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Show HN: A Web-Based Modular Drum Machine for You to Play With (opens in new tab)

(noisecraft.app)

214 pointsmaxime_cb4y ago34 comments

34 comments

31 comments · 16 top-level

maxime_cbOP4y ago· 9 in thread

OP here. I've been working on an app/platform for people to explore musical ideas. This is a drum machine that a European friend of mine created using the app. You can press the Play button in the top-right corner to start audio playback and customize the pattern being played by clicking the red squares on the step sequencer.

If this example is too big and scary, I've made a simpler drum machine here: https://noisecraft.app/529

And many more examples can be found on the browse page: https://noisecraft.app/browse

One of my all-time favorites is this one: https://noisecraft.app/101

Disclaimer that this is made with laptop/desktop computers in mind and may not work well on mobile. The app supports binding MIDI controls by double clicking on knobs :)

I've used various forms of these audio tools in the past (MAX, PD) and this is a very impressive piece of work. First, I haven't seen one implemented with web technologies before, and after running through many example projects there were zero errors or issues for me. Everything seems clear and straightforward.

Nicely done, congrats on publishing this, and thanks for making it open source!

ogig4y ago

> One of my all-time favorites is this one: https://noisecraft.app/101

I have to agree. Already spent 10 minutes only with the cutoff and res.

Impressive work on the app, kudos!

ycombinatorrio4y ago

Thank you internet stranger for all the work you have done there

maxime_cbOP4y ago

No problem :)

I should mention that this is open source too: https://github.com/maximecb/noisecraft

quijoteuniv4y ago

Awesome! It worked quite alright on my mobile i have to say.

maxime_cbOP4y ago

Nice. What kind of device are you using?

pjmlp4y ago

Looks quite cool application, thanks for sharing and good luck with it.

do you have a tutorial how to use it?

the main page is a bit overwhelming

maxime_cbOP4y ago

There is a help page to get you started: https://noisecraft.app/help

It's pretty basic but I invite people to open pull requests to improve it.

This video shows how (an older version) of the app is used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=609k3_Z-16o

PaulDavisThe1st4y ago· 1 in thread

This is deeply impressive. I remain in principle opposed to web-centric audio app development, but this is probably the first one I've seen that puts a couple of small explosive devices under the foundations of that belief and gives it a good rumble. So much stuff that has been done right, and so much open-endedness to the entire system. As much as I hate to say it, amazing!

maxime_cbOP4y ago

Thanks Paul. Web development definitely has its downsides. It's been challenging to get everything to work well across Chrome/Firefox and Safari because there's annoying little differences in the way they handle mouse events for example (I might blog about this at some point).

The upside though is that with an app like this, anyone can start experimenting with music and sound design from their computer, without installing anything, and you can easily show your friends the things you created (or share ideas with internet strangers).

measure2xcut1x4y ago· 1 in thread

Very quickly added knobs and filters and mapped them to my NI controller with no friction. Legit acid tones within minutes.

maxime_cbOP4y ago

Please share your project with acid tones! :)

raptor994y ago· 1 in thread

This is amazing and I've only tried it out for about 20 minutes now. I'm just learning about MIDI and sequencers and such. Is it possible yet or will it be possible to export what we build in here to other software, or at least to an audio file?

maxime_cbOP4y ago

You can save it locally to a file that's in a JSON format and easy to parse. That can allow you to run it locally, or you could build some kind of exporter. Right now to export audio you'd have to record the audio output.

necro4y ago· 1 in thread

Hats off. Great interface and i enjoyed making a few simple beats which is probably a very small part what the system is capable of. Thank you

maxime_cbOP4y ago

Thank you. The UI is pretty basic but I tried to design it in such a way that the functionality would feel intuitive to newcomers, with as few hidden features as possible. I picked this project to share because I figured that it was very easy for people to play with by editing the pattern, without needing to understand how the sound synthesis works.

lukasb4y ago· 1 in thread

this recreation of Luke Abbott's Brazil is gorgeous https://noisecraft.app/233

lukasb4y ago

Even if you don't plan to make your own tracks, this is just an amazing way to experience music - as this big beautiful machine that you can play with.

lbj4y ago· 1 in thread

Very impressive. How long have you been working on this?

maxime_cbOP4y ago

Since 2019 on and off in my spare time. I've found motivation comes and goes and I actually spent one year not working on it at all, but resumed work in 2021.

yesenadam4y ago

Thank you! Musician here, this is the first music-related ShowHN I ever loved at first sight like this. Amazing, sounds awesome and looks gorgeous.

Absolutely great work! UX is actully pretty good and I think it helps understanding some usefull basics. I remember using it a while ago, I think I'm guilty of this one https://noisecraft.app/113

jethronethro4y ago

I'm not a musician or even musically inclined, but I'm really enjoying this! Thanks for creating and sharing it.

appleflaxen4y ago

This is incredible; thank you for posting it!

terrycody4y ago

An amazing project, really fun to play!

lagrange774y ago

Wow, that's outstanding.

This is amazing :)

andoli4y ago

this is great thanks for sharing

_throwawayaway4y ago

doesn't work on my ipad

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