ChiptuneSynth

The ultimate 8-bit audio engine for the browser.

8 tracks. 170+ instruments. Full effects chain. Mixer. Arpeggiator. Master limiter. MIDI. Zero dependencies. Pure Web Audio API.

const synth = new ChiptuneSynth();
await synth.init();
synth.playPreset('coin');  // ding!

Features

Synthesis Engine

• 8 Tracks — Lead, Harmony, Bass, Arp, Kick, Snare, Hi-hat, FX
• 5 Waveforms — Square (PWM), Triangle, Sawtooth, Sine, Noise
• ADSR Envelopes — Per-track attack, decay, sustain, release
• Unison Voices — 1–16 voices per track with detune & stereo spread
• 3 LFOs per Track — Vibrato (pitch), tremolo (amplitude), filter modulation
• Per-track Filters — Lowpass / Highpass / Bandpass with cutoff, resonance, key tracking, filter envelope
• Pitch Envelope & Glide — Per-voice pitch sweep and portamento
• Pitch Bend & Mod Wheel — Real-time performance controls

Effects Chain (per track)

Signal path: input → distortion → chorus → delay → reverb → bitcrusher → output

• Distortion — WaveShaper with 4x oversampling, variable drive
• Chorus — Modulated delay with LFO rate and depth
• Delay — Feedback delay up to 2 seconds with wet/dry mix
• Reverb — Convolution reverb with variable decay
• Bitcrusher — Bit depth (1–16 bits) and sample rate reduction

Mixer Console (per track)

• Fader — Independent channel volume
• Pan — StereoPanner with full left/right range
• 3-band EQ — Low shelf (320 Hz), Peaking mid (1 kHz), High shelf (3.2 kHz)
• Compressor — Threshold, ratio, attack, release per track
• Solo / Mute — Non-destructive per-track control
• VU Metering — RMS level per track and master

Master Bus

• Brick-wall Limiter — -3 dB threshold, 20:1 ratio, 1 ms attack
• Master Gain — Global output volume
• FFT Analyser — Waveform and frequency data for visualization

Arpeggiator

• Modes — off, up, down, updown, random
• BPM-synced rates — 1/4, 1/8, 1/8T, 1/16, 1/16T, 1/32
• Multi-octave — Span 1–N octaves
• Gate — Note length as fraction of step

Sound Library

• 170+ Instrument Presets via ChiptuneSoundFont — leads, bass, chords, arps, pads, synths, acoustic, retro, drums, FX
• 15 Drum Kits
• 10 Game SFX Presets — laser, coin, jump, explosion, powerup, hit, blip, bass, shoot, 1up
• Community Presets — user-contributed via API

Integration

• MIDI Controller Support — Velocity, CC, pitch bend, mod wheel, sustain pedal (Web MIDI API)
• SoundFont API — Register external instrument libraries at runtime
• UMD Module — Works in Node.js (CommonJS), AMD, and browser global

Install

npm:

npm install @8bitforge/chiptune-synth

CDN (recommended for browsers):

<!-- Engine -->
<script src="https://cdn.chiptune-synth.8binami.com/3.0.0/chiptune-synth.min.js"></script>
<!-- Sound library (170+ instruments) -->
<script src="https://cdn.chiptune-synth.8binami.com/3.0.0/chiptune-sound-font.min.js"></script>

unpkg:

<script src="https://unpkg.com/@8bitforge/chiptune-synth@3"></script>

ES Module / CommonJS:

import ChiptuneSynth from '@8bitforge/chiptune-synth';
// or
const ChiptuneSynth = require('@8bitforge/chiptune-synth');

Quick Start

Play a game SFX

const synth = new ChiptuneSynth();
await synth.init();
synth.playPreset('laser');

Load an instrument and play a note

await synth.init();
synth.loadInstrument('synthLead', 0);
synth.playNoteByName('C', 4, 0, 1.0);

Enable MIDI controller

const devices = await synth.enableMIDI({
    track: 0,
    onConnect: (name) => console.log('Connected:', name),
    onNoteOn:  (note, vel, ch) => console.log('Note on:', note, vel)
});

