Community & Resources 🌀 Bulka

Community & Resources

This page collects useful tips, example tracks and resources from the Strudel/TidalCycles community.

Where to find the community

Bulka (Russian-speaking community)

Strudel/TidalCycles (international community)

Tips and tricks

Common mistakes

n vs note: what’s the difference?

  • note changes the pitch
  • n picks a sample number from the bank
// n picks a sample from the bank
s("bd").n("<0 1 2 3>")  // different kicks
 
// note changes the pitch
s("piano").note("c4 e4 g4 c5")

With synths both change the pitch, but with samples n picks the file!

The Reference panel slows things down

If things get sluggish, close the Reference panel. It renders many elements and can affect audio performance.

Sounds don’t load the first time

Samples have to load, so the first run may be silent. Just run the code again.

Workflow tips

Use the Community Bakery for inspiration

Open strudel.cc/bakery and study other people’s patterns: it’s the best way to learn new techniques.

Share your code

Press the “share” button in the REPL to get a link to your pattern that you can share.

Don’t be afraid to delete code

If you don’t like the result, delete it and start over. That’s a normal part of live coding.

Example tracks

Minimal techno

// A minimal techno groove
stack(
s("bd*4").gain(1.2),
s("~ cp").room(0.3),
s("hh*8").gain(0.6).pan(sine.range(0.3, 0.7)),
note("g1*2 [~ g1] g1 [g1 a1]")
  .s("sawtooth")
  .lpf(sine.slow(8).range(200, 1200))
  .lpq(8)
  .gain(0.7)
)

Ambient drone

// Atmospheric ambient
stack(
note("[c3,e3,g3,b3]")
  .s("sawtooth")
  .lpf(400)
  .attack(2)
  .release(4)
  .room(0.8)
  .size(0.9)
  .slow(4),
note("c2").s("sine")
  .gain(0.3)
  .slow(8)
)

Drum and bass pattern

// A DnB rhythm section
stack(
s("[bd ~] ~ [~ bd] ~"),
s("~ [~ sd] ~ sd").room(0.2),
s("[hh hh]*4").gain(0.5).speed(1.2)
).fast(2)

Polyrhythmic groove

// A 3 against 4 polyrhythm
stack(
s("bd*4"),
s("cp*3").gain(0.8),
s("hh*5").gain(0.5)
)

Euclidean rhythms

// Euclidean rhythms make interesting patterns
stack(
s("bd(3,8)"),
s("sd(5,8)").gain(0.7),
s("hh(7,8)").gain(0.5),
s("cp(2,8)").room(0.3)
)

Acid bassline

// Acid 303 style
note("c2 c2 [c2 c3] c2 c2 [~ c2] eb2 [c2 g1]")
.s("sawtooth")
.lpf(sine.slow(4).range(200, 2000))
.lpq(15)
.lpenv(4)
.lpa(0.01)
.lpd(0.1)
.gain(0.8)
.distort(0.3)

Lo-fi hip-hop

// Lo-fi vibes
stack(
s("bd [~ bd] ~ bd").slow(2),
s("~ sd").slow(2).room(0.4),
s("hh*4").gain(0.3).speed(0.9),
note("<[c4,e4,g4] [a3,c4,e4] [f3,a3,c4] [g3,b3,d4]>")
  .s("piano")
  .slow(2)
  .room(0.5)
  .lpf(2000)
)

Advanced techniques

Breakbeat chopping

// A classic amen break chop
samples('github:yaxu/clean-breaks')
s("amen/4").fit()
.chop(16)
.cut(1)
.sometimesBy(0.3, ply(2))
.sometimesBy(0.2, rev)

Generative patterns with rand

// Random variations
note("c3 e3 g3 b3")
.add(note(rand.range(-2, 2)))
.s("piano")
.sometimesBy(0.3, add(note(12)))

Layer for complex textures

// Stacking different processing
note("c3 e3 g3 b3").layer(
x => x.s("sawtooth").lpf(800),
x => x.s("square").add(note(12)).gain(0.3),
x => x.s("sine").sub(note(12)).gain(0.5)
).room(0.5)

Phasing

// Steve Reich style phasing
note("c4 d4 e4 g4 a4 g4 e4 d4")
.s("piano")
.fast("[1, 1.01]")  // slightly different speeds
.room(0.4)

Conditional modifiers

// Apply an effect every N cycles
s("bd sd cp sd")
.every(4, fast(2))
.every(3, rev)
.sometimesBy(0.2, speed(1.5))

YouTube tutorials

Recommended videos to learn from:

  • “Live Coding For Music With Strudel.cc (Beginners)” — Groovin in G, a great start for beginners
  • “Creative Code Art - WORKSHOP // Coding Music With Strudel” — Dan Gorelick & Viola He, a full workshop
  • “Intro To Algorave (Strudel Workshop)” — an introduction to algorave culture
  • Switch Angel — a channel with live coded techno demos

Useful resources

Docs

Tools

  • Flok (flok.cc) — collaborative live coding in the browser
  • strudel.nvim — Neovim integration for advanced users

Samples

Performance

  • Close the Reference panel while live coding
  • Use .cut(1) on samples to avoid overlaps
  • Desktop app — Bulka without a browser, for Windows, Linux and macOS
  • Go easy on reverb — high .room() and .size() values load the CPU

The live coding philosophy

“Don’t be afraid of mistakes: they are part of the process. Practice like on a musical instrument. It gets better with time.”

Live coding is:

  • Experiment — try different things and listen to what happens
  • Process — the path matters, not only the result
  • Community — share, learn from others, ask questions

Want to add your example or tip? Open a PR in the project repository!