The Wonderful World of Live Coding Music
And what I learnt from 10 days of coding music with Sonic Pi
Earlier in 2019, I came across a phenomenon called Algorave. It is generating electronic dance music with algorithms. The coder in me got excited and I started looking for ways to get into the scene. And almost a year later, I actually started to do what has been pending (yeah, I am that much of a procrastinator).
The Basics
Algorave is basically an event where you get to hear dance music, but the music is being generated with algorithms. The history of algorithms generating music dates back to 1970s. Brian Eno — who has worked with the likes of U2, Phil Collins, Coldplay, John Cale — experimented with generative music during the early days, and has been continuing to do so in his long standing career. This gave rise to the electronic dance music trend in the 1990s with artists like Aphex Twins. The first official “Algorave” concert was hosted in 2012 at the SuperCollider Symposium.
The Tools
So now, you have some info about what Algorave and want to get into the system? Here are some tools to get your started:
- SuperCollider — This is probably the first tool you’ll find about when you search for algorave. SuperCollider is based on C and C++and is open-source. It’s a great tool to use, but has a steep learning curve, if you don’t have a coding background.
- TidalCycles — TidalCycles or Tidal works with the SuperDirt synth, and works like a charm. This was the first platform I got exposed to. TidalCycles is based on Haskell and installing this on your machine may be a little complicated for someone who is not used a coding environment.
- Sonic Pi — This, I must say, is a gem! Honestly, I couldn’t make much out of TidalCycles. Firstly, there were issues of it working with Windows OS. And then when I was able to solve that with the help of their very supportive Github staff, I got stuck with learning the platform. And that stopped my progress. But then, I discovered Sonic Pi a week back and it has been a dream. If you are like me, depending on guides and tutorials to learn, this is the best fit.
My Journey
I officially started my journey from the 19th of April, 2020. I chose the popular coding challenge #100DaysOfCode to get into the habit of learning every day, and it has been a good outcome so far.
I started off by just recording the audio. After a couple of days, I got some confidence to record a screengrab of what I am doing to get the music and post it on my YouTube. So far, in the 10 days, I have 7 tunes. All of them hosted on my Bandcamp, and the code on my Github. The target is to complete the 100 days challenge, and then release an EP with the best of the lot. If I get too ambitious, I may go in for a full fledged album too!
My Github for all the codes:
Playlist of the videos I uploaded on YouTube:
And the songs I made are on my Bandcamp here:
If you want guidance on Algorave or Sonic Pi, let me know in comments! Will get back to you positively.
