audiovisual live coding language, built into the Estuary collaborative platform.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
WebGL
JavaScript
FLOSS
visuals
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. (inactive)
abandoned
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
TypeScript
FLOSS
audio
Renardo - A FoxDot fork bringing new features and functionalities
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Python
FLOSS
audio
Repetition.sc - A set of tools to build a SequenceableCollection of Events. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
Regex - A VCV Rack live coding module generating intricated pitch and rhythm sequences.
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
VCV
Rack
Modular
FLOSS
audio
Sardine A Python based live coding library (MIDI/OSC/SuperDirt).
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Python
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
midi
Open Sound Control
sema - Sema – A Playground for Live Coding Music and Machine Learning. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
serialist - A live coding environment that generates MIDI messages. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
Skoar - A high-level language for coding music with SuperCollider. (inactive)
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. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
web
FLOSS
audio
lisp
Steno - Concatenative little metalanguage for live coding. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
Strudel - Live coding (Tidal-style) algorithmic patterns for the web.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
JavaScript
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
Syntə - A synthesis based live coding language and environment with integrated sound engine.
FreeBSD | GNU/Linux
Go
audio
synthesis
FOSS
synth-x - An experimental live coding environment for making music created with modern web technologies. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
JavaScript
nodejs
audio
TEXTOR - Textor is a textmode editor and live-coding environement for visuals and sounds.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
JavaScript
FLOSS
audio
visuals
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. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
Haskell
SuperCollider
audio
tinyspec - A C++ live-coding environment for overlap-add (re)synthesis. (inactive)
GNU/Linux
C++
FLOSS
audio
Tinalla - Framework Regex based for language parsing written in javascript. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
Javascript
SuperCollider
audio
Topos - Web-based live coding environment inspired by the Monome Teletype.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
FLOSS
Javascript
audio
midi
Trane - Browser-based livecoding in Janet
Mozilla Firefox | Google Chrome
web
Janet
MIDI
audio
WebAudio
FOSS
Tweakable - Visual programming for music, sound and video, used by artists and musicians to make interactive art and music on the web.
Google Chrome | Microsoft Edge
PWA
web
JavaScript
MIDI
audio
visuals
WebAudio
Vivid - Haskell synth live coding. (inactive)
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
WASM-music - A live-coding environment for performance, composition and synthesis in the web-browser.
Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox
web
JavaScript
MIDI
audio
WebAudio
Wulfcode - A Midi live-coding environment for performance or composition. (inactive)
macOS | Windows* | GNU/Linux*
FLOSS
audio
zeroone - Multi-instrumental, polyphonic, "DSLish" API for live coding music in C++.
macOS | Windows | GNU/Linux
FLOSS
audio
xi - A domain-specific language for Live Coding musical patterns in Ruby. (inactive)
Windows | macOS | GNU/Linux
Ruby
SuperCollider
FLOSS
audio
(Also in Alphabetical Order)
Eulerroom - Over 1000 performances to watch! Also archived on archive.org.
Algorave - Algorithmic dance culture - Alex McLean.
ComputerMusic(now) - Andrew Sorensen.
Hacking Choreography - A live coded dance performance.
ICLC YouTube Channel - International Conference on Live Coding.
Programming as Performance - Sam Aaron.
Programming in Time - Live Coding for creative performances - Andrew Sorensen.
SuperCollider Tutorials - A video series by Eli Fieldsteel.
THIS is computer music - Ge Wang.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
To the extent possible under law, Mauro Lizaur has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this work.