SuperCollider Cookbook

SuperCollider Cookbook by Bruno

This page collects short and simple code examples of useful stuff. These are just quick "reminders" of how to do common things.

Play a sound file, vary speed, reverse

create a buffer

~mysound = Buffer.read(s, "path/to/sound/file.wav");

simple play

{PlayBuf.ar(1, ~mysound)}.play; // number of channels and buffer

get sound file info

[~mysound.bufnum, ~mysound.numChannels, ~mysound.path, ~mysound.numFrames];

varying speed

{PlayBuf.ar(1, ~mysound, 2, loop: 1)}.play; // play 2x faster

{PlayBuf.ar(1, ~mysound, 0.5, loop: 1)}.play; // play at half the speed

{PlayBuf.ar(1, ~mysound, Line.kr(0.5, 2, 10), loop: 1)}.play; // playback speed goes from 0.5 to 2 in 10 seconds

changing direction (reverse)

{PlayBuf.ar(1, ~mysound, -1, loop: 1)}.play; // reverse sound

{PlayBuf.ar(1, ~mysound, -0.5, loop: 1)}.play; // play at half the speed AND reversed

Play a MIDI file

Do this and that.

Looping

While

(
i = 0;
while ( { i < 5 }, { i = i + 1; "boing".postln });
)

For

for (3, 7, { arg i; i.postln }); // prints values 3 through 7

ForBy

forBy (0, 8, 2, { arg i; i.postln }); // prints values 0 through 8 by 2's

Do

do(9, {"Wow".postln}); // print "Wow" nine times

9.do({"Wow".postln}); // same as above

5.do({ arg item; item.postln }); // iterates from zero to four

do(5, {arg item; item.postln}); // same as above

Compare the output of these:

do(9, {arg whatevername; whatevername.postln}); // give whatever name you want to the arg of 'do'

do([9, 8, 3, 5], {arg whatevername; whatevername.postln}); // elements from collection (not a counter)

do([9, 8, 3, 5], {arg whatevs1, whatevs2; [whatevs2, whatevs1].postln}); // second argument works as a counter

More examples:

["zero", "first", "second", "third", 500].do({ arg item, i; [i, item].postln; });

do(["zero", "first", "second", "third", 500], {arg item, i; [i, item].postln});

"you".do({ arg item; item.postln }); // a String is a collection of characters

'they'.do({ arg item; item.postln }); // a Symbol is a singular item

(8..20).do({ arg item; item.postln }); // iterates from eight to twenty 

(8,10..20).do({ arg item; item.postln }); // iterates from eight to twenty, with stepsize two

If...Else

Syntax is if(condition, {true action}, {false action}). Examples:

if(10 == 10, {"10 is indeed equal to 10"}, {"false"})

if(condition, {true action}, {false action});

if(10 == 10, {"10 is indeed equal to 10"}, {"false"})

if((1 < 20).and(1.8.isInteger), {"very true"}, {"hmmm..."})

10.do({arg count; [count, if(count.odd, {"odd"}, {"even"})].postln})

(
84.do({arg count; if([0, 4, 7].includes(count%12), 
	{count.post; " is part of a C triad.".postln}, 
	{count.post; " is not part of a C triad".postln})})
)

50.do({if(1.0.rand.round(0.01).post > 0.5,  {" > 0.5".postln}, {" < 0.5".postln})})

50.do({if(1.0.rand > 0.5,  {"play a note".postln}, {"rest".postln})})

50.do({if(0.5.coin, {"play a note".postln}, {"rest".postln})}) // same as above

if((10.odd).or(10 < 20), {"true".postln}, {"false".postln})

Arrays

Various array operations:

a = [10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]

a.reverse  // reverse

a.scramble // scramble

a.choose  // picks one element at random

a.size	  // returns size of array

a.at(0)   // retrieves item at specified position

a[0]	  // same as above

a.wrapAt(9) // retrives item at specified position, wrapping around if > a.size

a ++ 999  // ++ (concatenate) adds something to the end of the array

a ++ \hi  // a Symbol is a single character

a ++ 'hi' // same as above

a ++ "hi" // a String is a collection of characters;