Beat Grid
Overview
Beat Grid is a compact GUI step-sequencer for quick beat creation and live experimentation. With its intuitive grid, you can program 8/16/32-step patterns across kick, bass, clap, snare, and hi-hat. Each instrument comes with dedicated controls—like decay, volume, frequency, and waveform for the bass synth—so you can fine-tune your sound in real time. Features include a BPM slider, live WAV recording, and simple save/load functionality with JSON presets, making it easy to capture ideas and revisit them later. Designed for speed and simplicity, Beat Grid bridges playful sketching with practical workflow.
My contribution
Beat Grid Visualization & Pattern Controls
Kick/Bass Sound Design with Pyo Synths
Clap/Snare/Hi-Hat Sample Integration
Live Loop Recording & Playback
Music Production Workflow Exploration
The team
1 x creator
Year
2025
Process
This project grew out of my passion for music, especially electronic dance music, house, and techno, and a curiosity about music production. I wanted to build something that let me experiment with creating beats from scratch, so I started by writing a simple CLI tool where each instrument and pattern was controlled by typed commands.
As I kept working, I realized that a graphical interface would open the door to more possibilities. Rebuilding the project as a GUI not only made it more intuitive and visual, but also allowed me to add richer features like saving and loading presets, recording live takes, and clearly visualizing each beat in the grid.
Along the way, I picked up new technical skills and explored powerful Python libraries for audio, but I also deepened my understanding of music production itself—researching which instruments and sounds shape the tracks I love, and translating that into the design of the tool. What began as a small experiment became both a coding challenge and a creative outlet for making music.
Demo
Outcome
Beat Grid evolved into a fully functional desktop step-sequencer that blends coding with creativity. What started as a command-line experiment is now a polished GUI tool with per-instrument controls, recording, and preset management. The project not only strengthened my technical skills in Python and audio programming but also gave me hands-on insight into how electronic tracks are built. Most importantly, it became a personal way to connect my love for EDM, house, and techno with software development.
Key Learnings
Explored audio programming with Python libraries like Pyo and Pydub, applying them to real-time synthesis and recording.
Improved skills in GUI design with Tkinter by building an interactive, user-friendly sequencer interface.
Learned how to structure projects for modularity (separating audio engine, UI, and export functionality).
Gained practical knowledge of music production techniques, including common instruments and rhythms in EDM, house, and techno.
Experienced how a project can evolve from a basic CLI prototype to a more feature-rich application with presets, visualization, and exports.
Strengthened the connection between my creative interests (music) and my technical skills (software development).