Sonic Pi
summary
A free open‑source environment that live‑codes music using a Ruby DSL, SuperCollider for synthesis and an Erlang scheduler for tight timing; it guarantees sample-accurate simultaneous notes, deterministic event history, synchronized threads via named live_loop band members, and a use_real_time mode to avoid scheduling latency from Ruby GC. Built‑in sample/OSC/MIDI handling, on‑disk samples and a 35,000‑word tutorial make it classroom‑ready; Raspberry Pi funded it, Patreon brings ~$1,000/month, and it already powers real-time classroom and performance use.
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chapters (15)
- 0:00Programming for everyone
- 2:15Associating code with fun
- 5:06Introduction to Sonic PI
- 7:46Basic music composition
- 11:07Synthesizing new sounds
- 13:55Live coding concurrency
- 16:40Using pre-recorded samples
- 19:46Drum loop analysis
- 22:55The live loop concept
- 26:26MIDI and audio effects
- 32:14Designing for simplicity
- 37:02Syncing different loops
- 41:29Randomization in music
- 45:33Resources and performance
- 50:54Funding open source
related talks
01h 00mSonic Pi
30mLive Coding Music with Sonic Pi
37mSonic PI: live music, live coding
50mProgramming as Performance
39mSonic Pi Livecoding
01h 11mSonic Pi - Live Coding as a tool for next-gen education.
15mProgramming as Performance: Live Coding with Sonic Pi
42mGet Ready to Rock with Sonic Pi - The Live Coding Music Synth for Everyone