5 ms·

I too feel a little cynical, because I built basically exactly this back in 2012. Before Google, and before Ableton. AFAIK, it was the first grid sequencer onli

I too feel a little cynical, because I built basically exactly this back in 2012. Before Google, and before Ableton. AFAIK, it was the first grid sequencer online. The first version used the Mozilla audio API, before Web Audio was even a thing. I wish I was credited for the inspiration somewhere, but I guess it's very possible that this is an independent reinvention. I called it MusicToy: http://maximecb.github.io/MusicToy/#aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiaaaaaaieaaaaaiecaaaaiecbiiiiecbaeeeecbaaccccbaaabbbbaaaabbbbbbbbaaaappppaaaaaaaaaaaaaaab http://maximecb.github.io/MusicToy/#aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... It's almost exactly the same, with the pattern encoded in the URL, but it also has drum samples, and it has very few dependencies (no need for node or any web frameworks). I personally prefer having time go from left to right because that's how most sequencers work, and our monitors tend to be wider than they are tall. I also made an updated, more advanced version (MusicToy 2) in 2019: https://mt2.musictools.live/ https://mt2.musictools.live/

reitzensteinm 6y ago
Tone Matrix predates yours by many years and was popular at the time. If you weren't aware of it, you should charitably assume OP independently built this too.
- gregschlom 6y ago
  Yes, was going to say the same thing. I was playing with Tone Matrix way back in 2006 I think. It was built with Flash, and died with the rest of the flash web. Edit: original link to tone matrix: http://lab.andre-michelle.com/ToneMatrix http://lab.andre-michelle.com/ToneMatrix
  - maxlaumeister 6y ago
    I ported Tone Matrix to JavaScript to help keep it from dying: https://www.maxlaumeister.com/tonematrix/ https://www.maxlaumeister.com/tonematrix/
- __max__ 6y ago
  Tone Matrix isn't a grid sequencer though, but fair enough, I should have said the first JS-based grid sequencer, not the first grid sequencer online.
  - leviathant 6y ago
    'first JS-based grid sequencer' We're all inspired by other things, and being first doesn't really count for much if you don't promote yourself. Even then, it's a roll of the dice as to if you stand out in the crowd. If you're just going by "JS-based grid sequencer' I created one in February 2011 as part of an HTML-based emulation of a Boss DR-110 drum machine (Which I later updated to use the Web Audio API to synthesize the drum voices) https://github.com/leviathant/BossDR110 https://github.com/leviathant/BossDR110 It's skeumorphic (I was challenging the popular notion "You can do everything in HTML that you can do in Flash" at the time - it wasn't true then, but we're much closer now), I never finished out 'song mode', but it is a JS-based grid sequencer that predates your timeline. As best as I can tell, it was the first click-and-drag Javascript knob done Rebirth/Reason style - it was a little clunky, but I sure as hell couldn't find any remotely similar code to base it off of - but I don't get bent out of shape whenever I see other people making Javascript knobs.
    - __max__ 6y ago
      Yes, we're all inspired by other things. Neither of us invented grid sequencers, or music theory. I know there was no hostile intent, and I'm glad that OP is having fun, but hopefully you understand why I feel a slight pinch when I see something that is so close to what I've built making the rounds on HN with zero acknowledgement from OP. If we just go by a description of features, we've both built a grid sequencer in JS, with a built in synth that is designed to play on a scale so that everything comes out "sounding good"... With a serverless architecture so that you can share the tunes with anchor tags. It's precisely the same idea. How would you feel? Would you be able to be completely detached? I did promote MusicToy a bit. The original MusicToy made the rounds on reddit 8 years ago. MusicToy2 has had the same (small) base of active users for about 1.5 year now: https://mt2.musictools.live/ https://mt2.musictools.live/ Either way, I should probably look at this as a learning experience. It shows that I didn't promote my project as well as I could have. My project could also use better mobile support in terms of auto-scaling the page for mobile displays.
samizdis 6y ago
Coldcut, a Brit electronic music duo who also dabbled in audio/video mix software, made a simple online music tool for Absolut Vodka in 1998. (Absolut was targeting the youth market and set up a site called Absolut DJ.) Coldcut's thing was a simple grid on which you placed sound effects/samples sprites. A dot moving through the grid would play each in turn as it hit them. It was really good fun, but I can't find it now. Might have been made in Flash - or perhaps it was still known as Shockwave Flash back then. Here's an archive article about Absolut's campaign: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/absolut-vodka-launches-absolut-dj-website/47197 https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/absolut-vodka-launche... Coldcut's Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldcut https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldcut
72deluxe 6y ago
Very enjoyable, thanks: http://maximecb.github.io/MusicToy/#babababaaaaaaaaababababaaaahaaaeaaaiaaabaaaaaaaababababaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaefefefefaaaagaiababababaabajcbaheeeeeeeeabababab http://maximecb.github.io/MusicToy/#babababaaaaaaaaababababa... https://mt2.musictools.live/#1259 https://mt2.musictools.live/#1259

