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Early software synthesis programs, such as MUSIC 4BF[7], MUSIC 11[4], and MUSIC 5[8] were written in FORTRAN and assembly language. More recent systems have been written in C[3]. These systems are all firmly based on procedural, block-structured languages and single processor computers.
Two contemporary developments in computing seem particularly applicable to software synthesis engines. One is the emergence of commercially-available parallel computers like the Alliant, Encore, and Sequent. These computers provide a variety of multiprocessor architectures which can greatly speed the generation of samples. The second is the growth of object-oriented programming languages like Smalltalk-80 and C++. These languages permit programmers to easily write and maintain large programs by encouraging modularity and good design practice.