Add reverb + delay to a track

synth.setReverbMix(0, 0.3);      // 30% reverb
synth.setDelayTime(0, 0.375);    // dotted-8th delay
synth.setDelayFeedback(0, 0.5);
synth.setDelayMix(0, 0.25);

Set up the arpeggiator

synth.setArpeggiator(0, { mode: 'up', rate: '1/16', octaves: 2, gate: 0.6 });
const noteId = synth.arpNoteOn(0, 261.63); // C4 — arp starts
// later:
synth.arpNoteOff(0, 261.63);

Mixer: pan and EQ a track

synth.setTrackPan(1, -0.5);           // Bass: left
synth.setTrackEQ(0, 'eqHigh', 4);     // Lead: +4dB highs
synth.setTrackFaderVolume(4, 0.8);    // Kick: fader at 80%
synth.setTrackMute(6, true);          // Hi-hat: muted

Bitcrusher — retro lo-fi effect

synth.setBitcrusherBits(3, 6);    // FX track: 6-bit
synth.setBitcrusherRate(3, 0.3);  // Low sample rate

API Reference

Lifecycle

Playing Notes

Sustained notes: duration >= 10 holds indefinitely. Call stopNote(id) to release.

SFX Presets

Instrument Presets

Configuration

Track properties: type, volume, dutyCycle, pitchEnv, glide, detune

Modulation properties (via updateTrack):

• unisonVoices, unisonDetune, unisonSpread
• filterEnabled, filterType, filterCutoff, filterQ, filterKeyTrack
• filterEnvAmount, filterEnvAttack, filterEnvRelease
• filterLfoRate, filterLfoDepth, lfoFilterRate, lfoFilterDepth
• tremoloRate, tremoloDepth
• octaveOffset, semitoneOffset

Envelope properties: attack, decay, sustain, release

Mixer Console

Metering & Visualization

Per-Track Effects

Arpeggiator

Arp settings:

{
    mode:   'up',   // 'off' | 'up' | 'down' | 'updown' | 'random'
    rate:   '1/8',  // '1/4' | '1/8' | '1/8T' | '1/16' | '1/16T' | '1/32'
    octaves: 2,     // 1–4 octave span
    gate:    0.6    // Note length 0.0–1.0 (fraction of step)
}

MIDI

enableMIDI options:

synth.enableMIDI({
    track: 0,
    channel: 0,
    onConnect:    (name) => {},
    onDisconnect: (name) => {},
    onNoteOn:     (note, velocity, channel) => {},
    onNoteOff:    (note, channel) => {},
    onCC:         (cc, value, channel) => {}
});

Supported MIDI messages: Note On/Off (velocity), CC1 (mod wheel), CC7 (volume), CC64 (sustain), CC120/123 (all notes off), Pitch Bend

Static Utilities

SoundFont API

// Register an external sound library at runtime
ChiptuneSynth.registerSoundFont({
    name: 'My Library',
    version: '1.0.0',
    categories: {
        leads: {
            'my-lead': {
                name: 'My Lead',
                type: 'square', dutyCycle: 0.25, volume: 0.3,
                envelope: { attack: 0.01, decay: 0.1, sustain: 0.7, release: 0.2 },
                vibrato:  { rate: 5, depth: 8 }
            }
        }
    }
});

ChiptuneSynth.getSoundFonts();           // Registered font metadata
ChiptuneSynth.getKits();                 // All registered drum kits
ChiptuneSynth.getInstrumentsByCategory(); // Instruments grouped by category

Tracks

Instrument Presets (built-in)

Load the ChiptuneSoundFont library for 170+ additional presets across 10 categories.

FX Presets

Game SFX Presets

Examples & Demo

• Live Demo — Full synth with keyboard, instruments, MIDI, and visualizer
• Getting Started
• Game SFX
• Melodies
• Instruments
• Mini Game: Catcher
• Mini Game: Platformer
• Soundboard
• Sound Design

License

ChiptuneSynth is proprietary software developed by 8Binami.

Free for non-commercial use with attribution: "Audio powered by ChiptuneSynth — 8Binami.com"

Commercial licenses are available for Indie, Studio and Enterprise use. See 8binami.com/pricing or contact licensing@8binami.com.

See LICENSE for full terms.

Built with care by 8Binami · 8BitForge