https://github.com/fcarvajalbrown/pipeonjoy
Vaporwave composition wizard — AI-free, lyrics-driven, modal. Win98 GUI + live FluidSynth previews.
https://github.com/fcarvajalbrown/pipeonjoy
ai-free fluidsynth midi music-composition music-theory post-punk python soundfont tkinter vaporwave
Last synced: 1 day ago
JSON representation
Vaporwave composition wizard — AI-free, lyrics-driven, modal. Win98 GUI + live FluidSynth previews.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/fcarvajalbrown/pipeonjoy
- Owner: fcarvajalbrown
- License: other
- Created: 2026-06-03T06:34:17.000Z (22 days ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-06-03T08:46:32.000Z (22 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-06-03T09:08:45.938Z (22 days ago)
- Topics: ai-free, fluidsynth, midi, music-composition, music-theory, post-punk, python, soundfont, tkinter, vaporwave
- Language: Python
- Homepage: https://github.com/fcarvajalbrown/pipeonjoy
- Size: 317 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
- Code of conduct: CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
- Security: SECURITY.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
Vaporwave composition wizard — AI-free, lyrics-driven, modal.
---
**pipeonjoy** walks you through ~45 music-theory decisions before generating a MIDI file and a rendered WAV. No LLM. No cloud. Everything runs locally and air-gapped.
---
## What it does
1. **Name your release** — single, EP, or album; each gets its own output folder.
2. **Paste lyrics** (optional) — emotion, syllable density, and phrasing are analyzed using the NRC Emotion Lexicon, VADER, and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary to pre-fill suggestions. No LLM.
3. **Step through ~45 decisions** one at a time: scale/mode, key, tempo, groove, polyrhythm, song structure, drum patterns, bass role, guitar texture, synth character, vocal contour, and more.
4. **Hear every option** — each radio button plays a live FluidSynth preview using a real soundfont the moment you click it.
5. **Export** — a 32-bar MIDI sketch + mastered WAV land in `outputs/` when you're done.
For EPs and albums the wizard reminds you to return and make the remaining tracks, storing each one in the correct subfolder.
---
## Musical scope
- **Post-punk / vaporwave / dark electronic** — Joy Division, Boards of Canada, Salem, 18 Carat Affair
- **Modes**: Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian, Phrygian Dominant (Armenian / Hijaz), Double Harmonic (Byzantine), Locrian, Mixolydian
- **Rhythm**: polyrhythm (3-over-4, Gojira-style), metric modulation, syncopation, rhythmic displacement
- **Harmony**: chromatic mediant, jazz ii–V–I pivot, deceptive cadence, direct/brutal key changes
- **Atmosphere**: vinyl crackle, reversed pads, tape echo, wash reverb
Both extremes work — and everything in between:
| Simple | Complex |
|--------|---------|
| E minor · 4/4 · 120 BPM | F# Phrygian Dominant · 7/8 |
| i–VII–VI–VII · root-lock bass | 3-over-4 polyrhythm · Hook-style bass |
| Power chord guitar · verse–chorus | Chromatic mediant modulation · tape echo |
| → Joy Division, Bauhaus | → Gojira meets Salem meets Armenian folk |
---
## Instrument stack
| Role | Engine | Source |
|------|--------|--------|
| Drums | FluidSynth (GM ch. 10) | VintageDreams SF2 (bundled with FluidSynth) |
| Bass guitar | FluidSynth GM program 33 | same soundfont |
| Chords / pads | FluidSynth GM programs 88–92 | same soundfont |
| Preview synthesis | additive fallback | pure Python (no dependencies) |
Swap in any SF2 soundfont by dropping it in `assets/sfz/`.
---
## Install
```bash
git clone https://github.com/fcarvajalbrown/pipeonjoy
cd pipeonjoy
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
# macOS: install FluidSynth for realistic instrument previews + WAV export
brew install fluid-synth
python main.py
```
Requires **Python 3.11+**.
FluidSynth is optional — the wizard falls back to additive synthesis if it is absent.
---
## Outputs
```
outputs/
singles// ← sketch.mid sketch.wav
eps///
albums///
```
---
## v2.0 roadmap
- Download CC0 / Public Domain audio from the web (yt-dlp / Free Music Archive)
- Load, slow down, and select a section in-app (librosa)
- Auto-detect key via Krumhansl-Schmuckler algorithm → pre-fill root key + mode
- Interactive story-arc graph editor (energy curve across sections)
- Portable executable builds (PyInstaller — macOS `.app`, Windows `.exe`)
---
## Contributing
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md). One rule above all: **no LLM calls at runtime** and **no network calls at runtime** — pipeonjoy must remain 100% air-gappable.
---
## License
GNU General Public License v3.0 — see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
## Author
Felipe Carvajal Brown — Felipe Carvajal Brown Software
fcarvajalbrown@gmail.com