Atoms

Strudel mini-notation squishes a space-separated sequence of sounds into one cycle

Strudel mininotation is a mini-language inside pattern strings that expresses rhythmic structure

Strudel note values can be MIDI numbers or letter names with octave and accidental notation

Strudel patterns must include .analyze('hydra') for visuals to receive FFT data — an untagged pattern plays audio but the visuals see a.fft = 0

Strudel polymeter with {…} requires the %n step-count suffix; without it the first group's length sets the step count for all groups

Strudel produces no sound until the first user click unlocks the browser AudioContext — silence at startup is autoplay policy, not a bug

Strudel re-evaluates on save without cutting audio — a syntax error keeps the previous pattern playing while the edit is not applied

Strudel sample names must match folders in the loaded bank — s("kick"), s("clap"), s("snare") are silent because the real folder names are bd, cp, sd

Strudel spaces every element of a pattern evenly within one fixed-length cycle

Strudel takes patterns/signals as arguments (not thunks like Hydra) — .lpf(sine.range(200,2000)) is correct; .lpf(() => ...) is a cross-DSL mistake

Strudel's crush takes a bit-depth (1–16), not a 0–1 knob — crush(4) is heavy, crush(16) is nearly clean

Strudel's setcpm is cycles-per-minute not BPM — setcpm(120) is very fast; use setcpm(BPM/4) for the standard 4-beats-per-cycle feel

Sublow designates grime's extreme low-frequency bass around 40 Hz, tuned for physical impact on sound systems

Subtractive synthesis creates new sounds by filtering harmonics out of a rich waveform

Subtractive synthesis filters harmonically rich oscillator output to sculpt timbre

Subtractive synthesis starts from a harmonically rich source and removes components with filters

SuperCollider 2's proxy system enabled true live coding by making it possible to rewrite any component of a running program at runtime

SuperCollider audio-analysis UGens are not wired to this rig's AV bridge and cannot drive its visuals

SuperCollider class names are capitalized and methods lowercase; misspelling a UGen name fails outright

SuperCollider conditionals use if(cond, {true}, {false}) and case tests condition/action pairs in order

SuperCollider distinguishes local variables (var), single-letter globals (a-z), and environment variables (~name)

SuperCollider evaluates binary operators strictly left-to-right, ignoring conventional arithmetic precedence

SuperCollider exists as two separate networked programs: sclang and scsynth

SuperCollider functions are curly-brace blocks that run only when sent .value and return their last expression

SuperCollider has no global output limiter, so summed voices and feedback can clip or blow up

SuperCollider is two separate processes: a language client and a sound server

SuperCollider patterns started without .play(quant:) begin immediately and drift out of phase

SuperCollider produces no sound until the audio server is explicitly booted with s.boot

SuperCollider records the server's live audio output to a sound file with record and stopRecording

SuperCollider scopes variables three ways: local (var) vanish with their block; single-letter and environment (~) names persist across the session

SuperCollider serves both as a standalone live-coding environment and as the audio back-end for many front-end languages

SuperCollider UGens run at audio rate (ar), control rate (kr), or initialization rate (ir)

SuperCollider's 2002 release as free software made it the foundational audio engine for live coding

Sustained-tone music is worldwide, but the label 'drone music' is reserved for the Western avant-garde lineage

Swing delays every other 16th note by a set proportion, with 50% meaning straight timing

Swing is an attitude to rhythm — any music with pleasing dequantization might be said to swing

Swing time alternately stretches and shrinks the two halves of each beat

Switches are classified by the number of circuits they control (poles) and the number of positions they switch between (throws)

Switching to the Dvorak layout reduces RSI pain via natural, hand-alternating typing motions

Symmetrically arranged elements are perceived as a unified, complete group

Synaesthesia — the neurological crossover of senses — underpins the historical colour music and visual music traditions

Syncopated breakbeats — not tempo — are the defining characteristic that separates drum and bass from techno

Syncopation places accents on normally weak beats, creating tension against an internalized pulse

Synthwave splits into upbeat and dark camps, both evoking the 1980s aesthetic

Tale of Us's Afterlife label gave mid-2010s melodic techno its identity and global main-stage reach

Teaching algorithms through music engages students in computational thinking — describing, designing, and executing step-by-step processes — in a naturally motivating context

Techno is designed for continuous DJ sets: instrumental, long-form, and built for beatmatched mixing

Techno prioritises rhythm and timbral synthesis over harmonic and melodic practice

Techstep coined tech from Belgian hardcore, not Detroit techno

Techstep defines drum-and-bass by cold, clinical, sci-fi sound design instead of rave euphoria

The 'chillout' genre emerged from British rave chillout rooms outside the main dancefloor

The 'intelligent drum & bass' label created a damaging implied hierarchy within the scene

The 'intelligent'/'pure' techno framing arose as a taste distinction against commercial hardcore rave

The 'Think break' from Lynn Collins' 'Think' is Baltimore club's signature breakbeat

The $: prefix declares an independent pattern that plays simultaneously with other $: patterns

The 12 principles of animation provide a checklist of techniques that make procedural characters feel alive

The 16-step drum machine grid represents two bars of 4/4 time as sixteen eighth notes

The 1990s DAW boom displaced hardware, but tactile limits drew musicians back to physical instruments

The 2007 UK smoking ban changed dubstep venue dynamics by breaking continuous crowd immersion and increasing drug variety

The 2020s breakcore revival blends the genre's intensity with nostalgia, anime, and Y2K internet aesthetics