simple-beatmaker

Simple Beatmaker

A Node.js package that generates drum sounds from scratch and creates beats programmatically. No external WAV files needed - all drum sounds are synthesized using mathematical formulas!

Features

• 🥁 3 Drum Sets: Classic (acoustic), Electronic (synthetic), Vintage (analog)
• 🎵 5 Built-in Patterns: basic-rock, electronic-dance, vintage-groove, funky-break, minimal-techno
• 🎛️ Custom Patterns: Create your own 16-step patterns
• 🔊 6 Drum Types: Kick, Snare, Hi-hat, Clap, Crash, Tom
• 🎮 Easy Generation: Generate template files with CLI commands
• ⚡ Cross-platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Installation

npm install -g simple-beatmaker

Quick Start

Option 1: Generate Template Files

Create a template file with all options:

beatmaker generate init

Or generate a simple kick-clap beat:

beatmaker generate kick-clap

Then edit the generated .js file and play it:

beatmaker play beatmaker-template.js

Option 2: Create Your Own JS File

Create a file called my-beat.js:

const SimpleBeatmaker = require('simple-beatmaker');

const beatmaker = new SimpleBeatmaker();

// Create and play a beat
beatmaker
  .setBPM(120)
  .setDrumSet('classic')
  .usePreset('basic-rock')
  .play(2); // Play 2 loops

Then play it:

beatmaker play my-beat.js

That's it! The command will execute your JavaScript file and generate a WAV file that plays automatically.

CLI Commands

# Generate template files
beatmaker generate init            # Creates beatmaker-template.js with all options
beatmaker generate kick-clap       # Creates kick-clap-beat.js with simple beat

# Play JavaScript beat files  
beatmaker play my-beat.js          # Execute and play your beat file

# Get help
beatmaker help                     # Show all available commands

API Reference

Creating Beats

const SimpleBeatmaker = require('simple-beatmaker');
const beatmaker = new SimpleBeatmaker();

// Set tempo
beatmaker.setBPM(120); // Default: 120 BPM

// Choose drum set
beatmaker.setDrumSet('classic');   // Options: 'classic', 'electronic', 'vintage'

// Set output directory (optional)
beatmaker.setOutputDir('beats');   // Save to 'beats' folder (creates if needed)

// Use a preset pattern
beatmaker.usePreset('basic-rock'); // See available presets below

// Or create custom pattern
beatmaker.createPattern(bars, pattern);

// Generate and play
beatmaker.play(loops, filename);

Drum Sets

• classic: Warm acoustic drum sounds with natural tones
• electronic: Sharp synthetic drums with digital character
• vintage: Analog-style drums with warm, saturated sound

Built-in Presets

• basic-rock: Classic 4/4 rock beat (4 bars)
• electronic-dance: Electronic dance pattern (2 bars)
• vintage-groove: Laid-back vintage groove (4 bars)
• funky-break: Syncopated funk pattern (2 bars)
• minimal-techno: Minimal techno beat (4 bars)

Custom Patterns

Create 16-step patterns (16th notes per bar):

const customPattern = [
  // Bar 1
  [
    ['kick'], null, ['hihat'], null,           // Steps 1-4
    ['snare'], null, ['hihat'], null,          // Steps 5-8
    ['kick'], null, ['hihat'], null,           // Steps 9-12
    ['snare'], null, ['hihat'], null           // Steps 13-16
  ],
  // Bar 2
  [
    ['kick'], ['hihat'], null, ['hihat'],
    ['snare'], ['snare'], ['hihat'], null,
    ['kick'], ['kick'], ['hihat'], ['snare'],
    ['snare'], ['kick'], ['hihat'], ['kick']
  ]
];

beatmaker.createPattern(2, customPattern);

Pattern Format

• Each bar has 16 steps (16th notes)
• null = silence on that step
• ['kick'] = kick drum on that step
• ['snare'] = snare drum on that step
• ['hihat'] = hihat on that step
• ['kick', 'snare'] = multiple drums on same step

