CDP Overview

The Composers' Desktop Project has been developing software for working with sound materials since 1986. Working on a cooperative basis and driven by their own compositional requirements, they have focused on precise, detailed and multi-faceted sound transformation tools.

After a period in which many different people contributed hardware and software for the early Atari ST system, the Project took a great leap forward when Trevor Wishart began to program his many sound transformation ideas in a concentrated fury of work lasting several years. The system as it stands is very much his creation, with support in low-level system matters from Martin Atkins and Richard Dobson, documentation from Archer Endrich, and graphics from Richard Dobson and Robert Fraser.

The Special Features item clarifies what we regard as the most important overall characteristics of the CDP Software. The Sound Transformation page indicates a number of the areas where this aspect of music-making is applied today. And the Our Approach section summarises the thinking/philosophy underlying our work.

Last updated: 9 September 2002