Triggering Samples

Playing beeps is only the beginning. Something that’s a lot of fun is triggering pre-recorded samples. Try it:

sample :ambi_lunar_land

Sonic Pi includes many samples for you to play with. You can use them just like you use the play command. To play multiple samples and notes just write them one after another:

play 36
play 48
sample :ambi_lunar_land
sample :ambi_drone

If you want to space them out in time, use the sleep command:

sample :ambi_lunar_land
sleep 1
play 48
sleep 0.5
play 36
sample :ambi_drone
sleep 1
play 36

Notice how Sonic Pi doesn’t wait for a sound to finish before starting the next sound. The sleep command only describes the separation of the triggering of the sounds. This allows you to easily layer sounds together creating interesting overlap effects.

Discovering Samples

There are two ways to discover the range of samples provided in Sonic Pi. First, you can use this help system. Click on Samples in the menu at the bottom of this help screen, choose your category and then you’ll see a list of available sounds.

Alternatively you can use the auto-completion system. Simply type the start of a sample group such as: sample :ambi_ and you’ll see a drop-down of sample names appear for you to select. Try the following category prefixes:

Now start mixing samples into your compositions!