User Guide

Overview

8BitForge is a professional 8-bit music production studio that runs entirely in your browser. It features an 8-track step sequencer, full synthesizer engine, piano roll editor, effects processing, mastering, and multi-format export — all powered by the Web Audio API.

No installation or plugins required. Just open the app and start creating authentic chiptune music.

Interface Layout

The application is divided into several areas:

• Top Bar — Project name, transport controls (Play/Stop), BPM, status display, save/export buttons
• Left Sidebar — Navigation between sections: Sequencer, Piano Roll, Synth, Effects, Mixer, Arrangement, Export, Settings
• Main Area — The active section content (sequencer grid, piano roll, synth controls, etc.)
• Right Panel — Context-sensitive controls, keyboard input section, visualizer. Toggle with Tab

Tracks & Colors

8BitForge has 8 dedicated tracks, each with its own color and default instrument type:

Step Sequencer

The sequencer is the heart of 8BitForge. It uses a grid-based interface where each row is a track and each column is a step (beat subdivision).

How It Works

• Click a cell to toggle a note on/off. Active cells light up with the track's color.
• Step count is configurable: 16, 24, or 32 steps per pattern. Steps are 16th notes.
• Step duration = (60 / BPM) / 4 seconds
• Note duration = quarter note × 0.9 (slight gap for articulation)

Grid Controls (per track)

Patterns

8BitForge supports 8 independent patterns (labeled 1–8). Each pattern contains its own 8-track × 32-step grid and its own per-track solo/mute states.

Pattern Operations

Rhythm Presets

Pre-built drum patterns organized by genre. Each preset includes 3 variants: Base, Variation, and Fill.

Categories

Usage

• Click a preset to apply it. Fill mode tiles the pattern to cover all steps.
• Shift+Click to append the preset after existing notes instead of replacing them.

Transport Controls

Synthesizer

Each track has its own independent synthesizer with full sound-shaping controls. Select a track to edit its synth parameters.

Oscillator

The oscillator generates the raw waveform for each track.

Unison

Layer multiple detuned copies of the oscillator for a thicker sound.

Vibrato

ADSR Envelope

The amplitude envelope shapes how a note's volume changes over time. Each track has its own ADSR.

Filter

Each track has a per-voice filter that shapes the frequency content of the sound.

Filter Envelope

Modulates the filter cutoff over time for dynamic tonal changes.

LFO Modulation

Three independent LFOs per track for modulating filter, pitch, and volume.

Filter LFO (LFO 1)

Tremolo (LFO → Volume)

Synth Presets

Quick presets to get started. Each preset sets the waveform, ADSR, volume, and key parameters:

You can also save and load your own custom presets, which include all synth parameters plus track effects and arpeggiator settings.

Sound Kits

A kit is a complete set of 8 presets (one per track) that can be loaded at once. Kits define the entire sonic palette of your project.

Kit Types

How to Use

Open the Studio Modal → Kits tab → Browse and click a kit to load all 8 track presets at once.

Saving a Kit

Give your kit a name, add tags for discoverability, and optionally make it public to share with the community.

Piano Roll

The Piano Roll provides note-level editing on a canvas-based grid. It spans 65 notes from C1 to E6.

Controls

• Click — Place or remove a note
• Drag — Draw multiple notes
• Ghost notes — Notes from other tracks appear semi-transparent for reference
• Track selector — Choose which track to edit

Open the Piano Roll by pressing P or clicking the Piano Roll button in the sidebar.

Arrangement Mode

Chain patterns together to create a full song structure. Each measure in the chain plays one of your 8 patterns in sequence.

Operations

• Add measure — Add a pattern to the end of the chain
• Insert — Insert a pattern at any position
• Remove — Remove a measure from the chain
• Reorder — Drag measures to rearrange them
• Seek — Click a measure to jump playback to that position
• Empty measure — null measures create silence

Arrangement Presets

Mixer

The mixer provides per-track level control, panning, EQ, and dynamics processing.

Per-Track Compressor

Track Effects

Each track has its own serial effects chain:

Input → Distortion → Chorus → Delay → Reverb → Bitcrusher → Output

Distortion

Chorus

Delay

Reverb

Bitcrusher

Master Effects

The master bus has its own effects chain applied to the final mix:

Master Gain → [Filter] → Chorus → Delay → Reverb → [Mastering] → Analyser → Output

Master Filter

Master Chorus

Master Delay

Master Reverb

Pitch Bend & Mod Wheel

XY Pad

Interactive 2D controller for the master filter. Drag your finger or mouse across the pad to shape the sound in real time.

Presets

7 filter presets for quick access to common shapes:

• Lowpass — Removes high frequencies
• Bandpass — Isolates a frequency band
• Highpass — Removes low frequencies
• Resonant — Emphasized peak at cutoff
• Bright — Open, airy filter setting
• Warm — Smooth, rounded tone
• Sweep — Wide-range filter movement

Mastering Engine

The mastering section sits after the master reverb in the signal chain and provides a 5-band parametric EQ, master compression, level metering, and an integrated spectrum analyzer.

5-Band Parametric EQ

Master Compressor

Metering

• Input / Output Level — Real-time dB meters
• Gain Reduction — Shows compressor activity
• Clip Indicator — Warns when output clips 0 dBFS
• Spectrum Analyzer — Integrated frequency display

Keyboard & MIDI Input

Play notes in real time using your computer keyboard, the on-screen virtual keyboard, or any connected MIDI device.

