# thestk/stk

The Synthesis ToolKit in C++ (STK) is a set of open source audio signal processing and algorithmic synthesis classes written in the C++ programming language.

Repository: https://github.com/thestk/stk
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/stk
Homepage: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/software/stk/
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2025-03-29T19:25:00+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 29/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 13, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4733, "days_push": 522, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1230, forks 197 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:03.719798+00:00)

## What it is
The Synthesis ToolKit in C++ (STK) is a set of open source audio signal processing and algorithmic music synthesis classes written in C++. It emphasizes cross-platform portability, realtime audio and MIDI control, and educational example code for building synthesis and audio processing applications.

## Use cases
- synthesize musical instruments in C++
- build realtime audio processing software
- implement physical modeling sound synthesis
- process and generate audio files like WAV and AIFF
- create MIDI-controlled software instruments
- learn audio DSP with example code

## When to choose
- you need portable, dependency-light C++ classes for audio synthesis
- you want realtime audio and MIDI support on Linux, macOS, or Windows
- you are teaching or learning audio signal processing and synthesis
- you need classic synthesis algorithms like FM, plucked strings, and physical models

## When to avoid
- you need a ready-made application with a polished GUI rather than a class library
- you work primarily in a language other than C++
- you need modern high-level audio frameworks with extensive plugin ecosystems

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: audio-processing, sdk
- domain: media, developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: cpp, windows, cross-platform
- tags: audio-synthesis, signal-processing, music, midi, realtime-audio, physical-modeling, sound-synthesis, audio, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- thestk/stk (main) score 29

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:03.719798+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:15:03.839876+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/thestk/stk (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:03.719798+00:00, sha 54012478ca78)
  - homepage: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/software/stk/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:22:29.058335+00:00, sha ebde6fa88f58)
  - site_page: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/software/stk/faq.html (fetched 2026-08-29T12:22:29.067407+00:00, sha a9f81d3b6743)
  - site_page: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/software/stk/classes.html (fetched 2026-08-29T12:22:29.069609+00:00, sha 210343efc743)
  - site_page: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/software/stk/usage.html (fetched 2026-08-29T12:22:29.071568+00:00, sha ecfa72cc39ce)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.