SOUL Language 1.0
Creative
audio programming language
SHOW HN2021
How HN took it
14 positive, 30 neutral or asking, 0 mixed, 11 critical, out of 55 comments about the project. Thread score +0.06.
Pricing: 1 for, 7 againstIdea: 4 for, 0 againstDocs: 1 for, 2 againstExecution: 2 for, 0 againstDesign: 0 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Seen as a potential standard for audio like OpenGL was for graphics
From 1 comment
IMHO SOUL is a game changer in audio just like OpenGL/Direct3D/etc. was a game changer in the graphics world. Think of all of the graphics technologies that were enabled by…
hogliux on HN
Embedding API and examples make it approachable
From 2 comments
Full support for wide streams (i.e. streams of overlapping windowed blocks, suitable for frequency-domain work) is still to-do (though we've planned for it all along!) We've…
julesrms on HNWell, that's just a press release page, but it does have a link to the examples: https://soul.dev/examples/ You can also browse the example code on the github:…
julesrms on HN
Objections
Licensing of closed-source parts and future monetisation feels risky
From 3 comments
been bit by another audio engine that had the same license and pulled a bait and switch. No thanks.
QuadDamaged on HNSadly, I’ve been bitten by this before, too, and even if I love the product, I stay away. It isn’t that I don’t trust you or your intentions now, it’s that intentions (and…
an_d_rew on HNGreat ideas, and a road paved with good intentions. A lot of people have been down this road before, and it doesn't end well for the users. At least your lawyers are happy.
justforyou on HN
EULA and closed JIT components are a dealbreaker for some
From 2 comments
Disclaimer: *I'm not your target audience*; I don't plan to use your product even if you made it public domain. I never want to agree to an EULA before starting to develop…
devenblake on HNThe JIT for a language must be licensed? I was totally onboard and super excited before I read this thread.
jdmoreira on HN
Playground site unusable on small screens
From 1 comment
‘ This site uses a code editor which is not suitable for small screens. Please view on desktop/tablet.’ I was curious to see some code, but I guess that has to wait.
Gys on HN
Requests
Matrix operations and SVD support
From 1 comment
Does it support matrix multiplication, matrix inversion, SVD, etc.? These are very important operations for array processing. I cant seem to find them in SOUL's documents.
thatsadude on HN
Open-source the closed JIT and rewriting components
From 1 comment
Joke answer: the bits that aren't in there. Real answer: Mainly the JIT engine, and the very complex rewriting algorithms that turn multi-threaded soul code into a form that can…
julesrms on HN
Clearer answers on licensing for open hardware
From 2 comments
Please answer the above questions.
justforyou on HNVery important questions, deserving of an answer.
naewonawonga on HN
OSC message support
From 1 comment
Interesting! I wonder if the patch format has support for OSC messages for external interactions - so far I only found MIDI support, but maybe I missed something...
tgirod on HN
Questions
Is it similar to Faust?
From 1 comment
Is SOUL similar to https://faust.grame.fr/ ? The marketing looks similar: "Faust (Functional Audio Stream) is a functional programming language for sound synthesis and audio…
emmanueloga_ on HN
Why a new language instead of Python or Lua?
From 1 comment
I'm definitely not the target audience for this, but I can't help wonder: Why introduce a new turing-complete language, instead of building on top of an existing language…
anticristi on HN
Support for STFT and wide streams
From 1 comment
I tried out SOUL back when it was first unveiled and I have some questions for the 1.0 release: - Is time/frequency analysis and its analogs a first class citizen? (STFT,…
hctaw on HN
Can it be used for live coding like Pure Data?
From 1 comment
A few questions which spring to mind: * Can I use SOUL to create freestanding interactive performance environments a la Pure Data? * What prospects are there for beefing up…
rectang on HN
Alternatives named
Faust
From 2 comments
Is SOUL similar to https://faust.grame.fr/ ? The marketing looks similar: "Faust (Functional Audio Stream) is a functional programming language for sound synthesis and audio…
emmanueloga_ on HNSome comments on Faust and SOUL: - you can compile Faust code to SOUL, and export it (as the .soul and .soulpatch files) from the Faust Web IDE https://faustide.grame.fr/ (or…
sletz on HN
Vult
From 1 comment
Cool! For those interested in audio-specific languages, I've had some success with Vult, a transpiled language which runs everywhere, compiles to Pure Data and runs on the…
Mizza on HN
JUCE
From 1 comment
Sadly, I’ve been bitten by this before, too, and even if I love the product, I stay away. It isn’t that I don’t trust you or your intentions now, it’s that intentions (and…
an_d_rew on HN