#100DaysOfCode with Sonic Pi
Day 7
Firstly, I wasn’t even sure that I would reach this day. A commitment to code for 100 days straight is tougher than it sounds like. You have too many distractions and there isn’t enough time in a day at times to complete them. So, in a way, I am quite proud of reaching this milestone.
Get Abhiraj Das Ghosh’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
I started out with simple tunes, and I am trying to get into complex stuff now. It’s nice to see the ideas popping in when I am learning something new. And like I have always been — I improvise on what I learnt.
Day 7 in a Nutshell
Day 7 was no different. The reason why Sonic Pi has such a relaxed learning curve is because of its extensive documentation. You have Mehackit with step-by-step guidance. You have the MagPi kickstarter guide. And on the console, you have a few examples as well! My day 7 track uses two of those examples — Sonic Bells by Sam Aaron and Chord Inversions by Adrian Cheater. They form the base of my tune, while I complement them with Drums and some synth.
The Riff
There are two riffs in the song. One panned 70% to the left. The other 70% to the right. What it does is, it creates an effect of the sound coming from somewhere around the back of your head — this effect is purely on headphones/earphones or a proper stereo setup.
The Bells
The Bells are exactly the same as Sam Aaron’s Sonic Bells in the example. I just tweaked the rate function a bit.
The Inversions
Chord inversions are something I love. I have had a brief stint at learning Jazz, and that made my understanding of these beautiful chord structures solid. The chord inversions I have used are on Melodic Minor. I do shift to a Minor Blues in the middle to bring in some variation. Root note is the E.
The Drums
The drums are still in three different segments — each with a separate time signature. The bass drums (boom) has a nice, warm “boom” to it. The snares and hi-hats are used with specific time signatures to complement the “boom”.
The Song
I call the final song — What Dream Is That? The song sounds something like this:
The code is here:
Follow me on LinkedIn or Twitter for the latest happenings in my life!