reitzensteinm 6y ago

Tone Matrix predates yours by many years and was popular at the time. If you weren't aware of it, you should charitably assume OP independently built this too.

gregschlom 6y ago
Yes, was going to say the same thing. I was playing with Tone Matrix way back in 2006 I think. It was built with Flash, and died with the rest of the flash web. Edit: original link to tone matrix: http://lab.andre-michelle.com/ToneMatrix http://lab.andre-michelle.com/ToneMatrix
- maxlaumeister 6y ago
  I ported Tone Matrix to JavaScript to help keep it from dying: https://www.maxlaumeister.com/tonematrix/ https://www.maxlaumeister.com/tonematrix/
__max__ 6y ago
Tone Matrix isn't a grid sequencer though, but fair enough, I should have said the first JS-based grid sequencer, not the first grid sequencer online.
- leviathant 6y ago
  'first JS-based grid sequencer' We're all inspired by other things, and being first doesn't really count for much if you don't promote yourself. Even then, it's a roll of the dice as to if you stand out in the crowd. If you're just going by "JS-based grid sequencer' I created one in February 2011 as part of an HTML-based emulation of a Boss DR-110 drum machine (Which I later updated to use the Web Audio API to synthesize the drum voices) https://github.com/leviathant/BossDR110 https://github.com/leviathant/BossDR110 It's skeumorphic (I was challenging the popular notion "You can do everything in HTML that you can do in Flash" at the time - it wasn't true then, but we're much closer now), I never finished out 'song mode', but it is a JS-based grid sequencer that predates your timeline. As best as I can tell, it was the first click-and-drag Javascript knob done Rebirth/Reason style - it was a little clunky, but I sure as hell couldn't find any remotely similar code to base it off of - but I don't get bent out of shape whenever I see other people making Javascript knobs.
  - __max__ 6y ago
    Yes, we're all inspired by other things. Neither of us invented grid sequencers, or music theory. I know there was no hostile intent, and I'm glad that OP is having fun, but hopefully you understand why I feel a slight pinch when I see something that is so close to what I've built making the rounds on HN with zero acknowledgement from OP. If we just go by a description of features, we've both built a grid sequencer in JS, with a built in synth that is designed to play on a scale so that everything comes out "sounding good"... With a serverless architecture so that you can share the tunes with anchor tags. It's precisely the same idea. How would you feel? Would you be able to be completely detached? I did promote MusicToy a bit. The original MusicToy made the rounds on reddit 8 years ago. MusicToy2 has had the same (small) base of active users for about 1.5 year now: https://mt2.musictools.live/ https://mt2.musictools.live/ Either way, I should probably look at this as a learning experience. It shows that I didn't promote my project as well as I could have. My project could also use better mobile support in terms of auto-scaling the page for mobile displays.

samizdis 6y ago

Coldcut, a Brit electronic music duo who also dabbled in audio/video mix software, made a simple online music tool for Absolut Vodka in 1998. (Absolut was targeting the youth market and set up a site called Absolut DJ.) Coldcut's thing was a simple grid on which you placed sound effects/samples sprites. A dot moving through the grid would play each in turn as it hit them. It was really good fun, but I can't find it now. Might have been made in Flash - or perhaps it was still known as Shockwave Flash back then. Here's an archive article about Absolut's campaign: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/absolut-vodka-launches-absolut-dj-website/47197 https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/absolut-vodka-launche... Coldcut's Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldcut https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldcut

72deluxe 6y ago

Very enjoyable, thanks: http://maximecb.github.io/MusicToy/#babababaaaaaaaaababababaaaahaaaeaaaiaaabaaaaaaaababababaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaefefefefaaaagaiababababaabajcbaheeeeeeeeabababab http://maximecb.github.io/MusicToy/#babababaaaaaaaaababababa... https://mt2.musictools.live/#1259 https://mt2.musictools.live/#1259