Final Piece
Reflection
This project allowed me to play around and learn the rudiments of new software, and I was able to create a solid piece, although I was not able to utilise the software every step of the way. Any extra edits, effects, and anything beyond the basic tune had to be done on Adobe Audition. As I continue my journey with learning Sonic Pi, I would use the program to create music without help from external software that would incorporate many different instruments and chords progressions so as to work towards a more professional sounding piece. The work I created is very basic and only contains a few key elements of the bigger project I envisioned. While I successfully executed the idea of a soundscape and music amalgamation, it lacks key elements such as length, immersion and better production quality. This is unmistakably due to the fact that I am amateur at both music theory and Sonic Pi, which is easily remedied for future projects by constant studying and practice.
While I was in the process of creating this, I was able to dive into a completely new Audio Programming Language and learn the basics, which was incredibly engaging. The constant use of trial and error, going back and redoing, and scrapping old code in favour of new code solidified my knowledge base and I am now confident in my ability to build upon that solid foundation. I also greatly enjoyed coming up with a theme and cover art and using my mood boards and sketches to guide my coded composition.
Evaluation
Algorithmic composition has an extensive history and dabbling in making music through code was an enlightening process. I was introduced to new ways of implementing my creativity through computational practice. Of the many algorithmic compositions, AI-assisted music pieces and tunes created by Sonic Pi, I would say mine is very simple and does not include many of what they do. However, my end goal was not to create an incredibly advanced, code heavy professional piece, but rather a simple musical soundscape, which I was able to achieve. The soundscapes I found online, created by others, were similarly simple, but of more professionalism. Thus, I ended up satisfied with what I made using the little I learnt, and believe that it expresses what I planned for it to express.