About CS 312 Audio Programming Winter 2020

Students will learn the basics of MIDI and Digital Audio programming using C++. In the MIDI portion of the course, you’ll learn to record, play, and transform MIDI data. During the Digital Audio portion of the course, you’ll learn the basics of audio synthesis: oscillators, envelopes, filters, amplifiers, and FFT analysis. Weekly homework assignments, two quizzes, and two independent projects.
Prerequisite: Computer Science 201 or instructor permission
6 credits; FSR; Offered Winter 2020; J. Ellinger

JE Personal Home Page

• Senior Lecturer in Music, retired in 2014 after 37 years teaching in the Carleton Music Department.
• Introduced the music technology courses into the Carleton curriculum.
• First computer, 1986 MacPlus when it was one week old.
• First program written, 1986 six months later in Pascal.
  All early Mac developer documentation and programming API's were in Pascal.
  It composed, played, displayed music notation, and printed simple guitar finger picking songs.
• Founded and ran MiBAC Music Software, Inc. from 1987-2012.
• Wrote six MiBAC commercial music education software programs.
  Three for Mac and the same three over again for Windows (2 Pascal, 4 C++).
  
• Carleton men's golf coach 1990-2001.
• Built a modular synthesizer from scratch. More info about that on my personal page.
  

I do not text.
I do read and respond to email.

• email: jellinge@carleton.edu
• Office: Laird 15A
• Office hours:
  MW 3:30-4:30 (after class)
  F 1:00-2:00 (before class)
  By email.
• Phone: x4591

Bjarne Stroustrup: A Tour of C++ Second Edition
TCPP2 as it will now be called is a modern overview of the C++ language written for an experienced programmer. It would not be the ideal choice for a beginning programming class but the information in it will be used in almost every homework assignment. The course will introduce concepts gradually. Between the course web pages, TCCP2, and the C++ reference pages and examples found on the internet you'll have a good foundation in C++ programming by week 10.

I've been writing music related software for over thirty years. In my experience I believe the most important tools to master in writing software, irrespective of the language you're using are:

• Familiarity with the command line and knowledge of the many Terminal commands available.
• Choosing a good programming editor and knowing the tips and tricks to get the most out of it.
  I've chosen Visual Studio Code (vsCode) for the class. It's the best C++ editor I've ever used.
• Finding a good diff program to compare code files with similar contents and see/edit the differences.
  My personal choice has been BBEdit since version 1. Version 12 is installed in the lab.
• Using a version control system (Git) to save your work to a remote location (Bitbucket/Github).
  It gives you the ability to experiment and revert code changes if things don't work out.
• Developing skills with a debugger that lets you step through the code line by line while the program is running and observe changes to variables. I could never have developed "bug free" commercial software without one. In larger applications it's not unusual to spend as much or more time in the debugger as in the editor.

Secondary to these but still very important are

• Understanding and using regular expressions for text manipulation
• Knowing how to install and use third party libraries from the web
• Knowledge of your language libraries (C++ for this class)
• Knowledge of underlying Operating System API's (MacOS for this class)
• Knowing where to look for help on the web. It should be obvious that Google is your friend.

I've written the course as a series of 27 web pages, one web page for each class. Each web page contains reading material to help you understand the C++ and audio concepts that supports the homework. I've developed the course to cover all of these topics. Initially I was planning to use git with either Github or Bitbucket as your class code repository but that changed recently when I decided to rely on the courses folder.

Even though the class will be taught in WCC 138 lab, I'd encourage you do your homework in the CMC labs, rooms 304 and 306. There are critical differences the way the WCC and CMC labs are setup. With help from Mike Tie and his two student workers, Justin Washington and Danny Maya, I've tried to come up with a system the will make the process seamless in either lab. It depends on you following the naming conventions exactly as described on the web pages. You'll be using your CS312 courses folder for all labs and homework.

WCC

1. You don't have a home folder under your account name.
2. There is a single user account named labuser.
3. Be sure to mount your CS312 courses folder and do your work there.
4. Work you do on the local hard drive in WCC will be erased when you logout.

CMC

1. Setup as central server network with multiple users. Each user is given their own account and home folder.
2. The CMC computers are similar to a real world company environment.
3. I initially designed the course assuming each student would have their own home folder. Because of the class size the class ended up in WCC and that required workarounds.
4. You'll have to setup your own account in CMC with the same environment script files that were done for you in WCC. That process is part of the homework in the first two classes.

