gram: guide

> ./en/music.md

---
title: Music
description: 
published: true
date: 2025-07-21T20:23:50.008Z
tags: 
editor: markdown
dateCreated: 2025-07-21T17:42:45.341Z
---

# Music

> Mobilized, Synthesized, Analogued, and Encoded.

## Encoded

I am pursuing a course of learning [Sonic Pi](https://sonic-pi.net/),
seemingly the most popular choice
for a genre known as "live-coded" music.

Aside from the music/code editor,
I need to rely on my quick reflexes and visual/hand loop
built up from years of coding and martial arts;
there is a speed that I can reach
in editors that I've used for a few months,
that is on par with the speed I can come up with rhymes and lyrics;
I'd like to reach a similar pace in my music producción,
so I can bend a song on the fly as someone is free-styling by my side.

I'm hardly alone here,
some popular coders incuding [Louis Pilfold](https://lpil.uk)
who produces the [Gleam programming language](https://gleam.run),
also [made command-line programs](https://github.com/lpil/sonic-pi-tool)
to help bend this music into the reach of their skills;
music needs to be frictionless to be any good.

A quick sampling of the other programs to couple in to Sonic Pi:

* [vim-sonic-pi](https://github.com/lilyinstarlight/vim-sonic-pi)
* [sonic-pipe](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/sonic-pipe-sonic-pi-from-the-command-line-4-0/6947) (expired)
* [sonic-pi-cli](https://github.com/Widdershin/sonic-pi-cli)

And of course, when sharing a song is as simple as copypasta,
there are going to be many examples to repurpose:

* https://sonic-pi.mehackit.org/exercises/en/11-templates/05-hip-hop-beat.html
* https://gist.github.com/darinwilson/137764d4b06072de626c

## Analogued

I am mediocre on drums,
skilled in lyrics, whistles, a capella horns, and bird calls,
and learning more beat box patterns by the day.

I rely on the [7DrumCity](https://www.7drumcity.com) music school, and their [Pocket venue](https://www.7drumcity.com/the-pocket.html)
for the Tuesday night open mic sessions,
where I learn from my magical peers (I hope you're reading!).

Whenever Open Mic night lets out under clear skies,
we're probably cooking on my [pickup camper cooking rig](/ape/pup)
and causing a scene with music, dance, and [martial arts](/ape/martial).

Because I do so many analogue mouth-sounds,
and always carry drum sticks,
I keep my [Rode NT-USB Mini][rode] within arms reach 24/7,
and with one USB C cable I'm ready to dump a song into my phone's audio recorder in high fidelity.


## Synthesized

As a broke online producer,
only barely on the cusp
of the [financial independence scene](/fin),
I need to keep from irresponsible expansion
of my synthesizer collección;
to this end I am seriously considering
how to build (and sell?) synth components.

I am lucky to keep conneccións
among a number of [labs and hackerspaces](/labs),
with the machines needed for wood and metalworking,
and rich experience in making loud noises.

I'm equally lucky to rely on
some remarkably generous and genius guidance,
to keep errors and expense minimal.

* diy-synths.snnkv.com
* ericasynths.lv/shop/diy-kits-1
* youtube.com/@crowd_supply
* syntherjack.net/how-to-start-synth-diy
* thevinylfactory.com/features/8-diy-analogue-synthesizers-you-can-build-at-home
* https://synthux.academy

For now I rely on a [Korg Minilogue xd][korg]
and a [Polyend Tracker](https://polyend.com/tracker/),
and I am so eager to plug
them into the Sonic Pi landscape.
I am seeking a [portable 88-key-board][keyboard].

[korg]: https://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/minilogue_xd/
[rode]: https://rode.com/en-us/products/nt-usb-mini
[keyboard]: https://www.casio.com/us/electronic-musical-instruments/categories/portable-keyboards/

## ...and Mobilized!

Using a 12 volt car battery, some flat panels,
and [DML distributed-mode loudspeakers][DML],
I plan to build a cheap, untethered amp,
and a cargo trailer that I can pull
behind a bicycle or the truck.

Since I had so much success on the [pickup camper](/ape/pup),
I'm ready to haul a small hippy squad
up the appalachians for some campfire recording sessions.
Although you should probably [Never Whistle At Night](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL34250491W/Never_Whistle_at_Night?edition=key%3A/books/OL46432351M).

[DML]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKIye4RZ-5k