echoplay

What is echoplay?

EchoPlay is a simple application to help children learn music and play together. The server provides access to a "pad" like interface which can be set to a specific scale. Notes can be triggered by pressing on the colored pads (using a mouse or on a touchscreen), by using the computer keyboard or with a MIDI controller. When another player joins the jam, his notes will be displayed in real time on the other jammers' interface.

How does it work?

Open the app on a computer. At the top of the display, there will be an address at which other players can join from any web browser, being on a computer, a tablet or a phone. The only requirement is that other devices are on the same local network.

Keyboard shortcuts

Set root note

Shortcut	Action
alt + a	set to A
alt + b	set to B
alt + c	set to C
alt + d	set to D
alt + e	set to E
alt + f	set to F
alt + g	set to G
alt + left	set 1 semitone lower
alt + right	set 1 semitone higher
alt + r -> k	set random root note

Set scale

Shortcut	Action
alt + 0	Set to chromatic scale
alt + 1	Set to major scale
alt + 2	Set to minor scale
alt + 3	Set to harmonic minor scale
alt + 4	Set to gipsy scale
alt + 5	Set to pentatonic scale
alt + 6	Set to melodic minor (ascending) scale
alt + 7	Set to melodic minor (descending) scale
alt + 8	Set to octatonic scale
alt + r -> s	Set to a random scale

Octave Ranges

Shortcut	Action
cmd + up	shift octave up (applies locally)
cmd + down	shift octave down (applies locally)
alt + up	shift octave up (applies globally)
alt + down	shift octave down (applies globally)

Instrument & Sound

Shortcut	Action
cmd + .	Volume up
cmd + ,	Volume down

Interface & Display

Shortcut	Action
alt + n	display note names
alt + shift + n	hide note names
cmd + shift + up	add 1 octave to the range of the interface
cmd + shift + down	remove 1 octave to the range of the interface
alt + shift + up	add 1 octave to the range of the interface (applies globally)
alt + shift + down	remove 1 octave to the range of the interface (applies globally)
F1	show full screen

Accessibility

In order to help accessibility of this application, the following shortcuts have been added.

Shortcut	Action
space	root note
enter	third
tab	fifth
shift+tab	seventh
backspace	octave

This is designed to be used with devices such as the Don Johnston Switch Interface for example.

Usage

1. Pull repository locally
2. Install dependencies with yarn install
3. Run the app with yarn start
4. Players on the local network can join the jam by opening their web browser at the address displayed in the app

Build

To build the app, run yarn build