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Prerequisites

Before building Csound on macOS, ensure you have:
  • Xcode Command Line Tools or full Xcode
  • CMake
  • Newer versions of Bison and Flex (macOS includes older versions)
See Build requirements for complete details.

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Method 1: Using Homebrew

This is the recommended approach for most users.
1

Install dependencies

Install all required dependencies using Homebrew:
brew install bison flex jack googletest
brew install libogg flac lame libvorbis mpg123 opus libsndfile \
  portaudio libsamplerate liblo portmidi
2

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/csound/csound.git
cd csound
3

Configure the build

cmake -B build -DCUSTOM_CMAKE="./platform/osx/custom-osx.cmake"
4

Build Csound

cmake --build build --config Release
For faster builds, use multiple cores:
make -j 8
5

Install

Install the software (requires super-user access):
sudo make install
The CsoundLib64 (or CsoundLib) framework is installed in $HOME/Library/Frameworks.

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Method 2: With dependencies installed manually

If you have libsndfile and other dependencies installed manually:
1

Create build directory

From the top-level sources directory:
mkdir build
cd build
2

Configure and build

cmake ..
make -j 8
3

Install

sudo make install

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Method 3: Vanilla build (no Homebrew)

Build Csound with no dependencies installed and no Homebrew:
1

Build libsndfile

git clone https://github.com/libsndfile/libsndfile
cd libsndfile
cmake -B build -DENABLE_EXTERNAL_LIBS=0 -DENABLE_MPEG=0 \
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=../sndfile_install
cmake --build build
cmake --build build --target install
cd ..
2

Configure Csound

cmake -B build \
  -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$PWD/sndfile_install" \
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="$PWD/csound_install" \
  -DCS_FRAMEWORK_DEST="$PWD/csound_install"
3

Build and install

cmake --build build --config Release
cmake --build build --target install
This will install in the csound_install subdirectory of the sources tree.
Csound will be fully functional, with CoreAudio and CoreMIDI support, and libsndfile (statically linked) and all its command-line programs.

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Method 4: Universal binary for distribution

To build a universal binary (arm64 + x86_64) for distribution:
1

Build dependencies as universal binaries

Build libsndfile, portmidi, portaudio, libsamplerate, and liblo with both architectures:
# Build libsndfile
cd platform/osx
chmod +x build_libsndfile.sh
./build_libsndfile.sh
cd ../..

# Build portmidi
git clone https://github.com/PortMidi/portmidi.git
cd portmidi
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES="arm64;x86_64" \
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=../portmidi_install
cmake --build build
cmake --build build --target install
cd ..

# Build portaudio
git clone https://github.com/PortAudio/portaudio.git
cd portaudio
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES="arm64;x86_64" \
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=../portaudio_install
cmake --build build
cmake --build build --target install
cd ..

# Build libsamplerate
git clone https://github.com/libsndfile/libsamplerate
cd libsamplerate
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES="arm64;x86_64" \
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=../samplerate_install
cmake --build build
cmake --build build --target install
cd ..

# Build liblo
git clone https://github.com/radarsat1/liblo
cd liblo
cmake ./cmake -B build -DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES="arm64;x86_64" \
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=../liblo_install
cmake --build build
cmake --build build --target install
cd ..
2

Install bison and flex

brew install bison flex
3

Configure Csound as universal binary

cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="Release" -DUSE_GETTEXT=0 \
  -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$PWD/platform/osx/libsndfile_build/dependencies;$PWD/portmidi_install;$PWD/portaudio_install;$PWD/samplerate_install;$PWD/liblo_install" \
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="$PWD/csound_install" \
  -DCS_FRAMEWORK_DEST="$PWD/csound_install" \
  -DCS_OPCODE_DIR="/Applications/Csound/CsoundLib64.framework/Resources/Opcodes64/" \
  -DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES="arm64;x86_64" \
  -DUSE_MP3=1 -DUSE_STATIC_DEPS=1 -DBUILD_SRC_CONV=0 -DBUILD_OSC_OPCODES=1
4

Build and install

cmake --build build --config Release
cmake --build build --target install
5

Create installer package (optional)

# Adjust link paths
install_name_tool -id /Applications/Csound/CsoundLib64.framework/CsoundLib64 \
  csound_install/CsoundLib64.framework/CsoundLib64

# Package Python interface
mkdir csound_install/CsoundLib64.framework/Versions/7.0/Resources/Python
cp Python/ctcsound.py csound_install/CsoundLib64.framework/Versions/7.0/Resources/Python

# Copy libraries
mkdir csound_install/CsoundLib64.framework/libs
cp portmidi_install/lib/*.dylib csound_install/CsoundLib64.framework/libs
cp portaudio_install/lib/*.dylib csound_install/CsoundLib64.framework/libs
cp liblo_install/lib/*.dylib csound_install/CsoundLib64.framework/libs

# Create package
mkdir -p csound_install/PkgContents/Applications/Csound
mv csound_install/bin/csound csound_install/PkgContents/Applications/Csound/.
mv csound_install/CsoundLib64.framework csound_install/PkgContents/Applications/Csound/.
pkgbuild --identifier com.csound.csound7Environment.csoundLib64 \
  --root csound_install/PkgContents CsoundLib64-universal.pkg

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Customizing the build

You can customize the build by:
  • Modifying the platform/osx/custom-osx.cmake file
  • Using CMake options (see Build requirements)
  • Setting CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX to install in a custom location

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Troubleshooting

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Bison or Flex version too old

macOS includes older versions of Bison and Flex. Install newer versions via Homebrew: 
brew install bison flex
Make sure the Homebrew versions are in your PATH: 
export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/bison/bin:$PATH"
export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/flex/bin:$PATH"

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Framework not found at runtime

If the CsoundLib64 framework is not found, ensure it’s installed in one of these locations:
  • $HOME/Library/Frameworks
  • /Library/Frameworks
  • /Applications/Csound/
If you encounter link errors, make sure all dependencies are built for the same architectures (arm64, x86_64, or both) as Csound.