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What is SC Learn?

SC Learn is a platform to take your first steps in SuperCollider from the browser, without installing anything. It is designed for musicians curious about programming and for programmers interested in audio synthesis: people who already have one foot in one world and want to build bridges to the other.

SuperCollider is an environment for real-time audio synthesis and algorithmic composition, in active use since 1996 in electroacoustic music, live coding and sound research. This site is an introduction — not a substitute for the real software.

An important note
SuperCollider does not run in the browser. SC Learn is an introductory guide to the basics of SuperCollider — it is not a replacement for the real software. The audio you hear is an approximation built with Tone.js (a JavaScript library for browser audio) that models the behaviour of the UGens in the exercises, functionally valid for learning.

To go further, download SuperCollider from supercollider.github.io and try the exercises directly in the SuperCollider IDE. That is where the real synthesis server (scsynth) runs and where you will experience the full language.
The learning path
01
Oscillators and waveforms
Everything starts with sound generation. You will work with SinOsc (pure sine wave), Saw (sawtooth) and Pulse (square wave). You will learn to control frequency and amplitude, the two fundamental parameters of any signal.
02
Noise
WhiteNoise, PinkNoise and BrownNoise are noise signals with different spectral character: from bright white to deep and diffuse brown.
03
Filters
A filter shapes the timbre by letting certain frequencies pass and attenuating others. LPF (low-pass), HPF (high-pass) and BPF (band-pass) are the foundation of subtractive synthesis: starting from a sound and sculpting it to the desired timbre.
04
Envelopes
A sound exists in time: it has a beginning, evolution, and an end. Env lets you define that trajectory. You will work with the ADSR model (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) and other profiles. Envelopes do not only control amplitude — they can be applied to any sound parameter.
05
Modulation
When one oscillator controls the parameter of another, modulation is born. FM (frequency modulation) and AM (amplitude modulation) allow complex, moving timbres to be built from simple components. It is one of the most important conceptual leaps in audio synthesis.
06
Effects and space
FreeVerb adds reverb, DelayN introduces controlled delays and Pan2 positions the signal in the stereo field. These are tools that transform a sound event into a spatial experience.
SuperCollider resources
Official sitesupercollider.github.ioDocumentationdocs.supercollider.onlineGitHubgithub.com/supercollider