I’m diving deep into the world of live coding and exploring how Sonic Pi can be used for real-time music performances. The idea of crafting music live with code is fascinating, and Sonic Pi seems to offer endless possibilities for creativity. Whether it’s generating beats, designing ambient soundscapes, or creating experimental tunes, I’m eager to hear about your experiences.
Have you used Sonic Pi for a live performance or jam session? What techniques, setups, or tools do you pair with Sonic Pi to enhance your music-making process? Do you prefer going solo or collaborating with others in a live General - in_threadMLOps coding environment?
Feel free to share your tips, challenges, and successes. Let’s build a thread full of inspiring stories and ideas for everyone exploring the creative side of Sonic Pi!
I’ve been doing gigs with Sonic Pi in Germany for some time now (electronic music).
What I’ve noticed is that if you play using only a live coding tool, no matter which one, it can get a little boring. This is because there’s often a long delay between typing your code and running it. Also, it’s really hard to keep track of the tempo because you’re focused on writing code instead of counting beats in your head.
My solution was to treat live coding as a DJ tool and combine it with two standard DJ decks. I use Traktor Pro 3 along with a Traktor Kontrol S8 and a Reloop Mixtour.
Traktor Pro 3 allows me to use Ableton Link which is super usefull because beatmatching three decks and writing code at the same time is waaaaaaay too overwhelming.
The S8 lets me play two different tracks using stems (you can do this with a lot of controller now but for me the S8 is still the best one for doing this). For example, if I have a bassline in Sonic Pi, I can remove the bass from the tracks I’m mixing and create a really tight mix. Plus, all the tracks you play already have a defined musical structure, so you can listen for the right moment to run your code and ensure it fits perfectly in the mix.
I use the Reloop Mixtour as a sound card to route Sonic Pi into the S8. That way, I can preview (cue) the code before the audience hears it and make adjustments on the fly.
