Store review
PRO checkout is in final review and expected to go live very soon. The documentation surface is ready now, and only small copy and checkout changes should remain once Lemon approval lands.
Documentation

A dedicated Sound Machine manual, turned into a navigable docs surface.

This page pulls forward the current v10 working-copy manual and reshapes it into a readable documentation hub. Use it for fast pointers, deeper workflow reference, the current downloadable PDF, and the clearest picture of what is already live versus what is about to switch on.

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Working copy aligned to the March 29, 2026 v10 build
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Fastest first sound

Start audio, load a starter or patch, hit Space, then play with Q through P or the canvas.

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Interface map

Understand the top bar, synth surface, Melody Grid, drums, bass, mixer, arrangement, and exports.

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Ways to make sound

Live play, arpeggiator, Melody Grid, drum machine, and bass line each give a different entry path.

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Export and sharing

Record output, save projects, share synth states, and use PRO exports for WAV, OGG, stems, and MIDI.

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Troubleshooting

Find the likely fix for no sound, disabled bass controls, missing MIDI, locked PRO features, or chain issues.

1. What Sound Machine is

Sound Machine is a browser-based music workstation for fast sketching, loop building, live play, and quick export. It combines an FM synth, arpeggiator, Melody Grid, drum machine, bass sequencer, arrangement banks, mixer, visualizer, recording, project save/load, share links, MIDI input, and multiple export options in one environment.

Best for sketching

Load a Song Starter or synth patch and shape a loop in seconds without opening a full DAW first.

Best for content cues

Build short beds for menus, videos, streams, games, and ambient backgrounds with a small control surface.

Best for structured grooves

Combine Melody Grid, drums, bass, and arrangement banks so loops can quickly become section chains.

2. Quick start

The fastest path to first sound is still the right one:

  1. Open soundmachine.pro/app and press START to initialize audio.
  2. Load a Song Starter for an instant groove, or a Synth Patch if you want sound design first.
  3. Press Space to start or stop transport once the page has focus.
  4. Play with Q through P, click the visualizer canvas, or use the arpeggiator.
Important: recording and export require the machine to be started first, the bass strip becomes active after audio initialization, and Melody Grid playback disables the arpeggiator while it is active.

Instant loop

Load a Song Starter preset if you want something usable immediately for demos, inspiration, or content music.

Custom synth sound

Load a synth patch and shape oscillator, filter, and FX first when the sound itself is the priority.

Structured section writing

Open Arrangement, save snapshots into banks, then build a chain if you are thinking in intros, drops, and verses.

3. Interface map

The screen is split between the visualizer canvas on top and the control surface below it.

Top bar

Master volume, theme, viz mode, share, record, project load/save, exports, PRO, MIDI, fullscreen, and START.

Preset row

Song Starters, Synth Patches, save/delete user presets, tap tempo, undo/redo, mono/poly, and distortion.

Synth surface

Oscillators, FM depth, harmonicity, LFO, ADSR, cutoff, resonance, reverb, delay, and the XY pad.

Melody and play

Arpeggiator, Melody Grid, keyboard mapping, and canvas-triggered note play all live in the melodic layer.

Rhythm and low end

The drum machine and bass line supply the tempo-locked groove foundation.

Mix and arrangement

Use the mixer row for level and balance, then store sections in Banks A through D and chain them.

4. Ways to make sound

Play it live

Use Q W E R T Y U I O P, a MIDI controller, or the visualizer canvas to trigger notes directly.

Use the arpeggiator

Turn ARP on, choose UP, DN, U/D, or RND mode, then set scale, key, octave, and BPM for immediate melodic motion.

Use the Melody Grid

The Melody Grid is the detailed sequencer. Click to place notes, drag to extend, Shift-click to cycle velocity, Alt-click to cycle chance, and use SCALE to keep the grid scale-aware.

Add drums

Toggle drum steps for kick, snare, hats, clap, and tom. Pattern presets, randomize, swing, and per-voice levels make it fast to find a groove.

Add bass

Enable the bass line, turn steps on or off, set note and octave, then shape it with waveform, cutoff, resonance, distortion, glide, and delay.

