Free · Open source · No account

Make music anywhere.

PulseForge Studio is a full beat-making and music production studio that runs in your browser and installs on every device: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iPhone, iPad and Android.

▶ Launch in browser ⬇ Download

Nothing to sign up for. Your music stays on your device.

Everything you need to finish a track

🥁 Channel Rack

A step sequencer with paint-drag, per-step velocity, swing and 16–64 step patterns.

🎹 Piano Roll

Scale lock, chord stamps, a velocity lane, ghost notes, quantize, and draw/select/erase tools.

✨ Idea generators

One click gives you a fresh drum groove, a melody in your key, or a chord progression.

🎼 Playlist

Arrange patterns into a full song with paint, move, resize and track mute.

🎚 Mixer + 9 effects

EQ, compressor, reverb, delay, distortion, filter, chorus, bitcrusher and widener, with meters and a spectrum display.

🔊 Instruments

Synthesized drums, supersaw, 808, bass, pads, plucks, FM bells, and a sampler for your own sounds.

🎤 Record

Record your microphone, or play live from your computer keyboard or a MIDI controller.

🪟 Dynamic workspace

Floating windows that snap and resize, five preset layouts, and full-screen tabs on phones.

💾 Export

Export WAV and MIDI, save project files, autosave, and undo everything.

Get PulseForge

Pick your device. We've highlighted the best option for this one.

🌐

Web browser

Runs instantly in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox or Safari. Nothing to install.

Launch in browser

🪟

Windows

Desktop app for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit).

Download .exe

macOS

Universal app for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Download .dmg

🐧

Linux

AppImage (any distro) or .deb (Ubuntu and Debian).

Download AppImage Download .deb

📱

iPhone & iPad

Open this page in Safari, tap Share ⎋, then Add to Home Screen. It opens full-screen like a native app.

Step-by-step

🤖

Android

Install it straight from Chrome. It works offline once installed.

Step-by-step

💻

Chromebook

Install it from Chrome. It gets its own window and launcher icon.

🧑‍💻

Source code

MIT licensed with no build step. Self-host it anywhere or contribute.

View on GitHub

User guide

1 · Quick start (60 seconds)

Click Launch Studio. A demo song is already loaded.
Press Space (or ▶) to play. Click SONG to hear the whole arrangement, or PAT to loop one pattern.
In the Channel Rack, click squares to switch drum hits on and off. Drag across them to paint, and right-click to erase.
Click a channel's name, then draw notes in the Piano Roll. Out of ideas? Press ✨ Melody, ✨ Chords or ✨ Groove.
Paint your patterns into the Playlist to build a full song.
Add effects in the Mixer, then use File → Export WAV.

2 · The dynamic workspace

Every panel (Browser, Playlist, Channel Rack, Piano Roll and Mixer) is a floating window:

Drag a window by its title bar. It snaps to the edges of other windows.
Resize it from the bottom-right corner. Double-click the title to maximize, and click ✕ to hide.
Switch between ready-made layouts in View: Studio, Beat making, Compose, Arrange and Mixing.
Toggle panels with F5–F9. Your layout is remembered.
On phones, panels become full-screen tabs along the bottom: Rack, Piano, Song, Mixer and Browse.

3 · How it all fits together

Channels

Your instruments: drums, synths or samples. Double-click one to edit its sound. The number next to it is the mixer track it plays through.

Patterns

Short clips of notes for all channels. The rack's squares and the piano roll edit the same notes. Switch patterns with the selector at the top.

Playlist

Where patterns are placed over time to make a song. PAT mode loops one pattern; SONG mode plays the playlist. Click the ruler to play from any bar.

Mixer

Each track has volume, pan, mute/solo and an effects chain, and everything flows into the Master. Click a track to edit its effects.

4 · Making your first beat

File → New project gives you a kick, snare, hat and synth.
Kick on steps 1, 5, 9 and 13; snare on 5 and 13; hats on every other step. Press Space.
Select the synth, pick a Scale in the piano roll, turn on 🔒 Lock, and draw a bassline. Every note stays in key.
Click ＋ next to the pattern selector to make Pattern 2 for a melody. Try ✨ Melody.
In the Playlist, select each pattern and paint it onto a track. Press SONG, then ▶.
In the Mixer, add Reverb to the melody track and a Compressor to the drums.
Scroll the mouse wheel over a lit step to make it quieter or louder. Hats sound more human that way.

5 · Keyboard shortcuts

Space	Play / stop
Shift + L / R / M	Pattern ↔ Song mode · Record notes · Metronome
Ctrl/⌘ + Z · Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + Z	Undo · Redo
Ctrl/⌘ + S · O · E	Save project · Open project · Export WAV
Ctrl/⌘ + K	Command palette: search every action
F1 · F5 · F6 · F7 · F8 · F9	Guide · Playlist · Channel Rack · Piano Roll · Browser · Mixer
Z S X D C V G B H N J M	Play notes on the selected channel (Q–I row = octave up)
[ and ]	Previous / next pattern
Piano roll: Delete · Ctrl+A · Ctrl+D	Delete · Select all · Duplicate
Piano roll: ↑ ↓ (Shift = octave) · ← →	Transpose · Nudge
Ctrl + mouse wheel	Zoom the piano roll or playlist

6 · Installing on each device

🪟 Windows

Download the .exe above and run it. If SmartScreen appears, click More info → Run anyway (the app isn't code-signed yet). You can also open the studio in Chrome or Edge and click the install icon ⊕ in the address bar.

⌘ macOS

Download the .dmg, open it and drag PulseForge into Applications. The first time, right-click the app → Open → Open, because it isn't notarized by Apple yet. Or install from Chrome or Edge with the ⊕ icon.

🐧 Linux

AppImage: run chmod +x PulseForge-Studio-Linux.AppImage, then double-click it. Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install ./PulseForge-Studio-Linux.deb.

📱 iPhone / iPad

Open this page in Safari → tap Share → Add to Home Screen → Add. Launch it from the new icon. Switch off silent mode to hear sound.

🤖 Android

In Chrome, tap Install app above, or ⋮ → Install app. It appears in your app drawer.

💻 Chromebook

Click Install app above, or the ⊕ icon in Chrome's address bar.

7 · Saving, exporting & your data

Your project autosaves in this browser or app as you work.
File → Save project file downloads a .pfproj file with your samples inside. Open it on any device with File → Open, or drag it into the window.
Export WAV renders the song in SONG mode, or the current pattern in PAT mode. Export MIDI sends a pattern to any other music app.
Drag audio files anywhere onto the studio to turn them into sampler instruments.
There are no accounts, servers or tracking. Your music never leaves your device unless you share it.

FAQ

Is it really free?

Yes. PulseForge is open source under the MIT license. Every feature is free for everyone, with no trial or upgrade.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Once you've installed it (or opened it once), it works without an internet connection.

I don't hear any sound.

Click anywhere in the studio first, because browsers only allow audio after you interact with the page. On iPhone, switch off silent mode. Also check that the channel and mixer track aren't muted.

Can I use my MIDI keyboard?

Yes, in Chrome, Edge and the desktop app. Plug it in, select a channel and play. Press ● to record while the pattern plays.

Will my projects move between devices?

Use File → Save project file and open that file on the other device. Samples are included in the file.

Is this affiliated with FL Studio?

No. PulseForge is an independent project, not affiliated with Image-Line or FL Studio.