Tutorial 3: Playing Built-In Samples

FoxDot can also be used to sequence and manipulate audio samples. To do this all you need to do is use the special play SynthDef. The first argument of the play SynthDef should be a string of characters instead of a list of numbers as you would do for any other SynthDef. Each character represents a different audio file, which is stored in a buffer in SuperCollider.

To view which character relates to which audio file, execute

print(Samples)

You can play audio samples in the FoxDot/snd/ sub-directories by using the play Synth and using a string of characters instead of list of notes.

bd >> play("x")

A character refers to a sound and whitespace is used for silence, so you can spread sounds out in time:

bd >> play("x  x  x  ")

hh >> play(" -")

You can lace patterns using round brackets Whick plays like: "x o xo "

d1 >> play("(x )( x)o ")

The following is the same as "-------="

hh >> play("---(-=)")

Putting characters in square brackets will play them all in the space of one beat And will be played like one character, not simultaneous, but in quick succession

d1 >> play("x-o[-o]")

d1 >> play("x-o[---]")

d1 >> play("x-o[-----]")

d1 >> play("x-o[--------------]")

and can be put in round brackets as if they were one character themselves.

d1 >> play("x[--]o(=[-o])")

You can combine the brackets however you like: the following patterns are identical

d1 >> play("x-o(-[-o])")

d1 >> play("x-o[-(o )]")

Curly braces select a sample sound at random if you want more variety

d1 >> play("x-o{-=[--][-o]}")

Angle brackets combine patterns to be play simultaneously

d1 >> play("<X   ><-   ><#   ><V   >")

d1 >> play("<X   >< -  ><  # ><   V>")

Each character is mapped to a folder of sound files and you can select different samples by using the "sample" keyword argument

d1 >> play("(x[--])xu[--]")

d1 >> play("(x[--])xu[--]", sample=1)

d1 >> play("(x[--])xu[--]", sample=2)

Change the sample for each beat

d1 >> play("(x[--])xu[--]", sample=[1,2,3])

You can layer two patterns together - note the P, look at tutorial 4 for more information.

d1 >> play(P["x-o-"] & P[" **"])

And change effects applied to all the layered patterns at the same time

d1 >> play(P["x-o-"] & P[" **"], room=0.5)

Example from the player tutorial, but with samples instead Conditionals...

d1 >> play("x[--]xu[--]x", sample=(d1.degree=="x"))

Or change it to sample bank 2 by multiplying

d1 >> play("x[--]xu[--]x", sample=(d1.degree=="x")*2)

Chain multiple conditionals

d1 >> play("x[--]xu[--]x", sample=(d1.degree=="x")*2 + (d1.degree=="-")*5)

Which is the same as

d1 >> play("x[--]xu[--]x", sample=d1.degree.map({"x":2, "-":5}))