Computer Keyboard Layout

When the Keyboard section is open in the sidebar:

MIDI Support

Connect any MIDI controller via USB. 8BitForge automatically detects MIDI devices and routes input to the selected track. Supports note on/off, velocity, pitch bend, and modulation wheel.

Arpeggiator

Each track has its own BPM-synced arpeggiator that automatically generates arpeggios from held notes.

Recording

Record notes from keyboard/MIDI directly into the sequencer grid.

Recording Modes

Chord Mode

When enabled, notes played simultaneously (within 50ms) are distributed across melodic tracks 1–4 (Lead, Harmony, Bass, Arp). The first note goes to the selected track, subsequent notes fill the next available melodic track.

Music Generator

8BitForge includes a powerful procedural music generator that can create complete multi-track compositions algorithmically.

Parameters

Automation

Record and play back parameter changes over time. Automation lanes let you draw precise envelopes for mixer and effects parameters across the timeline.

FX Automation

25 automatable parameters across the master effects chain:

• Filter — Frequency, resonance, type
• Chorus — Rate, depth, mix
• Delay — Time, feedback, mix
• Reverb — Decay, mix
• Pitch / Mod Wheels — Pitch bend, modulation
• Mastering EQ — All 5 band gains and frequencies
• Mastering Compressor — Threshold, ratio, attack, release, makeup gain

Mixer Automation

Per-track automatable parameters:

• Volume — Track level over time
• Pan — Stereo position
• EQ — Low, mid, and high band gains
• Compressor — Threshold, ratio, attack, release
• Master Volume — Overall mix level

Editing

Export Audio

Export your projects in professional audio formats using FFmpeg.wasm (runs entirely in your browser).

Formats

Export Modes

Options

• Normalize — Auto-adjust volume to prevent clipping (default: on)
• Loop Ready — Cut at exact loop point with no release tail

MIDI Export

Export your composition as a standard MIDI file for use in other DAWs.

Code Export

Export your music as ready-to-use code for game engines and web projects. Open the Export modal and select the Code tab.

Supported Formats

How It Works

1. Select your target format from the dropdown
2. Click Copy to copy the generated code
3. Paste it into your project as a script file
4. The 8BitForge player engine is loaded automatically from CDN

The exported code includes your full composition data (patterns, arrangement, synth settings, effects, mastering) and exposes simple control functions.

Available Functions

Each export generates functions prefixed with your project name (e.g., forge_My_Track_) to allow multiple tracks in the same project.

Construct 3 Example

1. In Project Bar → Scripts → right-click → Add new script file
2. Paste the exported code into the new script file
3. In your Event Sheet, add a Mouse object to your project
4. Create an event: Mouse → On object clicked → select your Play button sprite
5. Add action → Add script (icon { }) → type: forge_My_Track_play()

Multiple Tracks

To use multiple music tracks in the same game, export each project separately. Each export generates unique function names based on the project name, so they won't conflict.

Player Embed

Share your compositions on any website with a lightweight embeddable player widget. Open the Export modal and select the Player tab.

Setup

1. Save your project (the player loads data from the cloud)
2. Customize the player appearance: theme, accent color, waveform style
3. Choose the playback mode (Full Song or Patterns)
4. Copy the generated HTML snippet
5. Paste it into your website, blog, or portfolio

Player Options

Features

• Cloud-powered — Project data is loaded from the API, keeping the embed snippet lightweight
• Full audio engine — Arrangement, per-track effects, mastering, and FX automation are all rendered in the player
• Exclusive playback — Multiple players on the same page? Only one plays at a time
• Cover art — Displays your project cover image, or a default placeholder if none is set
• Responsive — Adapts to any container width

JavaScript API

The widget exposes a JavaScript API for programmatic control:

API Loading

For saved projects, the player uses ForgeWidget.load() to fetch project data from the API by project ID:

ForgeWidget.load('container-id', 'project-uuid', {
  autoplay: false,
  loop: true,
  mode: 'song',
  theme: 'dark',
  accentColor: '#00e5ff'
});

Save & Load

Auto-Save

Projects are automatically saved to your browser's local storage. You'll never lose work due to an accidental tab close.

Cloud Save

All plans include cloud save. Annual and Perpetual license holders can also save locally for offline access. Your projects are accessible from any browser.

Project File

Projects save as .8bitforge JSON files containing all patterns, synth settings, effects, mixer state, arrangement, and automation data.

Demo Projects

8BitForge includes ready-made demo compositions showcasing various 8-bit music styles. These are complete multi-pattern projects with full instrument configurations that you can study, remix, or use as starting points.

Offline Mode

With an Annual or Perpetual plan, 8BitForge works without an internet connection via the desktop app. Your presets, kits, and projects are cached locally. Changes made offline are automatically synced when you reconnect.

Requirements

• Subscription — Annual or Perpetual plan
• Platform — Desktop app (Electron)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Transport

Patterns

Editing

Files

Interface

Audio Visualizer

Five visualization modes for real-time audio feedback:

Settings

Language

8BitForge is available in 10 languages: English, French, Japanese, German, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Italian, Korean, and Russian. Switch language at any time from Settings — all UI labels update instantly.

Themes

8 visual themes are available to customize the look of the interface:

Zoom

Adjust the interface zoom from 50% to 150%. This scales the entire interface to fit your screen size and preference.

Track Highlight

Choose how the currently selected track is highlighted in the sequencer:

• Label Glow — Glowing effect on the track label
• Side Bar — Colored bar on the left edge of the track
• Track Outline — Outline around the entire track row