Opusmodus
Composing Continuum
We are excited to offer
a 30% discount throughout October
Take a look at some of the features
Opusmodus introduces a unique scripting language for musical events called OMN (Opusmodus Notation), which integrates closely with traditional musical notation. This scripting language allows for detailed control and organization of musical elements such as pitch, duration, dynamics, and articulation, making it easier to transcribe and transform musical ideas.
Our system provides a suite of advanced tools and functions that enable you to experiment with a range of musical concepts. These include algorithms for generating melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and textures, as well as support for microtonality and algorithmic composition. These tools encourage exploration and experimentation, leading to new outcomes.
Opusmodus includes analytical tools that help you understand and deconstruct music compositions. This can be particularly useful for studying existing works and incorporating their techniques into your own compositions. By analyzing pitch class sets, twelve-tone matrices, and other compositional elements, you can gain insights into the structure and organization of music.
The workspace serves as an educational tool, enhancing your understanding of music theory, composition techniques, and the properties of sound. The tutorial guide provides step-by-step instructions and examples, making complex concepts more accessible.
Opusmodus seamlessly integrates with music notation software and MIDI performance, enabling real-time feedback and simulation of how written music will sound. This immediate feedback loop is crucial for refining compositions and ensuring they align with your artistic intentions.
Opusmodus includes extensive libraries of chords and scales, which can be used to explore harmonic and melodic possibilities. These resources, combined with the system’s powerful pattern generation capabilities, can help you discover new chord progressions and scale modes, expanding your harmonic vocabulary.
The platform is highly customisable, allowing you to tailor the environment to your workflow. You can define your own functions and develop personalised libraries of material that can be reused in different compositions. Our users have utilized Opusmodus to control JavaScript animations, work with Supercollider, Python, TouchDesigner, Max 4 Live, PureData and more. There are really no limits.
In summary, with Opusmodus's extensive features and the support of its community, you can significantly broaden your musical knowledge and experiment with a wide range of compositional techniques. This, in turn, facilitates the development of your unique voice as both a composer and musician.
Opusmodus GPT
We are excited to announce the launch of Opusmodus GPT, a customised version of ChatGPT tailored specifically for the Opusmodus community. Opusmodus GPT incorporates the entire Opusmodus documentation along with comprehensive usage examples. The Opusmodus GPT is accessible in the standard (Free) ChatGPT.
How-to in 100sec
I've never liked drawing automation curves, luckily, with Opusmodus, we don't have to. This video shows you how to create accurate automation shapes and apply them to any parameter you want.
Starting with a graph is a great way to come up with new musical ideas. This video will show you how to modulate a sine-wave and map the result to a sequence of pitches.
Being able to visualize a code-snippet can go a long way in understanding how a function works. This video shows you how to create multiple graphs and apply them in a musical way.
It's easy to get stuck with the same old drum patterns, not with Opusmodus though. This video shows you how to use the polygon-rhythm function to create interesting and new patterns.
Writing for four voices traditionally takes a lot of practice and patience, as it should be. Still, it's great to get a little bit of help sometimes. In this video I show you how to use the CHORALIS function to experiment with voice leading in a very straightforward way.
The power of Parametric Composition lies in the ability to separate individual aspects of your compositions. This video will show you how to experiment with different velocities before mapping them again to a row of pitches.
The First Steps in Opusmodus
This course is designed to introduce you to the essential tools and features you need to get started with Opusmodus, the powerful computer-aided composition software. In this series, we focus on the core functions that every user must know, covering the basics of creating lengths, pitches, dynamics and tonalities. Through practical examples and clear explanations, you'll quickly gain a solid foundation to start creating your own compositions.
OMN The Language
Anyone can code
OMN is designed as a scripting language for musical events. It’s not about sounds themselves, it is about their control and organisation in a musical composition. As a linear script rather than a graphic stave, musical events can be transformed, extended, reorganised by powerful computer algorithms.
I. Strawinsky, Petruschka, 1911/21
W. A. Mozart, Variation KV 265
A. Webern, Sechs Bagatellen für Streichquartett, op. 9, III, 1913
J. S. Bach, Goldberg-Variationen, Aria, 1741
Chord Progression
The DIATONIC-CHORD function generates chord sequences based on diatonic chord symbols relative to a specified key. It allows for flexible chord progression creation in both major and minor keys by interpreting chord degrees (e.g., I, ii, V7) within the context of the given key signature.
