How to Produce a Sound-File with Csound

Csound is a free software synthesis program which creates sound files from 2 text files, a .sco and an .orc file. This will tell you the very basics of how to download the program, run it and create a wave file, which can save you a lot of downloading time.

1. Download the Csound program for Windows or for Macintosh as a zip file from this site: http://sourceforge.net/projects/csound/. If you have a PC choose the Windows GUI version. If you have a Mac choose your platform.

2. Unzip the file.

3. Locate unzipped files and click on the Csound program. A window should come up that says “Csound Arguments” at the top.

4. Csound can use either a .sco and an .orc file, or just a .csd file (actually two files in one). Click on the “...” button to the left of “Orchestra file” near the top of the window. Locate a Csound .orc file or locate a .csd file. These can be downloaded in the download section of this site, if you do not have any on your computer. Choose an .orc or .csd file with a sample rate of 44.1kHz unless your sound card can support DVD-Audio.

5. If an .orc file was chosen in step 4, click on the “...” button to the left of “Score file” near the top of the window. Locate a .sco file which matches the .orc file selected in step 4 (files are always made in pairs in Csound). Usually these files should have the same name (i.e. “Golden Ratio I [44.1kHz].orc” and “Golden Ratio I.sco”). If .csd format is used one can skip this step.

6. Click on the “...” button to the left of “Output file”. This is the file to be produced, name it how you would like and choose where to save it (click “open” after typing a name in the field).

7. Press the play button at the bottom. Wait a few moments while Csound renders the wave file.

8. Listen to file.

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