{
  "id": 299447,
  "title": "Building Groovie, an Advanced Web-Based Drum Machine / Beat Sequencer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/building-groovie-an-advanced-web-based-drum-machine-beat-sequencer",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-08T06:53:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Lobsters",
    "slug": "lobsters",
    "url": "https://pointersgonewild.com/2026-08-06-building-groovie-an-advanced-web-based-drum-beat-sequencer/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2012, the creator of Groovie built MusicToy, one of the earliest JavaScript music apps on the web. Unlike many drum machines with basic drum kits and single patterns, Groovie offers 150+ samples, up to 32 patterns, and a timeline view that enables sequencing multiple patterns simultaneously. With advanced features like variable-length patterns, polyrhythms, and per-sample volume and panning control, Groovie maintains an intuitive UI that works well on both desktop and mobile devices. Like its predecessor, Groovie is fully static and includes a URL encoding system that encodes projects, samples, and settings into the fragment part of the URL. The system cleverly encodes information using fewer bits than a raw bitmap representation, allowing for longer links that can be easily shared on social media platforms and messaging services.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Groovie, launched in 2012, is an advanced web-based drum machine.",
    "Features 150+ samples, 32 patterns, and timeline sequencing.",
    "Maintains intuitive UI on desktop and mobile, with URL encoding system."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/299447.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}