
Zupiter: A Web-Based Modular Synthesizer - dmit
https://pointersgonewild.com/2019/10/06/zupiter-a-web-based-modular-synthesizer/
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capableweb
Really nice for quick things, otherwise there is also VCV Rack
([https://vcvrack.com/](https://vcvrack.com/)) that is a open source virtual
rack with modular synthesizers. It doesn't have the graph UI that Zupiter
seems to have, but a more of a skeuomorphic UI.

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__max__
VCV rack is pretty awesome, and you can do a lot of things with it that you
couldn't with Zupiter. It's much more of a professional tool and as far as I
know it's very well-regarded in the modular synth community, and a good way to
pick out modules before spending hundreds or even thousands on physical
hardware.

However, I think Zupiter is a nice way to get people who've never played with
sound synthesis interested, and the sharing feature is one thing that
differentiates it from most browser-based music apps out there. You can easily
show your friends what you've made, or modify what other people made.

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amazing_stories
> it's very well-regarded in the modular synth community

Maybe. All but one of the modular synth guys I know are hardware purists. They
look down on VCV and even semi-modular synths like the Behringer Neutron.
You'd think some of these modular guys were in a cult, heh. (I've always just
seen modular synths as just another tool.)

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__max__
That does sound pretty cultish. I kind of get how VCV takes some of the fun
out of modular for them. There's definitely something fun about playing with
physical hardware and connecting it together. It's also a way to do something
technical that doesn't involve computers. Another angle is that if VCV rack
does a good job at emulation, it kind of highlights the foolishness of
spending thousands on hardware. That being said, I might be biased. I actually
own a Behringer Neutron :O

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__max__
OP here. Feedback and questions welcome! Feel free to reply to this comment.

I also created a little subreddit to discuss Zupiter:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/musictools/](https://www.reddit.com/r/musictools/)

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WAHa_06x36
It doesn't seem your oscillators are behaving correctly when you vary their
frequency input. You seem to be doing something like phase = freq * time,
which will break horribly when freq changes. Instead, you need to accumulate
the phase over time based on whatever freq happens to be, like phase += freq *
timeOfSingleSample.

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__max__
So you think the oscillators should essentially be stateful? That might
explain why I can't seem to implement 303-style slide correctly.

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TheOtherHobbes
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerically-
controlled_oscilla...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerically-
controlled_oscillator)

The more advanced version without aliasing: [http://www.martin-
finke.de/blog/articles/audio-plugins-018-p...](http://www.martin-
finke.de/blog/articles/audio-plugins-018-polyblep-oscillator/)

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alkonaut
Love the simple step sequencer with scale selection. Wish this was part of a
"creative scratch pad" in every DAW (It usually is possible but it's often
cumbersome to set up). I first saw one in the lovely
[http://www.tones.fm](http://www.tones.fm)

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bane
This is great! Another favorite modular synth is the one that comes with
Caustic.

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rcarmo
I second this. Caustic 3 is awesome (and free for desktop use). I’m a bit sad
that it hasn’t seen any updates recently, since I would love to have it play
better with other iOS apps.

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ozitoun55
It’s totally awesome and so easy to use!!

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__max__
Thanks a lot :)

The only thing I find a bit unfortunate is that despite many people trying it
(wordpress shows over 5000 hits), very few people are using the share feature
to share what they've created. I'll have to investigate what stops people. I'm
wondering if it's just having to create an account, or if I've done some major
UI design error.

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maitredusoi
I think people are just too afraid too share, as they are effectively doing
fun things but... really they then think that it is just crap. We are too much
in a society that is telling us that if we made it in less than an hour, it
can only be crap. This is one thing the the near futur of the earth must fix
;)

If sharing IS important for you, change you design in the way that it becomes
the default option.

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__max__
I myself feel a little embarrassed when I realize how much is missing from
Zupiter. There are still bugs, and people are asking for so many extra
features, my TODO list is already pages long.

> If sharing IS important for you, change you design in the way that it
> becomes the default option.

How would you implement that, making it the default option?

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gogodancer123
Amazing app!!