Available Drums

• kick or k: Kick drum
• snare or s: Snare drum
• hihat or h: Hi-hat
• clap or c: Hand clap
• crash or x: Crash cymbal
• tom or t: Tom drum

Output Directory

By default, WAV files are saved to the current directory. You can specify a custom output directory:

// Save to a specific folder
beatmaker.setOutputDir('my-beats');        // Creates 'my-beats' folder if needed

// Relative paths
beatmaker.setOutputDir('./output/drums');  // Save to output/drums

// Absolute paths  
beatmaker.setOutputDir('/home/user/music'); // Linux/macOS
beatmaker.setOutputDir('C:\\Music\\Beats'); // Windows

// Reset to default (current directory)
beatmaker.setOutputDir(null);

The directory will be created automatically if it doesn't exist.

Examples

Electronic Dance Beat

const SimpleBeatmaker = require('simple-beatmaker');

const beatmaker = new SimpleBeatmaker();

beatmaker
  .setBPM(130)
  .setDrumSet('electronic')
  .usePreset('electronic-dance')
  .play(4, 'dance-track.wav');

Custom Funk Pattern

const SimpleBeatmaker = require('simple-beatmaker');

const beatmaker = new SimpleBeatmaker();

const funkyPattern = [
  [
    ['kick'], null, null, ['hihat'],
    null, ['clap'], ['kick'], null,           // Using clap instead of snare
    null, ['hihat'], ['kick'], null,
    ['tom'], null, ['hihat'], ['crash']       // Tom and crash at the end
  ]
];

beatmaker
  .setBPM(95)
  .setDrumSet('vintage')
  .createPattern(1, funkyPattern)
  .play(8, 'funk-groove.wav');

Multiple Drum Sets Demo

const SimpleBeatmaker = require('simple-beatmaker');

const beatmaker = new SimpleBeatmaker();

// Classic version
beatmaker.setBPM(120).setDrumSet('classic').usePreset('basic-rock').play(1, 'classic.wav');

// Electronic version  
beatmaker.setBPM(120).setDrumSet('electronic').usePreset('basic-rock').play(1, 'electronic.wav');

// Vintage version
beatmaker.setBPM(120).setDrumSet('vintage').usePreset('basic-rock').play(1, 'vintage.wav');

Using Custom Output Directory

const SimpleBeatmaker = require('simple-beatmaker');

const beatmaker = new SimpleBeatmaker();

// Organize beats by genre
beatmaker
  .setBPM(128)
  .setDrumSet('electronic')
  .setOutputDir('beats/electronic')     // Save to beats/electronic/ folder
  .usePreset('electronic-dance')
  .play(2, 'dance-beat.wav');

// Different folder for rock beats
beatmaker
  .setBPM(120)
  .setDrumSet('classic')
  .setOutputDir('beats/rock')           // Save to beats/rock/ folder
  .usePreset('basic-rock')
  .play(2, 'rock-beat.wav');

Workflow

• Option A: Use beatmaker generate init to create a template, then customize it
• Option B: Use beatmaker generate kick-clap for a quick start
• Option C: Write your own JavaScript file from scratch
• Play: Use beatmaker play filename.js to execute and generate audio

Audio Output

• Format: WAV (44.1kHz, 16-bit, stereo)
• Auto-play: Generated files open in your default audio player
• File location: Saved in current directory with descriptive names

How It Works

Simple Beatmaker generates all drum sounds mathematically:

• Kick Drum: Low-frequency sine waves with exponential decay
• Snare Drum: Filtered noise mixed with tonal components
• Hi-hat: High-frequency filtered noise with fast decay
• Clap: Multiple burst noise patterns to simulate hand clapping
• Crash Cymbal: Complex metallic harmonics with shimmer
• Tom Drum: Tuned drum sounds with pitch bending

Different drum sets use different parameters and processing to create distinct sonic characters.

Requirements

• Node.js 14.0.0 or higher
• No additional dependencies required

License

MIT

Contributing

Issues and pull requests welcome on GitHub!