Golden Rule for Backups
The strategy most often recommended for personal computer backups is to have all your important files in three places:

• The hard drive on your local laptop or desktop.
• An external hard drive, local network computer, or other storage device.
• A remote offsite location.

The CS312 courses folder is backed up several times a day so you're pretty safe there. You can never be overzealous about backups. Backup often and save work to a thumb drive,external SSD, or another computer just in case.

If you have created an account on Github or Bitbucket that is an ideal site for remote backups.

Avoid using Google Drive
We'll be working with dotfiles, filenames that begin with a period. Dotfiles are normally invisible on the Mac but there are ways to see them (On a mac type Cmd-Shift-Period). Google drive converts the initial period to an underscore. I found this out when testing some startup files in CMC and wondered why my account would no longer boot. I needed Mike Tie, with his system administrator privileges, to help discover the error and get my account working again. You might be able to work around that if you compress your dotfiles in a zip file before copying to Google Drive.

• Homework is almost exclusively writing and compiling c++ code.
  
• Programming will be done in pairs, no exceptions.
  
• Homework is sequential and future homework often depends on completion of past homework.
  
• It will be easy to get behind and will be difficult to catch up.
  
• The homework for each assignment is due no later than one week after it is assigned. The homework for week3_2 (Third week Wednesday) is due at the beginning of class week4_2 (Fourth week Wednesday).
  
• You are encouraged to turn in your homework as soon as possible and continue on with the next section. If you wait a week to complete an assignment, the next one will be due two days later. It will pile up.
• You can ask me questions about any current homework during the class labs.
• Homework programs that I am unable to compile will receive a grade of 65. I have the same setup that you have in the labs. Check to make sure your homework compiles before turning it in. A good plan is to copy the files for each homework assignment a new folder and compile from that folder as a check before submitting them. It's a good test that no files are missing. If it compiles for you it should compile for me.
• Partially solved homework that compiles will be accepted and graded.

I've developed a class, homework, and file naming system that must be followed exactly.

$HOME312
$HOME32 refers to your /StuWork folder in your CS312 courses folder.
The file path to your $HOME312 folder will be the same in both WCC and CMC labs.

In WCC
The environment variable $HOME312 has already been setup for labuser.

In CMC
You'll need to setup the environment variable $HOME312.
It's explained in the homework for class 1.1

Folders inside $HOME312

bin

where you'll keep executable commands and scripts written during the course.

common

where you'll keep code you've written that will be used in multiple assignments.

cs312

the main folder where every class lab and howework assignment will be kept.

File/Folder names All class labs and homework use Terminal commands to create and name your homework folders and source code files for you. The setup scripts use the $HOME312 variable. This should allow portability between the two labs. We'll find out soon.

Your homework must follow these naming conventions or you'll be inviting headaches.
Future homework often references and builds on past homework. If your folder or file names don't match, the web page scripts won't work and you'll spend unnecessary time tracking down problems.

The tree diagram below shows what your cs312 folder could look like by the end of the term.

# This is the path to your cs312 folder in your CS312 courses folder on a Mac
/Volumes/COURSES/cs312-00-w20/StuWork/<your_email_name>/cs312
├── bin
├── common
│   ├── RtMidi
│   ├── libsndfile
│   ├── RtAudio
│   └── qcustomplot
│   └── ...
├── hw11
│ │── class11
│ │   ├── ex1_hello.cpp
│ │   ├── ex2_putto.cpp
│ │   ├── ex3_numberbase.cpp
│ │   ├── ex4_print_overload.cpp
│ │   ├── ex5_arithmetic_types.cpp
│ │   └── ex6_struct_test.cpp
│ ├── hw111_boilerplate.cpp
│ ├── hw112_helloMidi.cpp
├── hw12
│ ├── hw121_charOutput.cpp
│ ├── hw122_charOutputTemplate.cpp
│ ├── hw123_charLoop.cpp
│ ├── hw124_asciiTool.cpp
│ ├── hw125_printMajorScale.cpp
├── hw13 ...
├── hw21 ...
├── hw22 ...
├── hw23 ...
├── hw31 ...
├── hw32 ...
├── hw32 ...
├── hw321_CMidiPacketFriends
  │   ├── CMakeLists.txt
  │   ├── hw321_CMP32friends.cpp
  │   ├── hw321_CMidiPacket.cpp
  │   └── hw321_CMidiPacket.h
  ├── hw322_CMP32gtest
  │   ├── CMakeLists.txt
  │   ├── CMakeLists_gtest.txt
  │   ├── CMakeLists_normal.txt
  │   ├── hw322_CMP32gtest.cpp
  │   ├── hw322_CMidiPacket.cpp
  │   ├── hw322_CMidiPacket.h
  │   ├── hw322_gtests.cpp
  │   └── hw322_gtests_zero.cpp
  └── hw323_inputOperatorDebug
    ├── hw322_CMidiPacket.cpp
    ├── hw322_CMidiPacket.h
    └── hw323_inputOperatorDebug.cpp
...

