Sam Aaron

I'm Sam Aaron & I've worked on free music coding software for ~20 years. I've had meaningful impacts in both education and research. However, I'm independent & self-funding is harder than ever. Please enable me to continue by supporting on Patreon. patreon.com/samaaron

Keynote on Track 1: @samaaron.bsky.social, creator of Sonic Pi, with 'Notes on the Synthesis of Time'. A talk about time and sound, in a building made for music. We couldn't resist. #CodeBEAM #SonicPi

It knew I wanted a synthesizer How do you use a tool that lies to you? @samaaron.bsky.social on getting reliable results out of LLM:s. A clip from Kodsnack 723 - listen wherever you get podcasts, or at kodsnack.se! #ai #llm #sonicpi #podcast #softwareEngineering

In this week's Kodsnack, Fredrik talks to Sam Aaron about Sonic pi - the tool for learning, coding, and performing music. kodsnack.se/723/ #podcast #sonicPi

If your favourite programming consultants are ranting about the transformative potential of AI but aren’t producing incredible awe-inspiring next-level work with it - why are you listening to them? Seriously.

Headed to Goatmire to spend a full week info-dumping my last year of work with all the incredible Elixir and functional programmers that attend. It’s going to be brilliant yet exhausting.

What’s this? A “QR Code Link” you say? Yes, it’s Sonic Pi code encoded into a url that opens ready for you to read, play and edit in Sonic Pi in your browser. Share your live coded tracks with greater ease!

Ash Weather - coded in Sonic Pi by David McInnis “Hazy detuned pads, slow tape wobble, dusty half-time drums, hiss.” Open and play in your browser with this code link: sonic-pi.net/code.html#co...

Sonic Pi on Web. Sonic Pi now runs in the web browser on your PC, tablet and phone. www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Lorezzed - coded in Sonic Pi sonic-pi.net/code.html#co...

Sonic Pi now runs in the web! sonic-pi.net

What's this? Another screen shot of Sonic Pi v5? Oh no my friend... This is a completely new implementation of Sonic Pi running live in my web browser running on top of SuperSonic. Coming soon to a browser near you...

A quick demo of Sonic Pi controlling VST plugins. Note that it's not just trigging like a MIDI track, it's also algorithmically controlling the controls (cutoff in this example).

Not sure why but Sonic Pi is on the front page of Hacker News again! Please join in the discussion in the comments :-) news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4948...

I currently have a working experimental build of Sonic Pi that has support for VST plugins. My current plan is to release it as Sonic Pi Pro exclusively available to Patreon supporters only. It’s going to be a complete game changer.

I might be working on a completely new audio DSP engine that combines my favourite parts of SuperCollider and Erlang…

I’m really honoured that the School of Computer Science at The University of Sheffield have extended my Visiting Scholar status for a further 3 years. I look forward to deepening the collaboration and continuing my research into expressive programming languages for music & education.

It’s been over 2 weeks since Sonic Pi v5 was released and still no major issues found. I’m still over the moon that the release has gone so smoothly. github.com/sonic-pi-net...

I am having way too much fun with Sonic Pi sonic-pi.net

Sonic Pi V5 was released! Live coding music just got better. Sam Aaron who makes Sonic Pi is showing up a lot at Goatmire. Free 4 hour workshop. A full talk on .. time. And no less than two DJ sets at the closing dinner in a proper night club. www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos... #elixirlang #goatmire

It’s been a week since Sonic Pi v5 released with over 90 improvements & no major issues reported & feedback is super positive. This is especially poignant given the switch to SuperSonic. I’m over the moon that such a major engineering overhaul has gone so smoothly. github.com/sonic-pi-net...

Sonic Pi v5 is on the front page of Hacker News! Please join the conversation in the comments: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4920...

Sonic Pi v5 is released. Sonic Pi is now more friendly, more accessible, more powerful and more fun. There's something to excite everyone - from the friendlier error messages, to the pro-audio config, to the new dynamic visuals for performance. Enjoy! www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

A sample from my upcoming presentation at Kansas City Developer Conference: live-coding weird “Angine de Poitrine” microtonal math rock with Sonic Pi, the music programming language! Bring your laptop, bring your weirdness, and bring the noise! More here: www.kcdc.info

Thank-you to everyone that has supported me in any way. Huge hugs x www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Sonic Pi v5 Release Candidate 9 This addresses a nefarious comms bug that has been sneakily hiding since v1 as well as final bits of polish. Grab it whilst you can and let me know how it goes. www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Coming up this week at the Centre for Computing History! ☀️ 🎵 Wed 5 Aug – Musical Code with Sonic Pi ⚡ Thu 6 Aug – Electronics Lab: Beat the Buzzer 🤖 Fri 7 Aug – Rubik's Cube Robots Find out more and book here www.computinghistory.org.uk/pages/30677/...

