the system
what the sampler is, how patterns get built, the editorial layer that decides what's true, the multisample pipeline that turns nick's actual gear into web-playable instruments. read once. then build.
browser-based synthesis machine
drop a MIDI file → pick an instrument → render a WAV. nothing leaves your machine. no auth, no cloud upload, no plugin install. the sampler runs entirely in your browser via Web Audio API + OfflineAudioContext. patterns are programmed in code, instruments are synthesis engines (TR-909, TR-808, TR-707, TR-606, Linn LM-1, Oberheim DMX, Minimoog, SP-1200, DX7, C64 SID, semi-modular pad/lead) plus real captured multisamples from nick's actual hardware.
19 patterns grounded in real records
every pattern is keyed to a specific reference record — phuture's "acid tracks" (1987), prince's "when doves cry" (1984), run-DMC's "sucker mc's" (1983), atlanta trap circa lex luger (2011), etc. the drum placement, BPM, scale, era, technique are all programmed to match that record so you can hear THE CONTEXT of the sound, not a generic preset.
browse by era, tempo, or just scroll the hub. each pattern has its own dedicated detail page with long-form prose explaining the era, the gear lineage, and the common mistake producers make trying to recreate it.
0 verified · 19 draft
every claim on this site is read by professional producers. one viral hacker news thread saying "this site has obvious music history errors" tanks the trust we've spent years building. so we built an editorial system.
each pattern has a status: draft (claude-authored, unverified) · needs-review (flagged for follow-up) · verified (signed off by a named producer with their name on the record). a nightly AI audit script cross-checks every claim against our canonical drum_catalog reference. verified patterns appear on the verified-only index. drafts get a yellow ✎ badge so visitors know what's still in flight.
honest about state > pretending to be perfect.
real gear, web-playable
synth engines approximate vintage hardware. real multisamples ARE the hardware. nick captures actual analog gear at thespacepit studio — 24-bit / 48kHz, direct line out, every minor third across 4 octaves, raw + chain-processed variants. WAVs land in the sister sample-bank repo, a sync script generates manifests, and the captures appear in the sampler instrument picker alongside the synth engines. swap from synth Moog to real Moog Grandmother in one click via the per-track override panel.
16 multisample manifests live right now. browse the portfolio to see every gear that's been captured + what's pending.
every capture is a product
each captured gear becomes a sample pack on gumroad. raw WAVs + chain-processed variants + Ableton drum/sampler instruments. one-time purchase, all yours forever. spacepit subscribers eventually get every pack included with subscription.
the loop: nick captures gear → samples appear in the spacepit sampler (instant gratification for visitors) → pack ships on gumroad (income) → producers use the pack in their DAW (real-world impact) → studio captures more gear. each session = ~5 products across ~5 channels. nothing is wasted.
the producer in your browser
open hook is the AI version of nick. it knows the catalog, the patterns, the multisamples, the canonical lessons, the studio history. ask it which patch fits your session, which pattern rhymes with the record you're chasing, how to get a specific sound on the hardware you have. it has tools to search the catalog at runtime + emit one-click render links so you don't have to type URLs.
start a conversation at /openhook.
the long game
more gear captures (MS-20, SP-1200, Wurlitzer, EP-133, all the Teenage Engineering gear). more patterns. real producer sign-offs filling the verified index. open hook getting deeper. discord community growing. gumroad packs shipping. spacepit subscription tier ($100/mo) bundling everything.
we're not racing. we're building a 20-year studio + label + community + content + commerce stack. every commit moves the chassis one step further.