Survey and Typology of Computer-Assisted Composition Systems

Computer music is experiencing a rapid change as artificial intelligence (AI) integrates into composers’ musical practice at all levels. We

contribute a survey of the field of Computer-Assisted Composition (CAC) since its inception, spanning 62 years of research (1963-2025).

In total, we collect 125 CAC systems and contribute a typology that categorizes them. The typology classifies 1) the metadata about the

system, 2) the music composition problem (task and scope), 3) the computing architecture, 4) the human-machine interaction, and 5) the

ecosystemic context. Finally, we analyze historical trends, discuss implications, challenges and opportunities from our work, and report

on the state of CAC communities.

Extended Online Table

Find Here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-qO4K2XSzGXhFAZKkoIzkaG4-M_i-zjOF7JB4POC8Eg

Publication Reference
Renaud Bougueng Tchemeube and Philippe Pasquier. 2026. Survey and Typology of Computer-Assisted Composition Systems. ACM Journal of Computing Surveys. Just Accepted (April 2026). https://doi.org/10.1145/3812539