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https://github.com/totalgee/bacalao

Somewhat fishy live cod(e) extensions to SuperCollider.
https://github.com/totalgee/bacalao

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Somewhat fishy live cod(e) extensions to SuperCollider.

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# Bacalao

Somewhat fishy live cod(e) extensions to SuperCollider.



![Image of Atlantic cod (Bacalao in Spanish)](HelpSource/Classes/BacalaoLogo.png?raw=true)

([ref](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atlantic_cod.jpg))



## What is it?

Bacalao is a live coding "domain specific language". You can use

Bacalao's shortened notation to quickly experiment with Node- and

especially Pattern-proxies (which it uses under the covers).



Bacalao was inspired by [TidalCycles](https://tidalcycles.org/), and

adopts a similar syntax for certain things, such as its phrase

definitions.  Similarly to Tidal, Bacalao allows patterns/phrases

(including timing) to be described in a compact notation.  It likewise

supports sub-phrases with repeats and holds (adjustments of note or

sub-phrase relative duration).  Unlike Tidal, it does not depend on

Haskell or any other language. It is coded entirely in SuperCollider

(sclang), building on top of **Event** patterns, **NodeProxy**

and **PatternProxy**. It (optionally) uses the wonderful

[VSTPlugin](https://git.iem.at/pd/vstplugin) extension to play VST

instruments natively inside SuperCollider, allowing their output

to be processed by SC server effects. It can also use the

[ChordSymbol](https://github.com/triss/ChordSymbol) Quark (if

installed) to allow chord notation in note patterns.



## Getting started

To install Bacalao as a Quark in SuperCollider (tested with

versions 3.10.2 and later), run the following line:



```supercollider

Quarks.install("https://github.com/totalgee/bacalao");

```



The **Bacalao** class documention is not up to date. To get started,

it's better to go through the [Bacalao_examples](Bacalao_examples.scd)

file, reading the comments and executing the code line by line. Even

there, however, not everything is documented yet.



There is also a cheatsheet ([part 1](Bacalao_cheatsheet_1.pdf),

[part 2](Bacalao_cheatsheet_2.pdf)).



There are a series of unit tests that should run successfully, so if

you're brave you can also look in those files for ideas or inspiration.



## Issues

Be warned that this is primarily Glen's live coding language and

playground, so it will evolve and change according to his whims, but

it may still be interesting or useful to others. It makes no promises

to be backward (or forward, or sideways) compatible. It's a set of

tools for making music on the fly, so -- swim free, live in the moment,

and let old code... be old code.



## Etymology

Bacalao (the Spanish word for

[cod](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_cod)), is simply

the words "live code" written using one-third of the letters (or, even

better: it's "live coding" compressed by nearly 75%)...and then

translated into Spanish to make it sound exotic (and salty!).  In the

translation process, unfortunately, it loses nearly all of those letter

savings. (This may or may not be a metaphor for the gains and

losses you experience using the language itself...) *Bacalao*

also uses two-thirds of the letters of *Barcelona*, which is where

it was spawned and hatched.



Bacalao (or Bakalao, Vacalao, or one of numerous other spellings) also

refers to a repetitive, aggressive

[electronic music style](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakalao) that

emerged "Made in Spain" in the mid-1980s, but trust me, that is

purely coincidental...  It is *also* coincidental (or is it?) that the

Atlantic cod population was nearly wiped out around the same time

Bakalao music was reaching its prime. Fortunately, the *fish* (at

least) seem to be making a comeback...let's leave it at that.