Quarks extend SC's language with community-contributed classes; UGen plugins extend the audio server with new signal processors

SC’s functionality is extensible in two ways. Quarks are packages of SC language classes (sclang extensions) contributed by the community, extending what the language knows how to do. UGen plugins are compiled native extensions for the audio server (scsynth) that add new signal-processing UGens. Quarks.gui opens a browser of available quarks for installation. After installing, recompile the class library for changes to take effect. This extensibility explains SC’s long-tail ecosystem of specialised tools for granular synthesis, spectral processing, spatial audio, etc.

Examples

Quarks.gui — opens graphical quark browser. Quarks.install("SomeQuark") — install a specific package. Recompile class library after install for changes to take effect.

Assessment

What is the difference between a Quark and a UGen plugin? Which extends the language, which extends the server? Name one practical use case for each.