Browser FX transforms your web audio experience with real-time professional audio effects. Capture any tab's audio and shape it with studio-style knobs in a sleek dark interface, complete with an audio-reactive cymatic visualizer, and even hands-on control from your MIDI controller.
does exactly what it says - grab any tab's audio and run it through real effects without opening a DAW. the MIDI hands-on control is the standout feature since most browser audio tools stop at clicking on-screen knobs. free too which is surprising given the amount of work in the effects chain.
What needs improvement
would love savable presets for effect chains, right now you have to rebuild your favorite stack every session. also not totally clear how well the MIDI mapping works out of the box with generic/cheap controllers versus name-brand ones.
Hey, hope you all like this free chrome extension I made. I usually have a Roland SP sampler running out from my computer audio into the speakers and sometimes enjoy adding effects to whatever plays. I thought it would be fun to build that right into chrome as an extension.
EDIT: Since drafting the post for this launch I added a feature to stack up to 4 effects. You can drag/drop to reorder them.
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The MIDI controller integration is the part that stands out to me, most browser audio tools stop at on screen knobs but you built in hands on control which is a completely different workflow for anyone actually performing or mixing live.
Since you just added the 4 effect stack with drag/drop reordering, does the order actually change the sound meaningfully, like running a filter before a reverb versus after, or is it more about convenience for now.
@aren_barseghyan Yes, the next feature I'm adding is savable presets.
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this scratches an itch I didn't know I had. running any tab through a real effects chain without installing a DAW or a browser extension that wants mic access is a genuinely nice idea. does the MIDI mapping work with cheap generic controllers or is it tuned to specific ones?
@omri_ben_shoham1 MIDI should work with any MIDI capable device. Any knob that sends a MIDI signal will work. Quality of the controller shouldn't matter. I tested it with an Akai MPKmini2, Native Instruments Maschine 3, and Arturia Beatstep Pro.
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the MIDI-any-device answer is a nice surprise, most of these tools quietly only test against one brand. question on the live-use case specifically: once you've got 3-4 effects stacked and you're turning knobs in real time, is there any perceptible processing latency between the source tab's audio and what comes out the other end? fine for casual listening but if someone's actually trying to shape audio while DJing or mixing live off a tab, even 20-30ms would be noticeable.
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As someone who's shipped a Chrome extension, I'm curious about the audio capture side. Sites using EME for protected playback tend to block extension access to the audio graph entirely, which rules out a lot of the places people actually listen to music.
Does it work across those, or is it aimed at regular HTML5 audio and video elements? Either answer is fine — I'd just want to know upfront which tabs it can and can't touch before installing.
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@bruceblay good to know, that answers it - if it's genuinely protocol-level and not tied to a specific brand's firmware quirks then the barrier to trying this is basically zero for anyone who already owns a cheap controller from years ago.
Browser FX:
Hey, hope you all like this free chrome extension I made. I usually have a Roland SP sampler running out from my computer audio into the speakers and sometimes enjoy adding effects to whatever plays. I thought it would be fun to build that right into chrome as an extension.
EDIT: Since drafting the post for this launch I added a feature to stack up to 4 effects. You can drag/drop to reorder them.
Browser FX:
@thys_beesman Yes the stack order changes the sound. Signal flow is top to bottom, meaning the bottom effect is the last one applied
SoundGate Guitar
Love the update that lets us stack and reorder up to 4 effects. Any plans to let users save their favorite effect chains as custom presets?
Browser FX:
@aren_barseghyan Yes, the next feature I'm adding is savable presets.
this scratches an itch I didn't know I had. running any tab through a real effects chain without installing a DAW or a browser extension that wants mic access is a genuinely nice idea. does the MIDI mapping work with cheap generic controllers or is it tuned to specific ones?
Browser FX:
@omri_ben_shoham1 MIDI should work with any MIDI capable device. Any knob that sends a MIDI signal will work. Quality of the controller shouldn't matter. I tested it with an Akai MPKmini2, Native Instruments Maschine 3, and Arturia Beatstep Pro.
the MIDI-any-device answer is a nice surprise, most of these tools quietly only test against one brand. question on the live-use case specifically: once you've got 3-4 effects stacked and you're turning knobs in real time, is there any perceptible processing latency between the source tab's audio and what comes out the other end? fine for casual listening but if someone's actually trying to shape audio while DJing or mixing live off a tab, even 20-30ms would be noticeable.
As someone who's shipped a Chrome extension, I'm curious about the audio capture side. Sites using EME for protected playback tend to block extension access to the audio graph entirely, which rules out a lot of the places people actually listen to music.
Does it work across those, or is it aimed at regular HTML5 audio and video elements? Either answer is fine — I'd just want to know upfront which tabs it can and can't touch before installing.
@bruceblay good to know, that answers it - if it's genuinely protocol-level and not tied to a specific brand's firmware quirks then the barrier to trying this is basically zero for anyone who already owns a cheap controller from years ago.