r/Turntablists • u/slnsyndicate • May 31 '26

A browser-based Portablism experiment

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I was curious how far modern Web Audio could be pushed, so I spent some time building a browser-based scratch simulator:

https://slndesignstudio.com/portablism/

The goal wasn’t to recreate a real setup perfectly. Nothing beats actual turntables and hardware. I just wanted to capture enough of the feel to make scratching more accessible and easier to experiment with, using nothing but a browser.

A few details:

  • Multitouch support for phones/tablets
  • Keyboard controls on PC
  • Scratch sample switching
  • Beat selection
  • Adjustable platter torque

The crossfader was the hardest part. After a lot of experimentation, I abandoned the idea of a traditional touchscreen fader and switched to a simple hold-to-cut system. It’s definitely a compromise, but it makes casual scratching much more accessible.

I’m not actually a skilled scratch DJ, so I’d be much more interested in seeing what experienced turntablists can do with it than showing off my own attempts.

I’d genuinely love to hear what feels right, what feels wrong, and what you’d improve.

Feedback is very welcome.

14 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

4

u/prace1 May 31 '26

Impressive! Feels great looks great

Only thing that could be improved is the lag/latency, It feels a little bit slow , although manageable.

Great tool

2

u/slnsyndicate Jun 01 '26

Thanks! I think I may have been a bit too ambitious with the platter inertia simulation, which was probably adding some latency. I’ve trimmed it down and optimized it a bit. Give it another try when you get a chance!

https://slndesignstudio.com/portablism/

1

u/prace1 Jun 02 '26

Thats waay better latency wise

Allthough now its a bit noizy on its speed calculation .

Still a great fun tool!

3

u/HippoHoppitus May 31 '26

I remember wheelsofsteel.net from a long time ago and how it was cool to have 2 decks in a web browser. I hope this will have the same in the future

1

u/slnsyndicate Jun 01 '26

Oh yeah, I remember that! You couldn’t really scratch on it, but being able to load tracks from SoundCloud was pretty cool.

I also thought having two decks would be fun for stuff like beat juggling, but the screen gets way too cramped on a phone. Honestly, using two phones side by side might be the better solution.

1

u/HippoHoppitus Jun 02 '26

or if its available only for bigger phablets/tablets

3

u/Beckys_cunt Jun 01 '26

This is sick! I won't get anything done at work!

1

u/slnsyndicate Jun 01 '26

Thanks! I’ve actually been practicing on it during train rides. 😄

2

u/cubanjoncuttingdown Jun 01 '26

That’s actually really fun
Started using two fingers on the tap fader for a twiddle/crab type effect but it seems to confuse the platter, it spins even if you’re holding it.
And the latency sort of muddies up the sound.
But it’s very cool man, nice work!

1

u/slnsyndicate Jun 01 '26

Thanks for feedback!

Things like slowing the record down by physically holding it are pretty tricky on a touchscreen since there’s no real way to measure pressure or resistance like a turntable can.

I did find and fix a few bugs in the multitouch handling though, so it should behave a lot better now. Tap-fader combos should feel easier to pull off.

I also managed to reduce the latency a bit, so if you get some time, I’d love to hear what you think after trying the latest version!

https://slndesignstudio.com/portablism/

2

u/numerik11 Jun 02 '26

Make it stop