new, there is no experience yet, how users will accept it. It is reasonable to assume the following use cases:

Computer scientists

will use the underlying programming framework for specifying mappings between the visual language and a new target language. It simplifies the development for new mappings, such as OpenMusic to Java, OpenMusic to Perl, etc.

Humdrum users

will use the shell mapping component either implicitely by using the evaluation and configuration possibilities of a patch as a frontend for calls to Humdrum commands, or explicitely by modeling complex shell scripts in terms of sets of patches.

Rubato users

will implicitely use the FScript mappings to model functions for Rubato hooks.

OpenMusic users

will use the functionality of the other packages wrapped by other users into OpenMusic functions.

Since some of the Humdrum and Rubato users will become OpenMusic users, there will be people, who have the know how to do this wrapping. This way these users will also advertise the tools of the other software packages. A joined user community will result, which might stimulate efficiency and creativity and open new research fields.

6 Conclusion

Programming in computer-based music research typically cannot be delegated to professional software developers, either because of lack of funding, or because it is simpler to program by oneself instead of teaching the programmer the application field (music). So both basic programming skills and the knowledge of existing software tools are important conditions for efficient and creative activities in the field of computer-based music research.

While knowledge of existing software is fundamental for efficiency and also stimulating for creativity, the reuse of existing tools often requires too many programming skills. With a visual programming language, OpenMusic has proven to be usable by musicians. The proposed extension of OpenMusic as a frontend for functionality available in other software packages does not require much new expertise for existing OpenMusic users. For other users, learning the visual language is interesting, because there is not only a visual software integration platform, that shields the user from textual programming language details like syntax, but also a set of interesting »built-in« music components that he or she gets for free.

The integrated use of the software packages can best be achieved by integrating the user communities. When discussing different tasks in mailing lists, users from one community can come up with a quick and elegant solution for tasks that are very difficult to handle in another environment. So users can wrap up some functionality and explain to other users, how they can adopt it.