├── hw83 ...
├── hw91 ...
├── hw92 ...

LET ME REPEAT
You MUST follow this naming convention.

Notes:

bin

This folder holds executable scripts that you've created.
These scripts can be executed by name in Terminal.

common

This folder holds third party libraries and files you write that are used in multiple homework assignments.
They are kept in one folder rather than copying the same file multiple times to different homework folders.

c11

Class and lab examples are named c<week><session> or class<week><session>.
Class folders are used for work that is started in class and is preliminary to the homework.
You do not have to turn in this work but you should do it.

hw11

The homework folders are named hw<week><session>.
All homework assignments are meant to be turned in.

hw112_helloMidi.cpp

hw112_ week 1, session 1 (Monday), assignment 2.
Every homework code file will be prefixed hw<week><session><assignment>_

hw32/hw322_CMP32gtest

Week 3, session 2 (Wednesday), assignment 2.
This homework assignment contains multiple files that are kept in a folder inside the hw32/hw322_CMP32gtest folder.

If you miss a class for whatever reason, the class web site contains the information you missed.

The two quizzes will each cover material from that portion of the course. Quizzes will be closed book with no computer access. You will be allowed to bring one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper with HAND WRITTEN notes on both sides that you can refer to during the quiz.

Midterm pair programming projects will be presented in Class 7.1. Class voting will determine the"Best CS312 MIDI Song" award. More information as we get closer to week 7.

The final pair programming project deals with MIDI and/or Audio. It can be based on class topics or topics you're interested in that were not covered in class. You choose the project and show off what you've learned. Make it interesting. Final project presentations will take place during the final exam time. More information later.

Students helping students answer questions about development tools, keyboard shortcuts, applications, compile commands, useful websites, C++ language/library concepts and programming strategies, etc. are fine. Sharing your original code with with anyone other than your pair partner is a breach of Academic Integrity.

Please read the Academic Integrity at Carleton web page carefully. I have referred cases to the Associate Dean in the past. It was unpleasant for everyone involved.

CS 312 homework MUST be submitted to the course Hand-in folder

The deadline for each homework assignment is the the end of class one week later.
Homework 43 <Week4><Friday> is due by the end of class 5.3 <Week5><Friday>.

CS 312 homework MUST done on the Mac

All software needed for CS312 is installed in WCC and CMC Room 304 and 306 labs.
It is possible to install the software on a Mac 10.14 (Mojave) laptop.
If enough students are interested we can schedule a non class group meeting time and I'll help you do it.

CS 312 homework must be written using the VS code text editor unless otherwise stated in the assignment.

VS Code is the best C++ editor text editor I have used. I used Atom in the 2016 class but VS Code is better for C++. It has been configured to format your code automatically. I've chosen the format style to make my job of reading/grading your homework easier because all homework will conform to the same format. You're free to change the theme.

CS 312 header and source files MUST contain a boilerplate header following this template

/***************************************************************
hw111_boilerplate.cpp
Copyright (c) Carleton College CS312 free open source
Assignment: hw111_boilerplate
Man Super sman@carleton.edu
Woman Wonder wwoman@carleton.edu
DATE: 2019-12-15
TIME: 14:46:25
****************************************************************/

CS 312 homework MUST compile before turning in

Programs that do not compile will receive a grade of 59.
It's better to turn in a partial solution that compiles than try to explain "Here's what I wanted to do but I couldn't get it to work."
A good plan is to copy the files for each homework assignment to a new folder and compile from that folder as a check before submitting it. It's a good test that no files are missing, especially if your code uses files from the common folder. You may have to include your common folder and change pathnames in CMakeLists.txt to get it to compile from that folder. If it compiles for you in a single folder it should compile for me.

Do not include intermediate build files, compile output executables, or version control files/folders

I will compile your code from the folder you turn in for the assignment.
Including unused junk wastes space. Never include these folders if present in the folder you submit.
build
build-debug
.git
.vscode

C++ source code file extensions are .h and .cpp

.h for the interface or header file
.cpp for the implementation or source file

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