BlokDust: a free web-based music making app #MusicMonday
This is a really fun app to play around with – check out more info and tutorial in the BlokDust Guide.
BlokDust is a free to use web-based music, sound and instrument creation app. Users can build music creations with an easy to use drag & drop interface, and share creations with a unique generated URL. The project is open-source, and was first released in 2016.
BlokDust allows for the creation of synths, loops, effects and self-playing environments. Based around simple connections and a stripped-down graphic interface, it makes the creation process accessible while still allowing for more complex and unique creations, and bringing sound creation to the web in a new way.
BlokDust was created from a concept by Luke Twyman, and developed in collaboration with Luke Phillips and Edward Silverton. Early concepting and design began in January 2014, with development commencing in September. First release arrived August 2016.
Influence for the project’s functionality came in part from the ‘Redstone’ aspect of the video game Minecraft, while the visual style from early Lego and the music controller Reactable.
The project is coded in Javascript/Typescript, displayed using Canvas, and sound is generated using the Web Audio API. Much of the audio makes use of the framework Tone.js developed by Yotam Mann.
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