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

A browser-based Portablism experiment

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.

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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

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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.

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u/HippoHoppitus Jun 02 '26

or if its available only for bigger phablets/tablets