Generative Programming Series

Python Programming for Musicians and Audio Engineers

Generative Programming Series for Complete Beginners with Barrios AI @barrios_ai and Jonathan Barrios @ai_data_science

In this series, we'll walk through installing Anaconda, setting up a Python environment, and starting to build exciting projects using Python, such as music applications, websites, or even games.

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What is Anaconda?

Anaconda is a Python distribution that comes with Conda, a powerful package manager that helps you create isolated environments for your projects. This keeps each project’s dependencies separate and organized, reducing the chance of conflicts between different packages.

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Step-by-step Guide to Install Anaconda

1. Visit the Anaconda Website.
2. Download the version that matches your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux).
3. Follow the installation steps provided for your operating system.

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Verify Installation

Make sure that Anaconda is installed correctly:

For macOS/Linux users:

1. Open a terminal and type:

   conda --version

For Windows users:

1. Open Anaconda Navigator:
   • Go to the Start menu and type "Anaconda Navigator" in the search bar.
   • Click to open Anaconda Navigator.
2. Once open, verify by typing the following command in the terminal:

   conda --version

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Creating and Activating a Conda Environment

Let’s now create a new Conda environment to work with Python.

1. Open a terminal and type the following command to create an environment named mymusicenv with Python 3.12:

   conda create --name mymusicenv python=3.12

2. After creating the environment, activate it by typing:

   conda activate mymusicenv

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How to Select the Conda Environment in Cursor

Cursor is an IDE designed for AI-enhanced development, and you can easily use your Conda environment within it:

1. Open Cursor and navigate to the terminal inside the IDE.

2. Type the following to activate the Conda environment within Cursor:

   conda activate mymusicenv

3. Alternatively, you can configure the environment directly in the IDE settings under the "Python Interpreter" or "Environment" section, allowing you to select mymusicenv as the interpreter for your project.

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Write Your First Python Program

With the environment set up, it's time to write your first Python program. In the terminal, type:

python

Then, in the Python shell, type:

print("Hello, generative programming!")

This will output the text: Hello, generative programming!.

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What You Can Build

With Python, your projects can range across various domains:

1. Music Applications: Analyze, generate, and manipulate audio files.
2. Websites: Build and deploy your music-sharing platforms with Python web frameworks.
3. Games: Start building fun games like Flappy Bird using Python libraries such as Pygame.

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Next Steps:

In the upcoming episodes, we will dive deeper into building Python projects focused on music and deep learning for audio.

Stay tuned for tutorials on creating music apps, training neural networks for audio classification, and audio generation in our Generative Programming Series!