Chrome Music Lab
Fourteen small experiments — spectrogram, harmonics, arpeggios — that explain how music works by letting you break it.
Opens in a new tab. We do not control this site and it may have changed since we catalogued it.
How to get the most from it
Chrome Music Lab sits in Music Makers under Make, filed as coffee break.
- Set aside five to fifteen minutes and give it your proper attention.
- It works on a phone or a desktop, so open it on whatever is nearest.
- Turn the sound up or put headphones on — it needs audio.
- No account needed — you can start without signing up.
- Go in expecting something brainy, wholesome and clever.
About this category: Browser instruments, sequencers and sound toys designed so that anyone's first thirty seconds sound good. Headphones strongly recommended.
Good for
- Filling a coffee break properly
- Giving your brain a workout
- Something kind-hearted
- Being impressed by a clever idea
- Killing time on your phone
- Trying it with zero commitment
Chrome Music Lab: quick answers
Is Chrome Music Lab free?
Yes. Chrome Music Lab is free to use and needs no account.
Do I need an account to use Chrome Music Lab?
No. You can use Chrome Music Lab without signing up for anything.
Does Chrome Music Lab work on a phone?
Yes. Chrome Music Lab works on phones as well as desktop browsers.
Is Chrome Music Lab safe for work?
Yes, we file it as safe for work. It does need sound, so bring headphones.
How long does Chrome Music Lab take?
We file it as "Coffee break": Five to fifteen minutes of proper attention.
More in Music Makers
All 14 in Music MakersDress beatboxers in different outfits and each one adds a loop, building a full a cappella track by drag and drop.
- 10 min
- Sound on
Faithful browser rebuild of the Roland TR-808, down to the orange buttons and the cowbell nobody can leave alone.
- 10 min
- Sound on
- Desktop
Ableton's free course on beats, basslines and song structure, taught by handing you the instruments inside the page.
- 10 min
- Sound on
- Desktop
Multi-instrument piano roll in a browser, backed by thousands of user sequences you can open, pull apart and ruin.
- 10 min
- Sound on
- Desktop
Same mood: brainy
All brainy sitesA history map with a timeline slider, layered with rulers, religions, battles and linked encyclopedia articles.
- 1 hr+
- Desktop
Scanned American newspapers from 1770 to 1963, full-text searchable, which is a dangerous thing to discover on a weeknight.
- 1 hr+
- Desktop
Five photographs, one question each: what year was this taken? Points scale with how close you land, and the cars always give it away.
Video walks through a real city, and your job is to work out which one from the shopfronts, number plates and pedestrians.
- 10 min
- Desktop
Keep exploring
Category
Time and mood
Have a site of your own? Suggest it for Detour or browse the AltFTool backlinks hub.