Livecoding is the practice of writing and rewriting a program while it runs, with the output as music. No render button, no undo history, no finished track waiting to be exported. You type a line, it starts playing, you change it, and it changes underneath you.

In this two-hour, beginner-friendly workshop we'll use Strudel, a free browser-based livecoding environment, to go from a blank text field to a full pattern you're performing in real time. You'll make your first sound in the first five minutes, then build up through rhythms, melodies, effects, and the algorithmic pattern functions that make this way of working genuinely different from a DAW. We'll also take a look at Hydra, a companion tool for livecoding visuals, so you can see how the same idea extends beyond sound.

No prior coding experience required. No music theory required. If you can type, you can livecode!

What to bring: a laptop (charged) and headphones. Chrome or another Chromium browser works best. Everything runs in the browser, so there's nothing to install ahead of time.

Who it's for: anyone curious about making music with code, whether you come from the music side, the programming side, or neither.

Presented by: Andrew Kostka and Jessica Stringham
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Saturday, November 7th, 2026
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
@ Synth Library Portland
123 NE 3rd Ave Suite 012 (view map)
Portland, OR 97232
Free parking from 1-5pm on Saturdays but you must follow procedure (info and kiosk code inside) and display ticket from the kiosk on dash during time parked

$10-20 sliding scale
(tickets required to attend, no one turned away for lack of funds, email info@synthlibraryportland.org for no-cost tickets)