Dr. Richard Boulanger: Boulanger Labs: Writing Apps and Building Hardware Synths with Csound Inside

Csound 30 Conference, 25-27 November 2016, Maynooth University. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Csound, I have been reflecting on Blue's own 15 year history and all that has developed within the two programs. In this paper, I would like to revisit the history of Csound from my perspective as the developer of Blue. I will discuss key developments in Csound and their impacts upon Csound use and practice. I will also look at how these developments influenced my own approach to designing Blue and how my views have evolved over time. Finally, I will look at new features planned for Csound 7 and what they mean for future Blue development. Born out of a number of courses in the Electronic Production and Design Department at The Berklee College of Music, Dr. Richard Boulanger, President and CEO of Boulanger Labs, will discuss how his collaborations with undergraduate students at the college have led to the development of a number of successful iPad apps which have leveraged for them amazing and hi-profile jobs at Apple, Vimeo, and Izotope (to name a few), research appointments at Georgia Tech and Stanford, and to the spin-off of a commercially-successful EuroRack-based, internationally distributed, modular synthesizer company - Qu-Bit. For me, music is a medium through which the inner spiritual essence of all things is revealed and shared. Compositionally, I am interested in extending the voice of the traditional performer through technological means to produce a music that connects with the past, lives in the present and speaks to the future. Educationally, I am interested in helping students see technology as the most powerful instrument for the exploration, discovery, and realization of their essential musical nature—their inner voice.