Aura


Aura, a computer music software, is designed as a flexible work environment useful for the development of virtual synthesizers. Aura is the direct heir of W.

Background history – In the mid-nineties, Roger Dannenberg has developed W, a software that makes a very close relationship with Aura, so that it can be considered as a new version of W. Of the latter, Aura retaining all the main features along with some useful modifications to its improvement.

Features – Aura was developed with the intention of creating a software equipped with the best features available at that time, and characterized as a flexible work environment that simplifies the creation of virtual synthesizers. For this reason, particular attention has been paid to its portability.[1]

The Sound Object – In Aura environment, each object has its own features when connected to other objects. Each object dedicated to the processing of sounds, is called Sound Object. Being a variant of W, also, Aura is able to handle messages coming directly from its predecessor. Aura has been integrated with a library of pre-made objects such as oscillators, filters, envelope generators and many other modules. User, then, is left the possibility of creating new objects to be programmed in C++.

Conclusions – One of the most important Aura applications is inside the SICIB, an interactive system for music composition based on sensory registration of body movements.

 

For this topic I’ve read:

[1] Roger Dannenberg, Eli Brant, A Flexible Real-Time Software Synthesis System, Proceedings of International Computer Music Conference, Hong Kong, 1996.

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