Sonic Pi - Introduction

Join Sonic Pi's creator Sam Aaron and learn to express yourself with code. This course will teach you the basics of live coding your own performances and compositions using the powerful live coding software Sonic Pi.

Free Sonic Pi Book

Sam Aaron, creator of Sonic Pi, has written this book to
complement the built-in tutorial.

Master live loops, code drum breaks, compose your own melodies make random riffs and loops, learn to shape and sculpt sounds and much, much more...

Music. Code. Simple.

See how easy it is to get started coding your first sounds...

Haunted Bells


loop do
  sample :perc_bell, rate: (rrand 0.125, 1.5)
  sleep rrand(0, 2)
end

Pentatonic Bleeps

with_fx :reverb, mix: 0.2 do
  loop do
    play scale(:Eb2, :major_pentatonic, num_octaves: 3).choose, release: 0.1, amp: rand
    sleep 0.1
  end
end

Code with scales and chords...

play
pause

Tron Bikes

loop do
  with_synth :dsaw do
    with_fx(:slicer, phase: [0.25,0.125].choose) do
      with_fx(:reverb, room: 0.5, mix: 0.3) do
        start_note = chord([:b1, :b2, :e1, :e2, :b3, :e3].choose, :minor).choose
        final_note = chord([:b1, :b2, :e1, :e2, :b3, :e3].choose, :minor).choose

        p = play start_note, release: 8, note_slide: 4, cutoff: 30, cutoff_slide: 4, detune: rrand(0, 0.2), pan: rrand(-1, 0), pan_slide: rrand(4, 8)
        control p, note: final_note, cutoff: rrand(80, 120), pan: rrand(0, 1)
      end
    end
  end
  sleep 8
end

Listen to bikes from the future...

play
pause

Wob Rhythm

with_fx :reverb do
  in_thread do
    loop do
      r = [0.5, 1.0/3, 3.0/5].choose
      8.times do
        sample :ambi_choir, rate: r, pan: rrand(-1, 1)
        sleep 0.5
      end
    end
  end
end

with_fx :wobble, phase: 2 do |w|
  with_fx :echo, mix: 0.6 do
    loop do
      sample :drum_heavy_kick
      sample :bass_hit_c, rate: 0.8, amp: 0.4
      sleep 1
    end
  end
end

Hear the rhythmic wobble...

play
pause

Ocean Waves

with_fx :reverb, mix: 0.5 do
  loop do
    s = synth [:bnoise, :cnoise, :gnoise].choose, amp: rrand(0.5, 1.5), attack: rrand(0, 4), sustain: rrand(0, 2), release: rrand(1, 3), cutoff_slide: rrand(0, 3), cutoff: rrand(60, 80), pan: rrand(-1, 1), pan_slide: 1, amp: rrand(0.5, 1)
    control s, pan: rrand(-1, 1), cutoff: rrand(60, 115)
    sleep rrand(2, 3)
  end
end

Hear the digital waves crash...

play
pause

IDM Breakbeat

define :play_bb do |n|
  sample :drum_heavy_kick
  sample :ambi_drone, rate: [0.25, 0.5, 0.125, 1].choose, amp: 0.25 if rand < 0.125
  sample :ambi_lunar_land, rate: [0.5, 0.125, 1, -1, -0.5].choose, amp: 0.25 if rand < 0.125
  sample :loop_amen, attack: 0, release: 0.05, start: 1 - (1.0 / n), rate: [1,1,1,1,1,1,-1].choose
  sleep sample_duration(:loop_amen) / n
end
loop {play_bb([1,2,4,8,16].choose)}

Listen to crazy coded beats...

play
pause

Acid Walk

in_thread do
  use_synth :fm
  sleep 2
  loop do
    28.times do
       sample :drum_bass_hard, amp: 0.8
       sleep 0.25
       play :e2, release: 0.2
       sample :elec_cymbal, rate: 12, amp: 0.6
       sleep 0.25
     end
     sleep 4
   end
 end

 use_synth :tb303
 with_fx :reverb do |rev|
   loop do
     control rev, mix: rrand(0, 0.3)
     with_fx :slicer, phase: 0.125 do
       sample :ambi_lunar_land, sustain: 0, release: 8, amp: 2
     end

     control rev, mix: rrand(0, 0.6)
     r = rrand(0.05, 0.3)
     64.times do
       play chord(:e3, :minor).choose, release: r, cutoff: rrand(50, 90), amp: 0.5
       sleep 0.125
     end

     control rev, mix: rrand(0, 0.6)
     r = rrand(0.1, 0.2)
     with_synth :prophet do
       32.times do
         sleep 0.125
         play chord(:a3, :m7).choose, release: r, cutoff: rrand(40, 130), amp: 0.7
       end
     end

     control rev, mix: rrand(0, 0.6)
     r = rrand(0.05, 0.3)
     32.times do
       play chord(:e3, :minor).choose, release: r, cutoff: rrand(110, 130), amp: 0.4
       sleep 0.125
     end

     control rev, mix: rrand(0, 0.6)
     with_fx :echo, phase: 0.25, decay: 8 do
       16.times do
         play chord([:e2, :e3, :e4].choose, :m7).choose, release: 0.05, cutoff: rrand(50, 129), amp: 0.5
         sleep 0.125
       end
     end
   end
 end

Start producing longer tracks...

