Every musician knows how annoying it is to not have the right instrument at hand. If you urgently need to play a melody or two, and there is no musical instrument at hand, online synthesizers for the browser can help..
Anyone who has ever felt such a musical itch can play enough with any of the programs described below. Most of them can be played on the keyboard, but not all. Please note that they will not be able to completely replace a real (or even electronic) instrument, but they will give a good idea of the instrument.
WebSID
If your childhood was in the 80s, then WebSID will awaken many memories. This is a digital version of the iconic SID sound chip, which was used in the Commodore 64. The tool is very simple and easy to use, with an unpretentious interface. You can play using a computer keyboard, or on a smartphone or tablet using a touch keyboard..
In addition, WebSID has a built-in delay that diversifies the sound design. The synthesizer is also available in the Chrome web store , making it possible to play it offline. Just keep in mind that you created it using the WebAudio API, it will only work in browsers that support HTML5 audio.
Sympathetic Synthesizer System Mk 1
The Mk 1 is a simple synthesizer that will sound reminiscent of the glorious era that video games experienced in the 80s and early 90s. Unlike WebSID, the Mk 1 does not attempt to emulate any particular synthesizer or chip, but its sound is much more reminiscent of a video game than the sound of its analog "colleagues" from the same period. You can play the Sympathetic Synthesizer System Mk 1 using a physical or on-screen keyboard. A tool based on the WebAudio API has been created..
Patternsketch
Audio sequencer and drum machine. You can create patterns or play the drum kit in real time using your computer keyboard. In Patternsketch there are several different plants to choose from, ranging from the realistic-sounding Jazz and Live and ending with electronic as well as installation on a Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machine-based. In addition, there are several ready-made drum patterns available.
You can save and share your patterns so you can work together. They can also be exported as WAV, MP3 or OGG files for offline listening, and even sent directly to Soundcloud. If you're interested in sequencers, I recommend watching this YouTube video for the best of them.
MZ-101
The MZ-101 is a monophonic synthesizer inspired by analog synthesizers from the 1970s and 1980s such as the Roland SH-101. It does not shine with complexity, but let's not forget that similar instruments sound on many hit records. The MZ-101 allows you to load and save presets, and share them on Twitter.
You can play using on-screen or physical keyboards. Like most browser synthesizers, the MZ-101 is built on the Web Audio API and therefore will not work on browsers that do not support it.
TrueGrid
TrueGrid is clearly intended for experimental musicians and anyone interested in modular synthesizers. In a nutshell: a modular synthesizer consists of separate modules that can be interconnected in a variety of ways, and the signal paths can be changed.
TrueGrid is a digital version of a modular synthesizer in which you can create many different sounds by connecting modules. It doesn't have its own keyboard, Chrome users can play their own MIDI keyboard.
TrueGrid is currently in beta and is not yet fully operational. There are not so many modules, you still cannot choose them either. Instead, you have to register with ModularGrid and use the module builder on the site to create the synthesizer.
WebModular
A much simpler modular synthesizer that dates back to models such as the ARP 2600. Like TrueGrid, WebModular allows you to create your own signal paths, but focuses on more traditional sounds.
It has an on-screen keyboard and supports the modern Music Macro Language (MML), so you can just write a melody or riff, or even an entire song, and have the synthesizer play it. To get started easier, you can load several presets into WebModular.
Audiotool
Audiotool is an amazingly versatile music creation service, more than anything else. In Audiotool four synthesizer and three drum machines, as well as various sound effects, such as distortion, reverb, and delay. In addition, Audiotool can be used as a sequencer and compose entire tracks.
If you don't have the ambitions of a composer and just want to play one of the virtual instruments, press Caps Lock and you can play any of them using your computer keyboard.