The server: scsynth

An installation of Supercollider comes with three main components:

• scide ─ the user frontend
• sclang ─ the language interpreter
• scsynth ─ the server that acts as synthesizer, i.e. is responsible to produce sound.

In this section we focus on the role of scsynth.¹

scsynth is a standalone program and is responsible for signal processing and sound production via a soundcard. It is usually launched from scide ─ but can be launched manually, too ─ and listens for incoming commands over the network from clients, such as scide. Because it serves the clients, scsynth is considered to be a server in computer jargon.

The commands allow a client to

• instantiate particular generators and processors of signals (called UGens)
• route the in- and output signals of those Ugens through busses

All that happens inside the process scsynth.

to be continued...