Microtonality
Microtonal music continues to be a fertile ground for innovation, offering composers and musicians the opportunity to explore sounds beyond the traditional Western musical framework.
Luigi Nono, Fragmente-Stille, An Diotima, Violin 1 (fragement, 1979-1980)
Counterpoint
In Opusmodus the COUNTERPOINT function designates patterns to a number of voices with defined methods for each voice.
Bruno Maderna - Serenata Per un Satellite (1969)
Bruno Maderna, Serenata Per un Satellite (1969)
Tonnetz
In musical tuning and harmony, the Tonnetz (German: tone-network) is a conceptual lattice diagram representing tonal space (net) first described by Leonhard Euler in 1739. Various visual representations of the Tonnetz can be used to show traditional harmonic relationships in European classical music. In Opusmodus there are 12 Tonnetz structures labelled by a number and by an intervallic content of the composite chord.
Tonnetz space 11
Micropolyphony
Micropolyphony is a polyphonic musical texture developed by György Ligeti which consists of many lines of dense canons moving at different tempos or rhythms, thus resulting in tone clusters vertically. According to David Cope, "micropolyphony resembles cluster chords, but differs in its use of moving rather than static lines"; it is "a simultaneity of different lines, rhythms, and timbres".
Micropolyphony example for two choirs
Made in Opusmodus
Electronic - Vector Scaling Demo Composition.
Techno - Melodic Techno Demo Composition.
Jazz - DADA Quartet, An Opusmodus improvisation with Tenor Sax, Piano, Contrabass and Drums.
Electronic - Conversion of OMN notation to SuperCollider parameters and values utilizing the Opusmodus system.
Orchestra - Now for Orchestra by Brian Cope is an autobiographical piece which explores intuitive vs formalist approaches to composition, including algorithmic and computer-assisted compositional techniques.
Ensemble - Parataxis for Ensemble by Robert Scott Thompson. This is a live recording from the premiere at the Trieste Prima Festival and is by Ensemble MD7 conducted by Steven Loy.
Orchestra - Surabaya pour Orchestre Part I by Stéphane Boussuge.
Ensemble - Machine Behaviour für Algorithmen und 6 Instrumente by André Meier.
Piano - Quantization. Composition by Yuichi Yamamoto.
Electronic - A short demo of VCVRack driven in Live Coding by Opusmodus.
Piano - Construction Layers by Ivan Elezovic is a product of algorithmic research and exploration of various procedures in a realm of compositional approaches of the piece.
Experimental - map/territory (2023) - evaluation II for 4 instruments and electronics by André Meier.
Opusmodus Books
Study and Practice in Composition with Opusmodus
Julio Herrlein
This is the second volume in the series of publications specifically dedicated to composing and analyzing music using the Opusmodus system. The primary purpose of this book is to provide a narrative of the compositional process in Opusmodus and demonstrate the interplay of functions in a typical daily workflow of practicing and studying composition.
ISBN 9791280270566
Fundamentals of composition with Opusmodus
Marco Giommoni – Janusz Podrazik
This is the first volume of a series of publications specifically dedicated to composition and analysis of music using the Opusmodus system. This volume focuses on the basic elements of the system and on the fundamental strategies in defining symbolic expressions in a text-code i.e. generation and transformation of musical material to create a score.
ISBN 9791280270078
Learn by Composing
Lessons
with Stéphane Boussuge
Opusmodus offers lessons to students and professionals interested in composing music with Opusmodus. We provide lessons for beginners and advanced users with or without programming knowledge, online or on site. The lessons are created to give you a greater understanding of the Opusmodus design and introduce you to the main features focusing on different composing approaches.
License
Not sure where to start? Try our trial version, which offers unrestricted access to all Opusmodus features for an entire month. Alternatively, you can opt for a full license and pay in instalments, with no additional charges. We are sure you will love it.
We are excited to offer a 30% discount throughout October
Opusmodus is currently the most advanced software for computer-assisted composition available. It comes with the highest development potential to fulfil the aesthetical and technical requirements for contemporary composers. At the University Mozarteum, Salzburg Opusmodus is already part of the compositional education and will be the preferred production environment in the future.
Univ. Prof. Achim Bornhoeft
Head of Studio for Electronic Music, Head of Institute for New Music
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