BitCrush 2026

Music+code competition {♪}

November 14, 1pm - 4pm

2001 Sheridan Road Atrium (GN300)

food—prizes—music—more!

What is BitCrush?

The BitCrush music tech competition is a first-of-its-kind event for college students. Teams of 1-4 students will create and perform short musical compositions for a panel of judges and a live audience. Performances can include instruments, vocals, and dance along with computer code to generate music. All teams will have access to experts from Northwestern University who wil work with you to develop your performance.

How do I get started?

Form a team of 1-5 people. The competition is open to all students.
Fill out the registration form.
Check out our getting started music coding tutorial.
Start thinking about the genre and structure of your performance. Will you include live instruments, vocals, or dance?
Reach out to bitcrushlive@gmail.com if you need help or want some tips for getting started.

How do I register?

Just fill out the registration form:
Register

What if I'm not sure I want to register yet, but I have questions?

Email bitcrushlive@gmail.com, and we'll meet with you to help you decide.

Do I need music or code experience?

Nope 😊 All skill levels are welcome. We'll provide tutorials and mentorship.

What should I bring?

Just your laptop! We'll provide WiFi, workspace, and refreshments.

What can I win?

Prizes for the top teams include audio gear and the coveted BitCrush trophy.
Broken heart trophies

How much does it cost?

The competition is free for anyone who wants to participate. No specialized equipment is needed.

When and where is the competition?

The competition will be on Saturday, November 15, 2026 on the Evanston campus in 2001 Sheridan. Setup will start at 12pm and the competition will run until 5pm.

Who can be in the competition?

The competition is open to all current college students. Undergraduate, graduate, and associate-level students are welcome.

What if I need help with my performance?

We will hold regular drop-in support hours open to any team in the competition. Just email bitcrushlive@gmail.com to set up a time.

Who runs the competition?

BitCrush is run by the TIDAL Lab at Northwestern University and is sponsored by the Northwestern Network for Collaborative Intelligence and the Center for Responsible Technology, Policy, and Public Dialog. The event also has funding from the National Science Foundation.

How will teams be judged?

Teams will be judged based on five factors: entertainment, musicality, creativity, technical ability, and coding. Check out the full scoring guide.

Why should I be in the competition?

It’s fun!
You'll be part of a warm and suppportive community.
There will be prizes and trophies for the winning teams.
It’s part of a free event with food, prizes, and live music.

What do you mean by coded music?

Coding means that you write computer code in a language like Python to generate music. You can combine code with pre-recorded samples, live instruments, vocals, dance, costumes, special effects, and more. You can use any music+coding platform for your performance. Popular options include Strudel, EarSketch, Sonic Pi, TunePad, Max, ChucK, and SuperCollider.

I still don’t understand what music+code means…

Check out these example videos:

Where can I learn more about music coding?

Here are some learning resources to get started with live coding on different platforms.

Music Coding Example

You can also try music coding yourself! Just press play on the python code cells below.

kick = 0 snare = 2 for _ in range(2): play(kick, 0.75, volume = 70) play(snare, beats = 0.25, volume = 50) play(kick, beats = 0.5, volume = 70) play(snare, beats = 0.5, volume = 50) / /

from random import randint / clap = 10 / for i in range(64): if randint(0, 10) > 7: play(clap, beats = 0.25) else: rest(0.25)

chord1 = [ 48, 52, 55, 59 ] chord2 = [ 52, 55, 60, 62 ] chord3 = [ 50, 55, 59 ] chord4 = [ 50, 53, 57, 59 ] / play(chord1, beats = 4) play(chord2, beats = 4) play(chord3, beats = 4) play(chord4, beats = 4)

chord1 = [ 48, 52, 55, 59 ] chord2 = [ 52, 55, 60, 62 ] chord3 = [ 50, 55, 59, 62 ] chord4 = [ 50, 53, 57, 59 ] / for note in chord1 * 4: play(note - 12, beats = 0.25, volume = 60) for note in chord2 * 4: play(note - 12, beats = 0.25, volume = 60) for note in chord3 * 4: play(note - 12, beats = 0.25, volume = 60) for note in chord4 * 4: play(note - 12, beats = 0.25, volume = 60)

hat = 4 for i in range(8): play(hat, beats = 0.25) for i in range(2): play(hat, beats = 0.5) for i in range(8): play(hat, beats = 0.25 / 2, pitch = i/4) / /