ChiptuneSynth

Retro game audio in 3 lines of code.

A zero-dependency Web Audio synthesizer with serious chiptune capabilities. 4 tracks, 12 instrument presets, 10 game SFX presets, unison voices, 3 LFOs, per-track filters, pitch bend, glide, and full MIDI controller support. Works in any browser.

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

Features

• 4 Tracks — Lead (square), Bass (triangle), Drums (noise/sine), FX (sawtooth)
• 12 Instrument Presets — Piano, Violin, Cello, Flute, Organ, Brass, Harmonica, Synth Lead, Synth Pad, Synth Bass, Marimba, Electric Guitar
• 10 Game SFX Presets — laser, coin, jump, explosion, powerup, hit, blip, bass, shoot, 1up
• 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 — Filter LFO, tremolo LFO, vibrato
• Per-track Filters — Lowpass/highpass/bandpass with cutoff, resonance, key tracking, and filter envelope
• Glide / Portamento — Smooth pitch transitions between notes
• Pitch Bend & Mod Wheel — Real-time performance controls
• MIDI Controller Support — Plug in your MIDI keyboard and play (Web MIDI API)
• Waveform Visualization — Analyser data for canvas rendering
• Zero Dependencies — Pure Web Audio API, ~15KB
• Universal — UMD module (Node.js, AMD, browser global)

Install

npm:

npm install @8bitforge/chiptune-synth

CDN:

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

Direct:

<script src="path/to/chiptune-synth.js"></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 notes

synth.loadInstrument('violin', 0);  // Load violin on track 0
synth.playNoteByName('A', 4, 0, 1.5);  // Play A4 for 1.5s

Enable MIDI controller

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

API Reference

Lifecycle

Playing Notes

Sustained notes: Pass duration >= 10 to hold a note indefinitely. Stop it later with stopNote(noteId).

SFX Presets

Instrument Presets

MIDI

enableMIDI options:

synth.enableMIDI({
    track: 0,         // Target track index (default: 0)
    channel: 0,       // MIDI channel 0-15 (default: 0)
    onConnect: (name) => {},     // Device connected
    onDisconnect: (name) => {},  // Device disconnected
    onNoteOn: (note, velocity, channel) => {},
    onNoteOff: (note, channel) => {},
    onCC: (cc, value, channel) => {}
});

Supported MIDI messages:

• Note On / Note Off (velocity-sensitive)
• CC1 — Mod Wheel (adds vibrato depth)
• CC7 — Volume
• CC64 — Sustain pedal
• CC120 — All Sound Off
• CC123 — All Notes Off
• Pitch Bend (±1 semitone range)

Auto-init: The AudioContext initializes automatically on the first MIDI note, no need to call init() separately when using MIDI.

Configuration

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

Modulation properties (via updateTrack):

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

Envelope properties: attack, decay, sustain, release

Static Utilities

Tracks

Instrument Presets

Game SFX Presets

Examples

• Interactive Demo — Full synth with piano keyboard, instruments, MIDI, and waveform visualizer
• Getting Started — Step-by-step tutorial with runnable code snippets
• Basic — Waveforms, chords, unison voices, and LFOs
• Game SFX — All 10 SFX presets as clickable cards
• Melodies — 4 playable songs with multi-track arrangements
• Instruments — 12 instrument presets with keyboard, MIDI, and musical demos
• Mini Game: Catcher — Coin-catcher game with real-time SFX
• Mini Game: Platformer — Mario-style platformer with jump, coins, enemies
• Soundboard — Tap pads with keyboard shortcuts + build custom sounds
• Sound Design — Real-time parameter tweaking with waveform + FFT visualization
• API Docs — Full technical documentation

Want More?

ChiptuneSynth Free is great for games, prototypes, and creative projects. Need a full DAW-grade audio engine?

Get 8BitForge Pro →

License

ChiptuneSynth uses a dual license:

• Non-Commercial — Free for personal projects, education, open-source, and game jams. Attribution required.
• Commercial — Any project generating revenue requires a commercial license.

See LICENSE for full terms.

Built with care by 8Binami