Saves your pattern — steps, scale & key, octave, tempo, dials and wander / stumble. Patterns also autosave on this device.
Web MIDI needs Chrome / Edge / Android — Safari & iOS don't support it.
Turn a knob on your controller to bind it to a dial above.
Codes come from glossy's capcom — one code unlocks features in both apps.
Quick start: your first beat
- Tap the ring. Each gold wedge is a note in the current scale — tap around and listen.
- Switch to Seq (the right-hand tab, or press \). The same 8 wedges become an 8-step loop.
- Light up some wedges. Tap one and it records whatever note you last played.
- Press ▶ Play seq (or Space) — there's your loop, leave it running.
- Shape the sound. The dials around the ring are filter, envelope and FX — drag any of them while it plays.
- Try Chord mode (]) and turn on Wander / Stumble for a live, semi-generative feel.
Press ? any time to come back here.
Keyboard shortcuts
On a computer, compact plays from the keys — no mouse needed.
- Space — play / stop the sequencer
- Q W E · D C X Z A — the 8 wedges, same layout as the ring
- [ ] \ — Play · Chord · Seq mode
- S — latch held notes · / — arp on/off
- ; ' — octave down / up
- ` — settings · ? — this help
Enter or Esc also skips the splash screen.
Saving & sharing
- Autosave. Your pattern — steps, scale & key, octave, tempo, dials, wander / stumble — saves on this device automatically.
- Share code. Open Settings and tap the code under "Share a seq" (looks like PYMC-5ECR) — write it down, then paste it into Load a beat on any device to bring the pattern back.
- Send to glossy. "Open seq in glossy" turns your pattern into a glossy patch on the bass track; "Send to a glossy pack…" gives a three-word code you can enter under Load a Jam in glossy.
Contact us
Bug, or want to talk about compact? Get in touch — a real person (Benét) reads every message.
About & credits
Compact is a round, makeup-compact-inspired browser synth — a scale on a golden ring, an 8-step sequencer, and an arpeggiator with a bit of drift built in. It's the sister app to glossy, built by Benét Hitchcock (they/them), designed and coded with Claude, Anthropic's AI, who co-authored the app alongside them, although there are no AI elements in the finished web app.