On 8/24/07, Fitzpatrick, Denis F <fitzpatrickd@boystown.org> wrote:

My confusion is deep and multifaceted, but just to get started, I gather it's a way of setting various instrument parameters, but how does it differ from like-named (where they exist) method calls?  I made a Googley effort to find this explained, but failed.  I would gladly accept an answer in the form of a link.

I believe that the control-change is the way the STK takes commands from other parts of a program. The STK, you see, is a toolkit meant to be embedded in a larger program (such as a game) or form a model for parameterised synthesis in such applications. ChucK is "borrowing" the STK and so got these with it.
 
Where those calls differ from the other calls the only difference is (should be?) that the ChucK ones require less memorisation of what the numbers mean and so are more convenient.
 
If you must know all about the STK you could considder getting this;
http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~prc/AKPetersBook.htm
 
That's basically the STK maitenance manual.
Clearly that book isn't needed to have fun with it, it all depends on exactly how deep your confusion is and what those facets are :-)
 
Yours,
Kas.