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Show HN: ÆTHRA – Writing Music as Code

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Hi HN

I’m building ÆTHRA — a programming language designed specifically for composing music and emotional soundscapes.

Instead of focusing on general-purpose programming, ÆTHRA is a pure DSL where code directly represents musical intent: tempo, mood, chords, progression, dynamics, and instruments.

The goal is to make music composition feel closer to writing a story or emotion, rather than manipulating low-level audio APIs.

Key ideas: - Text-based music composition - Chords and progressions as first-class concepts - Time, tempo, and structure handled by the language - Designed for ambient, cinematic, emotional, and minimal music - Interpreter written in C# (.NET)

Example ÆTHRA code (simplified):

tempo 60 instrument guitar

chord Am for 4 chord F for 4 chord C for 4 chord G for 4

This generates a slow, melancholic progression suitable for ambient or cinematic scenes.

ÆTHRA currently: - Generates WAV audio - Supports notes, chords, tempo, duration, velocity - Uses a simple interpreter (no external DAWs or MIDI tools) - Is intentionally minimal and readable

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