Sketch an analog circuit, then play it

Oct 13, 2026 Last reply: 2 hours ago 4 Replies
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When it is up and running, this is a web app where you sketch an analog circuit and then play it as an instrument. The simulation solves every component at every sample, and that is what makes the knobs act as real pots. Patch up a VCO, a filter and a VCA, play from a keyboard or MIDI, and swap the filter while the sound keeps going.



Under the hood it is Rust compiled to WASM running in an AudioWorklet, using modified nodal analysis with trapezoidal integration, plus Newton iteration for the nonlinear parts. There are 22 classic filters modelled down to the component, covering the MS-20, a Moog ladder, the 303, SEM, Polivoks, Wasp, Steiner-Parker and the Juno IR3109, alongside pedal models like the Tube Screamer, the Big Muff and the Uni-Vibe. The nonlinear library includes OTAs such as the CA3080 and LM13700, plus tubes, JFETs, BBD chips, vactrols and hysteresis in magnetic cores.



The standout detail for me is that the simulator is differentiable and computes exact gradients for every component value, so circuits can be fitted to a hardware recording, part values optimised or topologies searched; one preset came straight out of that search. Hook up a DC-coupled interface and there is calibrated control voltage exchange with 1 V/oct tracking. Double-clicking a macro block zooms into its editable circuit, and playable circuits can be shared by copying a link.



It is still an early beta, and more antialiasing work remains before any benefits get claimed, with the triode models due to be checked against real hardware later. That openness about what is not finished yet reads as a good sign to me.


How did the maker check the filter models against real circuits? I would love to know whether that was done by ear or with measurements, especially for the ladder and the IR3109.

Dropping the output tanh in favour of a linear output within headroom, with overload protection and an indicator, seems like the right call to me. A soft clip baked into the output would colour every patch the same way, whereas leaving the saturation to the modelled components keeps each circuit's own character.

Since the engine is differentiable, it would be great to see the topology search used to generate more presets beyond the one filter that already came out of it. Letting users point the search at a target recording and get candidate circuits proposed would turn the app into a design partner, not just a simulator.

The maker has said the filters came out very close to the hardware counterparts that were tested, naming the Moog ladder, the WASP, the SEM and the IR3109. DC and transient behaviour were also checked against an independent ngspice implementation, so there is a numerical reference behind the models as well.

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