Crash into Sonic Pi: Learn to code music in less than 30 minutes

sonicpi-crash-course.txt

# -------------------------------------------
# CRASH INTO SONIC PI!
# Learn to code music in less than 30 minutes
# -------------------------------------------
# - download Sonic Pi from sonic-pi.net
# - copy and paste these code snippets
# - change and experiment with the snippets
# - go!
# -------------------------------------------
# These snippets were made for a workshop to
# show coders the very basic commands of
# Sonic Pi.
# 
# If you're not in a hurry and wish to learn
# a whole lot more tricks, you should read
# through the excellent tutorial, it can be
# found within the Sonic Pi help system that
# comes with the software.
# -------------------------------------------
# Hanno Zulla, November 2015
# -------------------------------------------


# -------------------------------------------
# play midi note number 60 and wait one beat
play 60
sleep 1

# -------------------------------------------
# that midi code 60, it's the same as :c4
play :c4
sleep 1

# -------------------------------------------
# here's how you can play a chord
play :c4
play :e4
play :g4
sleep 1

# -------------------------------------------
# you can also play the same chord like this
play_chord [:c4, :e4, :g4]
sleep 1

# -------------------------------------------
# or like this
play_chord chord(:c4, :major)
sleep 1

# -------------------------------------------
# play notes from a scale, sleep 1 inbetween
play_pattern scale(:c4, :minor)

# -------------------------------------------
# change the sleep value between the notes
play_pattern_timed scale(:c4, :major_pentatonic), 0.125

# -------------------------------------------
# we can also use more than one sleep value
play_pattern_timed scale(:c4, :major_pentatonic), [0.125, 0.25]

# -------------------------------------------
# everything sounds better with reverb!
with_fx :reverb do
  play_chord chord(:c4, :major)
end

# -------------------------------------------
# manipulate the synth envelope
use_synth :tb303
play :c4, attack: 2, sustain: 1, release: 4

# -------------------------------------------
# a melody generated from random numbers
live_loop :doodle do
  play scale(:c4, :minor_pentatonic).choose
  sleep [0.125, 0.25, 0.5].choose
end

# -------------------------------------------
# ...you can spice it up with sound fx
live_loop :doodle do
  with_fx :slicer do
    play scale(:c4, :minor_pentatonic).choose
    sleep [0.125, 0.25, 0.5].choose
  end
end

# -------------------------------------------
# here are some of the synths of Sonic Pi
use_synth :piano
play_chord chord(:e4, :major)
sleep 1

[:saw, :piano, :tb303, :prophet].each do |n|
  use_synth n
  play_chord chord(:e4, :major)
  sleep 1
end

# -------------------------------------------
# some samples are included, e.g. drumloops
sample :loop_amen
# ...and you can manipulate them
sample :loop_amen, rate: 0.5
sample :loop_amen, rate: 0.5, pitch: 12
sample :loop_amen, rate: -1.0

# -------------------------------------------
# let's make that an endless drumloop
live_loop :beats do
  sample :loop_amen
  sleep sample_duration(:loop_amen)
end


# -------------------------------------------
# here's a drumloop with a random melody
use_bpm 75

live_loop :beats do
  sample :loop_amen, beat_stretch: 2
  sleep 2
end

live_loop :doodle do
  use_random_seed 1234
  2.times do
    sync :beats
    with_fx :slicer do
      4.times do
        play scale(:c4, :minor_pentatonic).choose
        sleep [0.125, 0.25, 0.5].choose
      end
    end
  end
end


# -------------------------------------------
# four live loops play a classic canon
use_bpm 140

melody = (
  # Frère Jacques!
  [:f4, 1, :g4, 1, :a4, 1, :f4, 1] * 2 +
  # Dormez vous?
  [:a4, 1, :bb4, 1, :c5, 2] * 2 +
  # Sonnez les matines!
  [:c5, 0.5, :d5, 0.5, :c5, 0.5, :bb4, 0.5, :a4, 1, :f4, 1] * 2 +
  # Ding, ding dong!
  [:f4, 1, :c4, 1, :f4, 2] * 2
).ring

4.times do |c|
  sleep 8 * c
  live_loop c.to_s.to_sym do
    play melody.tick
    sleep melody.tick
  end
end


# -------------------------------------------
# a trippy drum-computer beat
use_bpm 120

live_loop :boom do
  sync :drums
  sample :bd_boom
  sleep 4
end

live_loop :drums do
  with_fx :wobble do
    with_fx :ixi_techno do
      sample :drum_cymbal_pedal
      sleep 0.25
      sample :drum_cymbal_pedal
      sleep 0.5
      sample :drum_cymbal_pedal
      sleep 0.25
      sample :bd_haus
      sample :drum_cymbal_hard
      sleep 1
      sample :drum_cymbal_closed
      sleep 0.5
      sample :drum_cymbal_closed
      sleep 0.5
      sample :bd_haus
      sample :drum_cymbal_closed
      sleep 1
    end
  end
end


# -------------------------------------------
# four chords plus bass and drums

m = [
  chord(:A3, :minor),
  chord(:F3, :major),
  chord(:C3, :major),
  chord(:G3, :major)
].ring

live_loop :chords do
  use_synth :beep
  c = m.tick
  play_pattern_timed c, 0.125, release: 1
  sleep 1-3*0.125
end

live_loop :base do
  sync :chords
  use_synth :prophet
  use_transpose -12
  c = m.tick
  play c[0], release: 1, amp: 0.5
  sleep 1
end

live_loop :beats do
  sync :chords
  sample :loop_amen_full, beat_stretch: 8, amp: 0.5
  sleep 8
end

live_loop :boom do
  sync :chords
  sample :bd_boom
  sleep 4
end