Today we bring Sam Aaron, the creator of Sonic Pi, a free code-based music creation and performance tool that lets you use simple code to turn your computer into a fully networked live coding music studio! It is also used to engage students in computer science and programming through music creation!

In this episode, we explore the origins of Sonic Pi, its deep connection with Raspberry Pi, and how it enables live coding for music creation, starting from it's Ruby-based language features, we discuss how Sonic Pi has evolved, the challenges of maintaining it as a sustainable open-source project and if you’re curious about coding, music, or both—this one’s for you!

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

Sonic Pi - https://sonic-pi.net/

Sam's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/samaaron

Sam's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samaaron/

Sam's X/Twitter: https://x.com/samaaron

DJ Dave: https://www.youtube.com/@dj_dave____

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:11 - Sonic Pi Origin Story

03:03 - Connection To Raspberry Pi

04:23 - But What Is Sonic Pi?

06:25 - Is Ruby The Primary Language Used In Sonic Pi?

10:25 - A Small Sonic Pi Showcase

17:53 - Collaboration through Git

23:12 - How Did Sam Get Involved In All Of This?

25:14 - The Feedback Loop of Sonic Pi

26:56 - How Does The Live Coding Experience Work In Sonic Pi?

32:01 - The Two Different Working Modes Of Sonic Pi

33:42 - How Does Debugging Work In Sonic Pi

38:55 - How Do The Different Components Fit Into The Architecture Of The Project

51:33 - Has Sam Been Full-Time On Sonic Pi Since Its Inception?

53:25 - Does Sam Want To Try Something Different?

56:25 - How Is Sam Finding More Sustainable Revenue?