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pause

What's Happening with

Sonic Pi

Here's a taster of some of the exciting things happening in the Sonic Pi world...

The Music Commission

Sonic Pi is represented by Sam Aaron on The Music Commission panel, a new enquiry launched by ABRSM exploring how to better sustain & support progress & progression in learning music.

The Naked Scientists

The wonderful Naked Scientists covered Sonic Pi in an interview which was broadcast live on BBC radio and is available to listen and read here.

The Big Bang Fair 2018

The Big Bang Fair is the UK's largest celebration of STEM for young people. In 2018 the Sonic Pi Band performed a series of shows demonstrating how to live code your own band.

Kokoa Certified Resources

The incredible Mehackit Sonic Pi creative coding resource has been certified by the Finnish Education Standard Kakoa for its educational quality.

Royal Albert Hall : Convo

Sonic Pi was an Education Partner for Convo, an ambitious new work at the Royal Albert Hall featuring 1,000 young instrumentalists & singers combining traditional instruments & code.
Watch the performance here

Codebus Africa

In 2017, African and Finnish tech and education innovators collaborated to use Sonic Pi to deliver creative coding workshops engaging almost 2000 children in 10 African countries.

Google Open Source Winner

Google have announced Sonic Pi as one of a number of projects they either use or think are important.

Sonic Pi nominated Music Teacher Award finalist

Sonic Pi was listed as a finalist for the Music Teacher Best Music Education Product Award alongside music instrument manufacturers Boss & Korg.

Rolling Stone Review

Sam Aaron performed with Sonic Pi at Moogfest 2016. Rolling Stone featured his performance in their review of the festival and said it "transcended the present".

Sonic Pi Space Competition

These are the winning students that won an exciting once-in-a-lifetime competition to get their Sonic Pi music played onboard the International Space Station by UK astronaut Tim Peake.

CBBC Ten Pieces Masterclass

Radio 1 DJ MistaJam and Live Coder Sam Aaron compose a piece of music using Sonic Pi, inspired by Bizet's 'Carmen'

Daft Punk in code

Sébastien Rannou has published a tutorial on how he live coded his fabulous cover of Aerodynamic by Daft Punk.

Sonic Pi featured on CBBC Newsround

Sonic Pi was featured on the UK national children's news programme CBBC Newsround - with presenter Jenny Lawrence discovering Live Coding for the first time.

Sonic Pi: Live & Coding Pop Pi Videos Launched

The Sonic Pi: Live & Coding project has launched a series of 10 "Pop Pi" music videos created by artists using Sonic Pi.

Sonic Pi Live & Coding - Summer School

Artists Juneau Projects write about the recent Sonic Pi Live & Coding Summer School which involved 60 children aged 10-14 learning to code and perform on stage at Cambridge Junction.

Sonic Pi is your free code-based music creation and performance tool.

Brought to you by Sam Aaron and the Sonic Pi Core Team.

Free Lesson Preview

4. Exploring Synths

Learn how to trigger expressive synth sounds with simple code

Sonic Pi - Introduction

Array by DJ_Dave

Sonic Pi Band - Sam Aaron & Ben Smith

Reeled - Jylda & Sam Aaron

Daft Punk - Aerodynamiccoded by Sébastien Rannou

Sonic Pi helps you engage students in Computing through music. Read how in the article 'Live Coding Education'

Watch this introductory CAS TV interview with Sonic Pi creator Sam Aaron.

Music Live Coding

Classroom Ready

Creative Computing

"Sonic Pi lowers the barrier to entry for a creative experience with code..."

Haunted Bells

Listen to the coded bells...

Pentatonic Bleeps

Code with scales and chords...

Tron Bikes

Listen to bikes from the future...

Wob Rhythm

Hear the rhythmic wobble...

Ocean Waves

Hear the digital waves crash...

IDM Breakbeat

Listen to crazy coded beats...

Acid Walk

Start producing longer tracks...

Built for Raspberry Pi

64 bit package

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Terminal Installation

Built for Windows 10 & 11

Sonic Pi for Windows

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MSI Installer

macOS - Apple Silicon

Securely Built for Apple

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macOS - Intel x64

Daft Punk - Aerodynamic
coded by Sébastien Rannou