Open-source alternatives to Tone.js

Surge is a polyphonic software synthesizer and VST plugin designed for complex sound generation. It functions as a hybrid synthesis engine, combining subtractive, wavetable, frequency modulation, and physical modeling techniques to produce audio. The project distinguishes itself through extensive microtuning capabilities, supporting non-standard musical scales and intonations via industry-standard tuning files. It also features an Open Sound Control compatible architecture for remote parameter management and hardware synchronization. The system covers a broad range of audio engineering capab

wavesurfer.js is a WebAudio playback library and interactive waveform visualizer that renders audio data onto an HTML5 canvas. It enables users to see and navigate sound files through a visual representation of audio peaks, allowing for direct seeking and playback control within a web browser. The project is distinguished by its flexible rendering model, which can use precomputed peak data to display waveforms without downloading or decoding the full audio file. It utilizes a plugin-based extension model to integrate advanced tools such as spectrograms, interactive audio timelines, and real-t

Overtone is a Lisp audio synthesis library that provides a programmable environment for designing synthesizers and generating real-time audio. It serves as a digital signal processing framework for live sound programming, integrating an audio sample manager for retrieving and caching sounds from remote repositories and a musical sequence generator for composing melodic and rhythmic structures. The project distinguishes itself through its specialized interfaces for hardware and networking, featuring a dedicated system for routing MIDI data and exchanging Open Sound Control messages between sof

Alda is a text-based music programming language and command-line tool for composing, playing, and live-coding musical scores. It functions as a MIDI composition engine that renders plain-text scores into audio output, and as a live coding environment where code entered in a read-eval-print loop produces real-time playback without restarting the interpreter. The system distinguishes itself through an event-driven playback engine that schedules timed note events, an instrument-attribute inheritance model that cascades properties like volume and tempo from global defaults to individual parts, an

AudioKit is an audio framework for iOS, macOS, and tvOS that provides tools for digital audio synthesis, signal processing, and audio analysis. It functions as a synthesis engine for generating audio waveforms and textures, a processing library for modifying tonal characteristics, and a toolkit for extracting frequency and amplitude data from sonic signals. The framework utilizes a modular node architecture and graph-based signal routing to connect audio generators, processors, and outputs. It wraps low-level audio primitives in high-level classes to facilitate sound generation and modificati

This repository is a comprehensive collection of functional 2D and 3D demo projects and implementation samples for the Godot Game Engine. It serves as an interactive tutorial and reference library, providing a working codebase to demonstrate how to apply engine features in real-world scenarios. The collection focuses on practical implementation guides, covering a wide array of technical capabilities from basic engine fundamentals to advanced rendering and scripting techniques. It allows users to study the application of node-based composition, asset pipelines, and game logic through direct ex

Magenta is a comprehensive toolkit for training, synthesizing, and performing music through neural models and hardware-integrated engines. It functions as a machine learning framework that enables the generation, manipulation, and real-time performance of audio, providing the structural foundations for musical intelligence through hierarchical sequence modeling and symbolic processing. The project distinguishes itself by enabling real-time, low-latency neural audio synthesis that can be integrated directly into professional digital audio workstations. It supports interactive musical jamming a

miniaudio is a single-file C audio library used for audio playback, capture, and hardware interfacing across multiple operating systems. It functions as an audio hardware abstraction layer, an audio processing engine, an audio synthesis engine, and a codec and resampler. The project implements a node-graph based system for routing digital audio signals, mixing, and 3D spatialization. It also includes a programmatic generator for noise patterns and basic waveforms used for sound creation and signal testing. The library covers digital signal processing, including audio format conversion and sa

JUCE is a comprehensive C++ audio framework and digital signal processing library used to build cross-platform audio applications, audio plug-ins, and high-performance user interfaces. It serves as a development kit for creating audio processors compatible with industry-standard plugin formats for digital audio workstations, as well as a tool for MIDI and Open Sound Control communication between musical hardware and software. The framework is distinguished by its ability to maintain a single codebase for native desktop and mobile applications across multiple operating systems. It provides a f

Ardour is a digital audio workstation, multitrack audio mixer, and MIDI sequencer. It functions as a non-linear audio editor and a plugin host for running third-party effects and instruments. The system provides specialized capabilities for post-production audio scoring through video frame synchronization, as well as live performance sequencing for triggering clips and patterns in real-time. It also supports tactile mixing via control surface mapping and hardware controller configuration. The software covers a broad range of audio production needs, including multitrack recording, MIDI sequen

Recorder is a JavaScript library for capturing audio from microphones and encoding the resulting data into multiple formats, including MP3, WAV, and WebM. It provides a unified interface for cross-platform audio recording across web browsers and mobile applications. The library functions as an audio signal processing tool and waveform visualizer, offering real-time visual feedback through frequency histograms and waveforms. It includes specialized capabilities for encoding and decoding dual-tone multi-frequency telephone keypad tones. The project covers a broad range of audio manipulation ca

BespokeSynth is a modular synthesizer environment that combines a node-based audio graph routing system with a live scripting bridge, enabling real-time patching and control without recompilation. Its architecture integrates a granular synthesis engine, FFT-based spectral processing, a MIDI Polyphonic Expression pipeline, and a Euclidean rhythm generator, all within a freeform workspace designed for live experimentation. The project distinguishes itself through its live coding capabilities, allowing Python scripts to create, modify, and control synthesis parameters at runtime, and its plugin

SoundJS is a JavaScript audio library and asset manager designed to load and play audio across different browsers using a consistent API. It serves as a wrapper that abstracts the Web Audio API and HTML5 Audio to provide a cross-platform playback system. The project ensures consistent sound across devices by supporting Web Audio, HTML5, and mobile plugins. It includes specific mechanisms for mobile environments, such as unlocking audio playback on iOS via user-initiated touch events and managing playback continuity during screen locks. The library covers asset management through the registra

