5 ms·

Play the trombone in your web browser

64 points by jdauriemma 5y ago

sandebert 5y ago
To me, this sounds more like a car game on the C64. For reference, here's a trombone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-fkvWFSeYc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-fkvWFSeYc
- jdauriemma 5y ago
  Pull requests are welcome! I tried to make the oscillators match the waveform described in the works cited. As a former professional trombonist, I doubt we’ll be able to use the Web Audio API to create the beautiful expressivity demonstrated by Davidson in that video. But there is certainly room for improvement! Thanks for the “reference” and feedback.
  - kop316 5y ago
    As a Hobbyist Trombone player, this made my morning!
- causality0 5y ago
  Yeah, you're not going to get anything like a real instrument outputting a sawtooth wave, especially the bass notes.
- weinzierl 5y ago
  ... and here is the "car game on the C64" I have a suspicion sandebert is referring to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAfc_Ugki5U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAfc_Ugki5U I really don't know how I could bear this for hours as a kid, but somehow it seems to never have occurred to us children that we could turn off the sound;-)
  - rzzzt 5y ago
    Maximum speed is 251 for the human, 240 for the computer! It's "trucks overtaking each other"-simulator for two players.
leafario2 5y ago
Very cool project!
BugsJustFindMe 5y ago
The best trombone you can play in your web browser is the pink trombone. https://dood.al/pinktrombone/ https://dood.al/pinktrombone/
- jeremyleach 5y ago
  Yes that's amazing
- FpUser 5y ago
  OMG. I am hooked now. The thing is hilarious and totally awesome
- jamil7 5y ago
  This personally reminded me too much of being at the dentist to enjoy it, but it’s cool nonetheless.
- onemoresoop 5y ago
  Wow, this is so funny! Thanks for sharing!!
- smusamashah 5y ago
  A modified version with alphabets overlayed. https://zakaton.github.io/Pink-Trombone/ https://zakaton.github.io/Pink-Trombone/ src: https://github.com/zakaton/Pink-Trombone https://github.com/zakaton/Pink-Trombone
  - BugsJustFindMe 5y ago
    Sadly that version only seems to work in Chrome for me while the original works in Safari and Firefox as well, but the alphabet overlay is a fun idea.
- allenu 5y ago
  In a similar vein, if you haven't seen the game Speaking Simulator, check it out. It's quite hilarious. https://www.affablegames.com/ https://www.affablegames.com/
weinzierl 5y ago
Needs a plunger so we can do the "Sad Trombone" sound.
- jdauriemma 5y ago
  A pull request would be welcome!
mLuby 5y ago
Fun! Two suggestions: I'd like to see which partial I'm in. Perhaps a highlighted region behind the the instrument? Also I'd rotate the scrolling to be more like moving the slide: make the slide move toward me when I scroll toward me and away when I scroll away. Partials can go left for higher or right for lower. Or some way for people to map their own scroll bindings, in case they've flipped scrolling.
- tolbish 5y ago
  > I had grand plans for an informative heads-up display showing real-time data on pitch, slide position, partial, etc. Observant readers will note that the last commit of substance was made over 5 years ago; clearly I ran out of steam.
- bewaretheirs 5y ago
  Not showing the partial leads to a more authentic experience. For true authenticity, click targets for the partials should get much closer together as you go higher (I haven't actually mapped what it does).
  - jdauriemma 5y ago
    I had the same thought and am planning on making an update whenever I feel inspired. Right now we just subdivide the y-axis equally amongst the partials.
shujito 5y ago
this could have been named jsdoot instead
royletron 5y ago
I am having severe PTSD flashbacks of 'In the Night Garden'. This was supposed to help my children sleep, but only served to haunt my nightmares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcD2Y_ciHCw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcD2Y_ciHCw
bambax 5y ago
Fun fact: trombonists can learn to play the Theremin faster than other instrumentalists because the relation between distance and pitch is comparable on the two instruments.
pmarreck 5y ago
Mobile support would be nice
- jdauriemma 5y ago
  It does work on touch devices but YMMV. Unfortunately iOS Safari in particular is very, very stingy with allocating resources to the Web Audio API - the performance is generally dismal. So even if the UI is responsive, the oscillator performance generally makes the end user perceive slowness and unresponsiveness.
peatmoss 5y ago
As a once aspiring trombonist, synth trombone is a uniquely grating sound for me. :-) Trombone is a really unique instrument, as humorously explained in this video: https://youtu.be/IuS_brJYimY https://youtu.be/IuS_brJYimY I’d say the closest thing I’ve experienced to a spiritual experience is playing in a trombone choir in college. Ordinarily, in an orchestra you tune in accordance with the piano (well-tempered clavier dictates tuning sharper as you get higher in pitch and flatter as you get lower in pitch). By contrast, in a trombone choir where all the instruments are capable of perfect tuning, you tune to the “just” tuning system. Multiple trombonists playing in perfect harmony will produce phantom tones that are the product of interference between the sound waves produced by each individual instrument. It’s hair-raising and beautiful. Hmm... makes me want to whip myself back into shape.

