Improvements in bach 0.8.1, a User's Perspective

This paper discusses recent uses of bach automated com-poser's helper), a Max library for algorithmic composition. In the context of the author's own works, audiovisual musical scores are (pre)-composed in bach (bach.score). In performance , the scores are sent to performers and synchro-nised to a shared common clock, in local networked music performances (npm), with the help of the SmartVox score distribution system. The 0.8.1 version of bach presents two major improvements which will articulate the structure of this article: on the lower level, bach now exposes an expr-like small language (bell: bach evaluation language for lllls), which greatly simplifies algorithmic processes in Max. The case study of an algorithm for automatic cue-ing system for singers will be given as exemple. On the higher level, bach.roll now supports dynamics, thus revealing promising user-friendly playback possibilities, exemplified here with Ableton and the ConTimbre library.