Scribbletune is a JavaScript music composition library, MIDI file generator, text-based patch diagrammer, and Web Audio API sequencer. It enables the definition of rhythms, chords, and melodies using string-based notation for real-time playback in web browsers. The system transforms simple text notation into SVG visual representations of modular synthesizer signal paths. It also converts programmatically composed musical clips and patterns into standard MIDI files for use in external digital audio workstations. Composition capabilities include a character-based rhythmic notation system for p

EZAudio is an audio library for Apple platforms that provides standardized interfaces for microphone capture, file playback, and hardware output. It functions as a low-latency audio processor and visualization framework designed to manipulate audio buffers and route signals with minimal delay. The project features a hardware-accelerated waveform renderer for drawing real-time audio amplitudes and rolling plots. It also includes a Fast Fourier Transform analyzer that converts time-domain audio samples into frequency-domain data for spectral analysis. The library covers a broad range of capabi

NAudio is a .NET audio library that provides playback, recording, format conversion, and signal processing capabilities for Windows applications. It serves as an audio format converter between common formats like WAV, MP3, AAC, and AIFF using ACM or Media Foundation codecs, and functions as an audio playback and recording API through Windows audio APIs including WaveOut, DirectSound, ASIO, and WASAPI. The library includes an audio stream processor that can mix, trim, loop, fade, resample, and adjust pitch or channel count of audio streams with a floating-point engine. It also provides an audi

MAME is a vintage hardware emulation platform designed to recreate the circuitry of arcade games, computers, and consoles to run original software on modern devices. It functions as a retro gaming preservation framework for managing, verifying, and archiving ROM sets and disk images to ensure long-term software accessibility. The project features a system debugging tool for inspecting emulated memory, CPU registers, and execution flow via breakpoints and disassembly. It also includes a Lua-based automation layer that exposes core system state and hardware controls for custom behavior and anal

Bap is a toolkit for making beats and composing sequences with Javascript and Web Audio for playback in modern browsers. It is inspired by the classic "MPC workflow" and built to make all aspects of beatmaking completely modular and reusable.

AzuraCast is a self-hosted web radio management suite and dashboard designed for internet radio broadcasting. It functions as an automated playback manager and broadcasting system, integrating an audio orchestrator for transcoding and cross-fading with a streaming server to distribute audio via mount points. The platform enables multi-tenant station management, allowing a single installation to host multiple independent radio entities. It distinguishes itself by combining an Auto-DJ broadcast system with the ability to manage live DJ accounts and coordinate real-time broadcasts. The system c

This project is a creative software framework and procedural graphics toolset designed for building custom graphics, sound, and user interface software. It functions as a development environment that provides integrated project and dependency management for creating technical multimedia productions. The system serves as a historical source archive, preserving the code and assets used in technical creative productions from 2001 to 2011. It includes a media production bundler to package source code and assets into single executable distributions for end users. The framework covers a broad rang

An audio server, programming language, and IDE for sound synthesis and algorithmic composition.

nih-plug is an audio plugin SDK and development framework providing a set of tools and traits for processing audio and MIDI data in a real-time safe environment. It functions as a cross-format plugin wrapper, allowing a single implementation to be exported into multiple industry-standard audio plugin formats, including VST, CLAP, and LV2. The project includes a retained-mode GUI framework for creating interactive user interfaces and parameter controls for audio processors. It also provides a real-time audio library that utilizes hardware acceleration and asynchronous task management to mainta

Sonic Pi is a live coding music environment and algorithmic composition tool. It functions as a Ruby-based audio engine that allows users to compose and perform audio in real-time through a programmable interface. The software serves as interactive music education software, designed to teach computer science fundamentals and introductory programming concepts through the immediate feedback of sound generation. The system provides capabilities for real-time audio synthesis and the creation of complex musical patterns and sequences. It enables the generation of audio and the execution of music

This project is a React-based framework for constructing interactive, node-based visual interfaces. It provides a platform for building canvases where users define, connect, and organize logical processes, data pipelines, or complex workflows through a graphical interface. By utilizing a modular component architecture, it enables the development of low-code environments, visual programming tools, and interactive diagramming applications. The framework distinguishes itself through a declarative approach where state changes automatically synchronize with the visual representation of nodes and e

AudioNoise is a digital audio effects library and signal processor designed to manipulate audio waveforms through digital filtering and echo simulations. It functions as an analog circuit emulator, simulating the behavior of hardware guitar pedals and phasers. The project provides tools for experimental sound processing, including the generation of random digital noises and textures. It also includes an audio waveform visualizer that renders digital audio data as visual graphs to analyze the results of signal processing. The library implements capabilities for digital audio processing and an

This project is a multi-room music server and library aggregator that centralizes local audio files and various streaming services into a single unified database. It functions as a media controller for DLNA and UPnP devices, enabling the management of music, podcasts, and audiobooks across networked speakers. The system is distinguished by its ability to synchronize audio playback across multiple speakers and brands simultaneously. It features a digital signal processor for loudness normalization and frequency correction, alongside an acoustic fingerprinting engine used for metadata enrichmen

Audacity is a cross-platform digital audio workstation and multi-track audio editor. It serves as a comprehensive suite for capturing live audio input, refining sound files through splicing and effects, and mixing multi-track audio files using a non-destructive waveform interface. The project functions as a VST3 plugin host, providing a software environment to load and execute audio effects and virtual instruments for real-time signal processing. It also includes an audio spectrum analyzer for visualizing frequencies and waveforms to identify specific sonic characteristics. The software cove