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Orbital

Orbital is a solar-system inspired musical instrument for the browser. It works by looping 1, 2, 4, or 8 measures and placing new notes, represented by planets, in orbit as the user inputs them. Each tone has its own orbital path and triggers a synth sound when it reaches its point of origin.

Checkout the live version here!

sign-up

Features

  • Start, pause, and reset the orbit looper
  • Send unlimited planets into orbit
  • Adjustable tempo and number of measures

Technology Used

  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • Tone.js
  • EaselJS

Main Feature Implementation

Measure and tempo based orbit speed

Each planet orbits at a speed determined by two inputs, number of measures and tempo. To achieve uniform revolution time for planets on orbits of different sizes I wrote an algorithm that calculates the change of angle per frame given the two inputs. This angle determines the next coordinate along the orbit. The new location is calculated repeatedly at a 1/60 second interval allowing the planet constant movement along its respective orbit.

let angle = 0;
setInterval(() => {
  planetShape.x = this.ring.x + Math.cos(angle) * this.ring.radius;
  planetShape.y = this.ring.y + Math.sin(angle) * this.ring.radius;

  const degrees = (
    360 / ((60 / this.ring.bpm) * (this.ring.measures * 4)) / 60
  );
  const radians = degrees * Math.PI / 180;

  angle -= radians;
}, 16.66666666);

Visually driven note triggering

Because the frame rate in the browser is metronomically imperfect, it was necessary to trigger the synthesizer based on planet coordinates as opposed to at a pre-determined interval. This ensures that the visualization and the audio maintain synchronicity.

handleOriginArrival(planetShape) {
  if (planetShape.x > this.ring.x - 10 &&
      planetShape.x < this.ring.x + 5 &&
      planetShape.y > this.ring.y) {
    this.synth.triggerAttackRelease(this.ring.note, '8n');
  }
}

Future Plans for this Project

Arpeggiator

The user will be able to toggle an arpeggiator which sends a constant stream of planets into orbit. The arpeggiator will have a pattern selector that determines the order that the notes are triggered in.

Metronome

There will be a toggle-able visual and audible metronome to make it easier for the user to input notes in rhythm.

Original Design Docs