alt Hacker NewsOn the matter of institutions: IRCAM is the paradigmatic example of composer / technologist role demarcation, but I would question whether this extreme position "is still maintained by all institutions" -- it certainly was not at my alma mater and I doubt at UCSD either. As you say, Max (coincidentally a product of Miller Puckette and IRCAM) and it's more recent ilk have empowered composers to independently build their own instruments and this practice has been ongoing within the academy for at least 35 years now.
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Maybe I'm a bit biased because I was there for a study visit in the eighties. Of course it depends on the use case; if the composition is fully electronic, the composer can essentially be the same person as the performer, conductor and producer, so there is no big need for a score; live coding goes even further and "the composition" appears during the performance; specific tools have been implemented for these use-cases (e.g. Standford has a long tradition for such tools).
As someone who studied computer music in the mid 2010s I can second that! All the composers in my generation who use live electronics do it themselves.
The devide between composer and programmer has disappered for the most part and I think the main reason is that both hardware and software has become so affordable and accessible. Back in the old days, you needed expensive computers, synthesizers and tape machines and people who could assist you with operating them. Today, anyone can buy a laptop and learn Pd / Max / SuperCollider!
That being said, institutions like IRCAM still have their place as they allow composers to work with technology that is not easily accessible, e.g. large multi channel systems or 360° projections. They also do a lot of research, too.