Sonic Pi — Reliable randomisation for performances

摘要

Live coding is a performance discipline that considers code as an interface. The act of writing, deleting and modifying code allows a performer to directly interact with their context through the creation of computational side effects such as sounds and visuals. A commonly used tool for many kinds of expression is randomness which enables the introduction of automated variation into performances. This article covers Sonic Pi's approach to randomisation which eschews the typical goal of chasing true randomness with high entropy. Instead, Sonic Pi favours a much simpler low-entropy approach which aims to provide useful randomisation in the context of algorithmic music making.