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 with a free Pattern A session preview, drum machine, bass sequencer, arrangement banks, mixer,
sampler import, 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:
- Open
soundmachine.pro/app and press START to initialize audio.
- Load a Song Starter for an instant groove, or a Synth Patch if you want sound design first.
- Press Space to start or stop transport once the page has focus.
- Play with Q through P, click the visualizer canvas, or use the arpeggiator.
The quickest route is the same one shown in the app: use the Quick Start row for a starter, use Resume Last when local autosave is available, or use Start Empty if you want a clean machine instead of a template.
Important: recording and export require the machine to be started first, the bass strip becomes active after audio initialization, and ARP ON and GRID ON are separate lead modes, so turn ARP off and GRID on when you want the visible Melody Grid to speak.
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, visualizer scene hinting, 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 where X drives cutoff and Y drives motion.
Melody and play
Arpeggiator, Melody Grid, keyboard mapping, sampler pitch 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, SONG, octave, and BPM for immediate melodic motion. SONG shapes the musical note content for arp and Melody Grid.
Use the Melody Grid
The Melody Grid is the detailed sequencer. In this build, Pattern A is the free editable bank for one browser session. 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. After the free edit preview expires, Pattern A stays visible and playable but becomes view-only until PRO is unlocked.
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. MIDI controller setup
Sound Machine auto-detects MIDI inputs through the browser’s Web MIDI layer. In this build, incoming note data plays the live synth directly,
and sustain pedal support is handled on controller input as well.
- Connect your MIDI controller or keyboard before opening the app, or hot-plug it while the app is already open.
- Open
soundmachine.pro/app over HTTPS and press START so audio is initialized cleanly.
- Watch the top-bar MIDI indicator:
MIDI: -- means no device is currently connected,
MIDI: [device name] means one controller is active,
MIDI: [number] DEVICES means multiple inputs are connected,
MIDI: N/A means the browser/build did not expose Web MIDI.
- Play notes from the controller. The app maps incoming note-on and note-off messages straight to live synth note play.
- If your sustain pedal sends standard CC64, pedal hold and release are supported in this build.
Browser note: Web MIDI support varies by browser and is not universally available. MDN currently marks requestMIDIAccess() as “Limited availability,” and Web MIDI requires a secure context (HTTPS) plus browser permission to access MIDI devices.
Likely working browsers
Today, the safest assumption is a desktop Chromium-based browser such as Chrome, Edge, or Opera. Safari is not a safe default for Web MIDI, and support in other browsers/builds can vary.
What auto-detect does
On load, the app calls the browser MIDI API, attaches to every available MIDI input, and listens for device state changes so newly connected controllers can appear without a full app rebuild.
What MIDI controls today
Notes and sustain pedal are wired. This is performance input for the synth layer, not a full controller-mapping system for knobs, faders, or transport control.
How mono/poly affects feel
In poly mode, held MIDI notes can overlap. In mono mode, the app keeps a held-note stack and returns to the previous note when the newest held note is released.
6. Presets and starter workflows
Song Starters
These change synth settings, tempo, drums, bass, and Melody Grid data when included. Factory synth presets in this build also seed guide notes into Pattern A so you can adjust them quickly.
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.
7. 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. Pattern A is the free editable bank in this build, while banks B through D stay PRO-locked.
8. Arrangement and song building
Arrangement is built around Banks A through D and a chain list.
- Build the pattern you want in the live workspace.
- Switch banks or duplicate the current state so the section is stored as a snapshot.
- Edit the next bank into a variation.
- Add bank letters to the chain and use CHAIN to cycle them.
- Jump to a section immediately by clicking a chain slot while CHAIN is running.
The current manual flow is still the right mental model once PRO is unlocked: create a strong A section, duplicate it into later sections, make the next state more intense or stripped back, then export a loop or the whole chain. In the free build, Pattern A remains the main editable melody lane.
9. 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 session state. It is the fastest way to hand someone the same machine layout, instruments, arrangement, and loop state you are currently hearing.
Resume last session
The app keeps a local autosave snapshot and exposes it through Resume Last. This is device-local convenience, not cloud sync, so treat project save/load as the durable handoff format.
- 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.
10. Free vs. PRO
Always available
- Visualizer and theme switching
- Song Starters and factory synth patches
- Tap tempo
- Drum and bass sequencing basics
- Pattern A Melody Grid editing for one session, then view-only playback
- Sampler import with SAMPLE ROOT pitch mapping
- Project save/load
- User synth presets
- Keyboard and MIDI note play
PRO in this build
- Melody Grid banks B through D
- Arrangement tools and advanced chaining
- WAV, OGG, stems, and MIDI export
- Chain export
- Premium drum kits
11. Practical recipes
Game menu loop
Load a darker or cinematic starter, reduce or mute drums, shape Pattern A, and export 4 or 8 bars as WAV once PRO is unlocked.
Retro boss loop
Start from the chiptune-style material, raise energy in a second bank once PRO is unlocked, 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.
12. Troubleshooting and support
No sound
Press START first, then confirm master volume and transport state. If Melody Grid seems silent, make sure ARP is OFF and GRID is ON.
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, the page is running over HTTPS, permission was granted, and a controller is actually connected. In practice, start with desktop Chrome, Edge, or Opera before troubleshooting more exotic browser setups.
MIDI says N/A
That status means the current browser/build did not expose navigator.requestMIDIAccess(). Switch to a likely Web MIDI-capable browser or build, preferably desktop Chrome, Edge, or Opera, and reload.
The app looks old after a deploy
The /app route uses a service worker. If a deploy seems stuck, clear site data or unregister the Sound Machine service worker in the browser, then reload the app so the newest shell can take over.
Mobile feels cramped or different
Mobile is usable in this release, but desktop is still the reference surface. Use the bottom workspace nav to stay focused on one area at a time and expect further mobile-specific redesign work later.
Melody Grid or export says PRO
Exports, banks B-D, and arrangement tools are part of the PRO path in this build and unlock through the site’s entitlement flow. Pattern A remains the free editable bank until its session preview expires.
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.