Waiting for feedback about your latest software release candidate is a *very* anxious business indeed. www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

I thought being more active on Patreon and publishing more things would help me turn things around - but it seems to have done the opposite and I've lost way more Patreon supporters this month than in any other month for a long time. At least I'm going on holiday soon, so that's an upside!

Sonic Pi v5 Release Candidate 8 This release addresses an issue on macOS with Bluetooth headphones and internal improvements on all platforms. Please give it a try on your most esoteric audio setup and let me know how it goes! www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Sonic Pi v5 Release Candidate 6 This includes improvements for multichannel audio on Linux and lots of lovely polish. Grab it whilst it’s hot! www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Last year at @kcdc.bsky.social, I presented an offbeat dev tool for making visual novels! I’m doing it again this year, but this time, I’m presenting an ON-beat dev tool for making music: Sonic Pi! @samaaron.bsky.social , I thought you should know! Details: www.kcdc.info/sessions

Sonic Pi v5 Release Candidate 5 is now available. New drive control to either power the limiter or create more headroom, much improved preferences, 18.5ms lower latency and so much love and care. Grab your copy for free now! www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Sonic Pi v5 Release Candidate 4 is now available to download. ...final bits of polish, further improvements for screen readers, more colour theme control. Read more and download for free here: www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Sonic Pi v5 Release Candidate 3 is now available to download for free. This addresses an issue booting on macOS 14 and PipeWire support in the Linux AppImages. It also lets you play the samples directly from the autocomplete! www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Sonic Pi v5 Release Candidate 2 is now available to download. This contains a *significant* amount of polish since RC1 and a few nice features even managed to slip in. Read all about it and get the links for free on my Patreon post: www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Our summer workshops are getting booked up, so don’t miss out! Spaces are still available for: 🤖 Build-A-Bot: Introducing QB 🏃🏽‍♂️ Keep Fit with the micro:bit 🎵 Musical Code with Sonic Pi ⚡️ Beat the Buzzer www.computinghistory.org.uk/pages/30677/...

"I don't tell people I'm a programmer anymore..." 😅 @samaaron.bsky.social has a better answer: "I'm a musician. I play code." A fun take on why programming is more than just building business software. 🎥 youtube.com/shorts/v7hL8... #Programming #CreativeCoding #SonicPi

I put a *lot* of effort into improving Sonic Pi's accessibility. So it's genuinely heart-warming to get this feedback: "I’m loving the new auto complete with my screen reader! It’s like a stealthy little ninja waiting to jump into action." "[I] want it in all my code editors now, wonderful work."

A bit old video but still relevant. Sonic-Pi is one of the most inspiring Open Source projects ever and I believe it deserves more visibility. It's also a lot of fun 🎉 https://youtu.be/bBKu3qb0o_Y https://fosstodon.org/@alex/104400262485586472

It took 7 years of self-funded work, but Sonic Pi is finally at a place I'm happy with. It's even easier than beginners and even more powerful for pro users - and just way more polished in every way. It's also a (friendly) technical trojan horse for SuperSonic. www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

In Sonic Pi v5 the documentation for each synth is an actual playable synth. Use the qwerty keys to trigger the notes and play with the control knobs like a standard synth - it then generates the code for you. Sonic Pi v5 RC1 is now freely available to download: www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Sonic Pi v5 RC1 is now public and available to download. I think it's the most significant release ever. Please give it a whirl - I would love to know your thoughts. www.patreon.com/samaaron/pos...

Sonic Pi v5 now opens up with a new Quickstart Card system. This gets people up and running much faster and more joyfully than a long wordy tutorial. You can play the cards directly or drag them into the editor to use the snippet in your own composition.

"I play code." @samaaron.bsky.social explains why programming belongs on stage, not just in the office. From @sonic-pi.net to AI & Tau5, this is a fresh look at creativity, software, and the future of coding. 🎥 Watch this @yowconf.bsky.social talk now: youtu.be/-L4OoOgQ5Wk?...