CPS is a real-time interactive programming environment designed for audio, MIDI, and various media inputs and outputs. It allows users to create patches by connecting objects with virtual wires, making it suitable for sound design, algorithmic composition, digital signal processing, electronic music production, and educational purposes. CPS excels in any live situation where sound manipulation and media integration are essential, providing a flexible platform for creative audio projects.

The environment offers a wide range of built-in objects granting low-level control over audio, MIDI hardware, file I/O, and other data streams. These objects cover functions such as Fourier analysis, filters, noise generation, envelopes, delays, low-frequency oscillators, and effects processing. Additional features include tables with generator functions inspired by Csound, networking options, joystick and serial port support, video processing through QuickTime, VST plugin hosting, MP3 decoding, and compatibility with MPEG-4 Structured Audio opcodes. This broad toolkit integrates graphical and text editing seamlessly, enabling detailed and complex patch construction.

CPS combines powerful real-time processing capabilities with an intuitive graphical user interface. It supports a subpatch architecture of unlimited depth, allowing users to encapsulate parts of a patch within a single object for better organization. Objects dynamically adjust their input and output ports at runtime, enhancing flexibility. The environment includes essential usability features such as full Undo/Redo, tooltips with online help for all objects including subpatches, and efficient performance that maintains responsiveness even when working with complex nested patches.