5. Presets and starter workflows

Song Starters

These change synth settings, tempo, drums, bass, and Melody Grid data when included. Use them for immediate loops.

Synth Patches

These change synth settings only. Use them when you want a sonic starting point without replacing the rest of the sketch.

User Presets

These are your own saved synth states. They are the right place to keep custom patches you want to revisit later.

  • For a fast content cue, load a Song Starter, mute one layer, and export a short WAV.
  • For sound design, load a Synth Patch, dial in oscillator, filter, and FX, then save a user preset.
  • For beat-first writing, randomize drums and bass first, then build the melody last.
  • For arrangement-first writing, build a strong Bank A, duplicate it, make a variation, and chain them.

6. Synth and sequencing

Oscillator and modulation

Wave shapes, FM depth, and harmonicity control the core timbre, from soft pads to metallic bells and buzzy leads.

Envelope

Attack, decay, sustain, and release control whether the patch feels like a pluck, stab, swell, or drone.

Filter and FX

Cutoff, resonance, reverb, and delay darken, brighten, widen, or smear the synth as needed.

MONO and POLY

Use mono for bass or lead behavior and polyphony for chords, pads, and fuller harmonies.

The Melody Grid stores note objects rather than simple on/off cells, so patterns can carry velocity, duration, chance, and ratchet-related information.

7. Arrangement and song building

Arrangement is built around Banks A through D and a chain list.

  1. Build the pattern you want in the live workspace.
  2. Switch banks or duplicate the current state so the section is stored as a snapshot.
  3. Edit the next bank into a variation.
  4. Add bank letters to the chain and use CHAIN to cycle them.
  5. Jump to a section immediately by clicking a chain slot while CHAIN is running.

The current manual flow is still the right mental model: create a strong A section, duplicate it, make the next state more intense or stripped back, then export a loop or the whole chain.

8. Recording, saving, sharing, and export

Recording

REC captures the machine output. While recording, the control becomes pause/resume and the stop square ends the take.

Project save/load

PROJ saves the current project as JSON and LOAD restores synth parameters, Melody Grid, drums, bass, arrangement, and mixer state.

Share link

SHARE copies a URL hash containing the current synth parameter state. It is ideal for patches and lightweight setup sharing.

  • WAV PRO: offline-rendered audio, with fixed bar count or full chain export when available.
  • OGG PRO: compressed export, with WAV fallback if the browser cannot encode OGG.
  • STEMS PRO: separate WAV downloads for active groups when you want remixing flexibility.
  • MIDI PRO: tempo-aware MIDI export for active pattern note data.

9. Free vs. PRO

Always available

  • Visualizer and theme switching
  • Song Starters and factory synth patches
  • Tap tempo
  • Drum and bass sequencing basics
  • Project save/load
  • User synth presets
  • Keyboard and MIDI note play

PRO in this build

  • Melody Grid editing and sequencing
  • WAV, OGG, stems, and MIDI export
  • Chain export
  • Premium drum kits

10. Practical recipes

Game menu loop

Load a darker or cinematic starter, reduce or mute drums, use two subtle banks, and export 4 or 8 bars as WAV.

Retro boss loop

Start from the chiptune-style material, raise energy in a second bank, and export the full chain when PRO is available.

Social-content beat

Begin with a lo-fi or trap starter, simplify the mix, then record a live pass or export stems for external mixing.

Custom synth patch

Use a factory patch as the base, shape oscillator, modulation, envelope, filter, and FX, then save it as a user preset and share the URL.

11. Troubleshooting and support

No sound

Press START first, then confirm master volume and transport state.

Bass controls look disabled

Initialize audio first. The bass strip is enabled when the bass synth is created.

Export says to start first

WAV, OGG, and stems need the audio engine initialized. START once before exporting.

MIDI shows no device

Make sure the browser supports Web MIDI and that a controller is actually connected.

Melody Grid or export says PRO

Those features are part of the PRO path in this build and unlock through the site’s entitlement flow.

Support requests can now go directly to helpdesk@soundmachine.pro. For install notes and release-state questions, also see Help and Downloads.

Working-copy note: this documentation page is based on the March 29, 2026 almost-final HTML build and should keep evolving as the product and release flow tighten.