Putting Programs on Paper With ScoreCard: Generative Music Pieces as QR Codes

Clester I, Freeman J. Putting Programs on Paper With ScoreCard: Generative Music Pieces as QR Codes. J Audio Eng Soc. 2025;73(12):890-899. doi:10.17743/jaes.2022.0248

@article{Clester2025_23117,
  author = {Clester, Ian and Freeman, Jason},
  title = {{Putting Programs on Paper With ScoreCard: Generative Music Pieces as QR Codes}},
  journal = {Journal of the Audio Engineering Society},
  volume = {73},
  number = {12},
  pages = {890--899},
  year = {2025},
  month = dec,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  doi = {10.17743/jaes.2022.0248},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2022.0248}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Putting Programs on Paper With ScoreCard: Generative Music Pieces as QR Codes
AU  - Clester, Ian
AU  - Freeman, Jason
T2  - Journal of the Audio Engineering Society
J2  - J. Audio Eng. Soc.
VL  - 73
IS  - 12
SP  - 890
EP  - 899
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/16
DO  - 10.17743/jaes.2022.0248
UR  - https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2022.0248
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - Quick Response (QR) codes are typically used to store small pieces of metadata (URLs, product codes, contact information) that serve as links or pointers to larger resources (websites, product databases, people). This work explores the possibility of repurposing QR codes to store complete, self-contained generative music pieces and the resulting technical and musical challenges and opportunities. ScoreCard is a web application that enables users to scan and play QR codes (e.g., from “printed programs” on physical cards or from other users’ screens) containing generative music pieces in the form of WebAssembly programs. This paper describes the design and implementation of ScoreCard, considers techniques for writing musical programs that fit within the size constraints of the format, and presents several musical examples and pieces written for or ported to this medium. Lastly, it showcases some recent extensions to ScoreCard: live visualization via execution tracing and a card creation application (including a compiler) that runs in the browser..
ER  -