64 points by jdauriemma 5y ago

To me, this sounds more like a car game on the C64. For reference, here's a trombone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-fkvWFSeYc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-fkvWFSeYc

jdauriemma 5y ago
Pull requests are welcome! I tried to make the oscillators match the waveform described in the works cited. As a former professional trombonist, I doubt we’ll be able to use the Web Audio API to create the beautiful expressivity demonstrated by Davidson in that video. But there is certainly room for improvement! Thanks for the “reference” and feedback.
- kop316 5y ago
  As a Hobbyist Trombone player, this made my morning!
causality0 5y ago
Yeah, you're not going to get anything like a real instrument outputting a sawtooth wave, especially the bass notes.
weinzierl 5y ago
... and here is the "car game on the C64" I have a suspicion sandebert is referring to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAfc_Ugki5U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAfc_Ugki5U I really don't know how I could bear this for hours as a kid, but somehow it seems to never have occurred to us children that we could turn off the sound;-)
- rzzzt 5y ago
  Maximum speed is 251 for the human, 240 for the computer! It's "trucks overtaking each other"-simulator for two players.

leafario2 5y ago

Very cool project!

BugsJustFindMe 5y ago

The best trombone you can play in your web browser is the pink trombone. https://dood.al/pinktrombone/ https://dood.al/pinktrombone/

jeremyleach 5y ago
Yes that's amazing
FpUser 5y ago
OMG. I am hooked now. The thing is hilarious and totally awesome
jamil7 5y ago
This personally reminded me too much of being at the dentist to enjoy it, but it’s cool nonetheless.
onemoresoop 5y ago
Wow, this is so funny! Thanks for sharing!!
smusamashah 5y ago
A modified version with alphabets overlayed. https://zakaton.github.io/Pink-Trombone/ https://zakaton.github.io/Pink-Trombone/ src: https://github.com/zakaton/Pink-Trombone https://github.com/zakaton/Pink-Trombone
- BugsJustFindMe 5y ago
  Sadly that version only seems to work in Chrome for me while the original works in Safari and Firefox as well, but the alphabet overlay is a fun idea.
allenu 5y ago
In a similar vein, if you haven't seen the game Speaking Simulator, check it out. It's quite hilarious. https://www.affablegames.com/ https://www.affablegames.com/

weinzierl 5y ago

Needs a plunger so we can do the "Sad Trombone" sound.

jdauriemma 5y ago
A pull request would be welcome!

mLuby 5y ago

Fun! Two suggestions: I'd like to see which partial I'm in. Perhaps a highlighted region behind the the instrument? Also I'd rotate the scrolling to be more like moving the slide: make the slide move toward me when I scroll toward me and away when I scroll away. Partials can go left for higher or right for lower. Or some way for people to map their own scroll bindings, in case they've flipped scrolling.

tolbish 5y ago
> I had grand plans for an informative heads-up display showing real-time data on pitch, slide position, partial, etc. Observant readers will note that the last commit of substance was made over 5 years ago; clearly I ran out of steam.
bewaretheirs 5y ago
Not showing the partial leads to a more authentic experience. For true authenticity, click targets for the partials should get much closer together as you go higher (I haven't actually mapped what it does).
- jdauriemma 5y ago
  I had the same thought and am planning on making an update whenever I feel inspired. Right now we just subdivide the y-axis equally amongst the partials.

shujito 5y ago

this could have been named jsdoot instead

royletron 5y ago

I am having severe PTSD flashbacks of 'In the Night Garden'. This was supposed to help my children sleep, but only served to haunt my nightmares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcD2Y_ciHCw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcD2Y_ciHCw

bambax 5y ago

Fun fact: trombonists can learn to play the Theremin faster than other instrumentalists because the relation between distance and pitch is comparable on the two instruments.

pmarreck 5y ago

Mobile support would be nice

jdauriemma 5y ago
It does work on touch devices but YMMV. Unfortunately iOS Safari in particular is very, very stingy with allocating resources to the Web Audio API - the performance is generally dismal. So even if the UI is responsive, the oscillator performance generally makes the end user perceive slowness and unresponsiveness.

peatmoss 5y ago

As a once aspiring trombonist, synth trombone is a uniquely grating sound for me. :-) Trombone is a really unique instrument, as humorously explained in this video: https://youtu.be/IuS_brJYimY https://youtu.be/IuS_brJYimY I’d say the closest thing I’ve experienced to a spiritual experience is playing in a trombone choir in college. Ordinarily, in an orchestra you tune in accordance with the piano (well-tempered clavier dictates tuning sharper as you get higher in pitch and flatter as you get lower in pitch). By contrast, in a trombone choir where all the instruments are capable of perfect tuning, you tune to the “just” tuning system. Multiple trombonists playing in perfect harmony will produce phantom tones that are the product of interference between the sound waves produced by each individual instrument. It’s hair-raising and beautiful. Hmm... makes me want to whip myself back into shape.