Radiomorrow

How this chiptune radio works

Radiomorrow is a free online radio that composes chiptune music while you listen. There are no recordings and no playlist. A generator in your browser writes every tune note by note and plays it at once, in the sound of 8-bit consoles, home computers and 16-bit FM chips.

A tune begins with a key, a scale, a tempo and three chord progressions. The generator builds a two-bar motif, answers it, and grows that into a theme, a second theme and a bridge. Then it arranges the result for four voices, a lead, a second voice, a bass and drums, and lays the sections out as a complete piece with an intro and an ending. When the piece is over, the next one is composed.

The sound is synthesised on the spot as well: pulse waves of three widths, a stepped triangle wave and noise for the 8-bit stations, two-operator FM for the 16-bit one. No audio files are downloaded.

You steer with tempo, scale, energy and the number of notes. A broadcast is defined by its station, those settings and a seed, a short word that the generator turns into all of its choices. The same seed always gives the same music, so a preset or a link brings a broadcast back exactly.

The six stations

• Brick Hopper: bright, fast tunes in major keys with a bouncing bass.
• Castle Keep: driving minor-key tunes with galloping bass and arpeggios.
• Star Lanes: fast arpeggios, octave bass and metallic hi-hats.
• Pocket Town: slow, gently swung lullabies for reading or working.
• Sixteen FM: FM brass, electric piano chords and slap bass.
• Chip Classics: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and others, arranged for four chip voices.

Questions and answers

Is Radiomorrow free?

Yes. Listening is free and there is no account to create. The page opens in a browser and plays.

Does the music ever repeat?

There is no playlist. Each tune is composed from the station, your settings, the seed and the tune's number in the broadcast, and when it ends the radio composes the next one, for as long as the page stays open. The same seed and settings always give the same broadcast, which is how presets and shared links work. Press New seed to hear something else. On Chip Classics the ten themes do come back, each time in a new arrangement.

Is any music from games used?

No. Every melody is written by the generator in the style of old consoles and home computers, and nothing is taken from a game. The only borrowed tunes are public-domain classical themes on the Chip Classics station, in arrangements of our own.

Can I use the music in my videos or streams?

The music is composed by an algorithm in your browser while you listen. The Radiomorrow site and its code are protected, and all rights are reserved. This page does not grant a licence, so if you plan anything beyond listening, write to info@radiomorrow.com first.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes, the page is made for phone screens and current mobile browsers. Tap Play to start, because browsers only allow sound after a tap. The music keeps playing with the screen locked, and the lock screen shows the tune with buttons to pause and skip. Some phones still pause a browser in the background to save battery.

Can I install it and listen offline?

Yes. On Android, open the browser menu and choose Install app or Add to Home screen. On iPhone and iPad, tap Share in Safari, then Add to Home Screen. After the first visit the radio also plays without an internet connection, because every tune is composed on your device.

How do I keep a broadcast I like?

Save preset stores the station, the settings and the seed in this browser, up to twelve of them. Copy link and Share give a link that opens the same broadcast from its first tune on any device.