alastair / synth

A keyboard synthesiser for Firefox 4

HTML5 Synth

Alastair Porter

For Firefox 4 only

Introduction

This is a synthsiser written in javascript / HTML5. It provides 2 modes of synthesis (Additive and FM) and gives 4 oscillators/envelope combinations (called 'operators') for use in synthesising sounds. Any of the 4 operators can be used for additive synthesis. FM synthesis uses the first 2 operators as the modulator and carrier, respectively.

To create a new voice, hit the Add new voice button. Click Edit voice to change the settings. You can give it a new name and choose the synthesis mode. Choose a frequency multiplier for each operator, or turn it off using the button in the top corner. Use the View envelope link to change the ADSR envelope associated with the operator.

To save your voices to the browser you are using, click the Save synth button. The synth will automatically restore these voices when you visit the page again, or you can use the Load synth button to load them manually. The Reset button will throw away all of your changes and load the default voices. Use the Panic button to turn off a runaway synth.

There is a display of the signal waveform and the signal spectrum. Click Show display to toggle this.

Use the keyboard at the bottom of the screen to play the synth. Middle C is marked.