Orca is a livecoding language and virtual machine.

Orca is a two-dimensional esoteric programming language in which every letter of the alphabet is an operator, where lowercase letters operate on bang, uppercase letters operate each frame.

If you wish to learn how to use Orca, watch a tutorial or ask your questions in the forum, chatroom or mailing list.

Playground

This little playground allows you to try some of the examples below. It will not play sounds, or send signals out, but it's an excellent place to try Orca for the first time. Use ctrl , to speed up, ctrl . to speed down, ctrl h to toggle the guide, and ctrl arrows to drag the content of the selection.

The Orca operations Manual

The base operators are present in every version of Orca, no matter the platform:

• A add(a b): Outputs sum of inputs.
• B subtract(a b): Outputs difference of inputs.
• C clock(rate mod): Outputs modulo of frame.
• D delay(rate mod): Bangs on modulo of frame.
• E east: Moves eastward, or bangs.
• F if(a b): Bangs if inputs are equal.
• G generator(x y len): Writes operands with offset.
• H hold: Holds southward operand.
• I increment(step mod): Increments southward operand.
• J jumper(val): Outputs northward operand.
• K konkat(len): Reads multiple variables.
• L lesser(a b): Outputs smallest of inputs.
• M multiply(a b): Outputs product of inputs.
• N north: Moves Northward, or bangs.
• O read(x y read): Reads operand with offset.
• P push(len key val): Writes eastward operand.
• Q query(x y len): Reads operands with offset.
• R random(min max): Outputs random value.
• S south: Moves southward, or bangs.
• T track(key len val): Reads eastward operand.
• U uclid(step max): Bangs on Euclidean rhythm.
• V variable(write read): Reads and writes variable.
• W west: Moves westward, or bangs.
• X write(x y val): Writes operand with offset.
• Y yumper(val): Outputs westward operand.
• Z lerp(rate target): Transitions operand to input.
• * bang: Bangs neighboring operands.
• # comment: Holds a line.

The special operators make use of a platform's devices, here are the suggested special operators:

• $ self(cmd): Send a command to Orca, or load external file.
• : midi(ch oct note velocity*): Send a midi note.
• ! midi cc(ch knob val): Send a midi control change.
• ; pitch(oct note): Send pitch byte out.
• / byte(high low): Send a raw hexadecimal byte.
• = play(ch oct note velocity*): Play note with built-in synth.

An introduction to basic operations in Orca.

Basics

This section will teach the basics of playing a note and a sequence of notes.

Send a midi note

• D8, will send a bang, every 8th frame.
• :03C, will send the C note, on the 3rd octave, to send C#, use the lowercase c3.

D8...
.:03C

Play a random note

• aRG, will output a random value between A & G, the rightside uppercase letter indicates an uppercase output.

D8.aRG.
.:03D..

Make a melody

• 04TCAFE, will create a track of 4 notes, and output its first value.

D814TCAFE
.:03A....

Play the melody

• 8C4, will count from 0 to 3, at 1/8th speed.

.8C4.....
D804TCAFE
.:03C....

Logic

This section will teach the basics of automating logic decisions and changing the values of operators dynamically.

Play every second note

• 2I6, will increment to 6 at a rate of 2.

.2I6.......
D646TCAFEDG
.:03D......

Play a note with an offset

• 1AC, will add 1 to C, to output D. To get D#, use the lowercase d, like 1Ac.

D8.1AC.
.:03D..

Play a sequence back and forth

• The combination of the output of C6 into B3 will bounce a value between 0 and 3 over 6 frames.

4C6......
.4B3.....
D414TCAFE
.:03A....

Play a note at a specific interval

• .I4, will increment to 4, at a rate of 1.
• .F2, will bang only if leftside input is equal to 2.

I4.....
3F2.1AC
..:03D.

Play a note at a specific frame

• aCa, will count to 10, at 1/10th of the speed.
• .Ca, will count to 10, at normal speed.
• .f5, will bang every 65th frame.

.aCa.
..6F4
Ca...
.Y.f5

Projectors

This section will teach the basics of creating new operators procedurally.

Hold a moving operator

• E, will travel further eastward, every frame.
• H, will stop a E from moving.

..H
E..

Read an operator at position

• 22O, will get the operator E at the offset 2,2.

22O...
..E..H
.....E

Write an operator at position

• 22X, will output the operator E at the offset 2,2.

22XE.
.....
.....
....E

Animate a projector

• B8, will bounce between 0 and 8.

C...........
.B4.........
.1XE........
........:03C
........:03D
........:03E
........:03F
........:03G

Variables

This section will teach the basics of storing accessing and combining that stored data.

Write a variable

• aV5, will store 5 in the variable a.

aV5

Read a variable

• Va, will output the value of the variable a. Notice how variables always have to be written above where they are read.

.....Va
.......
aV5..Va
.....5.
.......
aV6..Va
.....6.

Read 3 variables

• 3Kion, will output the values of i, o & n, side-by-side.

iV0.oV3.nVC
...........
3Kion......
.:03C......

Carry a value horizontally and vertically

• Y, will output the west input, eastward.
• J, will output the north input, southward.

3..
J..
3Y3

Carry a bang

• This method will allow you to bring bangs into tight spots.

D43Ka...
.Y.:03C.

I hope this workshop has been enlightening, if you have questions or suggestions, please visit the forum, or the chatroom. Enjoy!

Base 36 Table

Orca operates on a base of 36 increments. Operators using numeric values will typically also operate on letters and convert them into values as per the following table. For instance Do will bang every 24th frame.

Transpose Table

The midi operator interprets any letter above the chromatic scale as a transpose value, for instance 3H, is equivalent to 4A.

Golf

Here are a few interesting snippets to achieve various arithmetic operations.

• Read Manual
• Download Orca
• Graphical version, Uxntal.
• Terminal version, ANSI C.
• Browser version, Javascript
• Norns version, Lua

• 15M05 — Orca Uxn Release
• 14C11 — Orca Workshop Mila, Montreal
• 13V03 — Orca Workshop Foolab, Montreal
• 13J12 — Orca Workshop Algomech, Sheffield
• 12W13 — Orca Release

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