Computer Music Tutorial
Computer Music Tutorial by Curtis Roadsby Curtis Roads
Tied for most recommended of 4 music theory books
Recommended as the best general reference on computer music and a good source for academic and serious composers.
Recommended as the best general reference on computer music and a good source for academic and serious composers.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Best general reference on computer music
“The Computer Music Tutorial is a great book and the best geberal reference”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “Ask HN: How to get started in electronic music” Good for academic and serious composers
“is a good source for the academic/research institutions/serious composers part of the picture”
Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “How to Synthesize a House Loop” Available from local libraries
“get a copy of Curtis Roads' Computer Music Tutorial from the local library”
Comment from 22 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Teach your kids absolute (perfect) pitch”
Other music theory books people recommend
The three most recommended other music theory books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Music Tutorialby Curtis RoadsThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| Introduction to Computer Musicby Nick Collins | 5 | 1 | 83% | 1 | — | — |
| Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scaleby William Sethares | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom | 3 | 5 | 38% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“get a copy of Curtis Roads' Computer Music Tutorial from the local library”
“The Computer Music Tutorial is a great book and the best geberal reference”
“I'm not sure I'd recommend this or Curtis Roads' book as a starting point.”
“is a good source for the academic/research institutions/serious composers part of the picture”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.