HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

⬐ webprofusion

It's really cool. It's definitely not a DAW, it's a tracker (e.g. a sequencer).

⬐ radiojasper

What the actual fuck. That's amazing!

⬐ thomasfl

Excel turns out to be a great user interface for making music. Use the interface you probably allready know.

⬐ None

None

⬐ mike_hock

LOL

⬐ TAForObvReasons

If you squint hard enough, ModPlug Tracker / OpenMPT kinda sorta looks like a spreadsheet https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/OpenMPT-... . It runs the timeline top to bottom

⬐ Minor49er

As a longtime user of MPT, I always describe it as making music on a spreadsheet

⬐ mike_hock

Not only if you squint, what he made definitely looks like a tracker.

⬐ skrebbel

At the risk of being a nitpick, this is not a tracker.

A tracker has one axis for time (usually down) and another for channels. Each cell is a note, the pitch of which is written as text (eg “C-5”). This lets you see and edit multiple channels quickly in the same view. That’s the distinguishing quality of trackers.

This Excel DAW appears to have a separate sheet per channel: each sheet has one axis for time and another for note pitch. In other words, it’s a piano roll. These are common in most regular DAWs but not in trackers.

In other words, the only thing this has in common with trackers is superficial, ie the grid/table look.

⬐ rob74

Yeah, a piano roll is a really good comparison. The "tracker-style" notation is much more compact (has to be, after all the first trackers ran on the Amiga in 320x200/256 resolution).

⬐ anonymfus

> A tracker has one axis for time (usually down) and another for channels. Each cell is a note, the pitch of which is written as text (eg “C-5”). This lets you see and edit multiple channels quickly in the same view.

The first sheet ("Arrangements") is like this, except it can also use pattern numbers in addition to notes, and it's time to the right. Hence the first sheet is a tracker, while the second sheet, called "Piano roll", is a piano roll.

⬐ de6u99er

That's really cool.

⬐ type0

Great, now I don't have to buy Ableton /s

⬐ rmnclmnt

Constraints drive creativity

⬐ self_awareness

What is a DAW?

⬐ gizajob

Digital Audio Workstation, like Cubase or Logic or Ableton or Pro Tools

⬐ Maursault

I only watched a few seconds, but there is a minor difference between a DAW and a sequencer. This looks like MIDI, and I didn't hear any real sounds, so I would call it a sequencer. Maybe there is actual recorded sounds later in the video?

Still nutty amazing.

⬐ gizajob

Personally I prefer sequencer because that's what they were called back in the day. DAW to my British ears seems like a clunky Americanism that's sounds wrong both as D.A.W. and rhyming with door.

⬐ consumer451

The demo song plays a decent version of Take on Me by Aha! [0]

I have not enabled macros in an xlsx for years, but this was worth opening in safe place.

It really is a functional basic sequencer. So freaking cool! But I don't yet see the option for recording audio, so maybe not a DAW. But it does export an Ableton file. So cool.

[0] https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18OkY-KUU6ewZOC1u-Djn...

⬐ neverminder

Or Bitwig and Reaper if you're on Linux.

⬐ lydericlandry

or LMMS...

⬐ type0

or Ardour...

⬐ einca

or Renoise...

⬐ djmips

or Reddit...

⬐ paskozdilar

Wait, Reddit is a DAW now?

⬐ Tijdreiziger

The future is now, old man!

⬐ 2Gkashmiri

"this man gives me a reason to continue pursuing unrealistic life plans"

comment on the video.... this is nice