DTM sketching

“I want to write down this idea right now.” “I’d like to sketch quickly before opening my main DAW.” skulpton is a good fit for that. It launches in seconds (Tauri-based) and skips audio setup entirely (MIDI-only).

Goals

• Get from idea to sound in 30 seconds
• Leave a hand-off-friendly artifact for another DAW (Logic, Live, Cubase, etc.)
• Leave audio recording to another tool — skulpton does MIDI only

1. From launch to sound

1. Launch skulpton (a few seconds)
2. + Add Track for an empty track
3. Leave OUT as All (sends to every detected MIDI port)
4. On macOS, have a soft synth ready that listens to the IAC driver (Logic Pro X, Sforzando, etc.)
5. Double-click an empty lane to create a clip
6. Double-click the clip to open the piano roll
7. Place notes and press Space to play

For the full walkthrough, see Your first MIDI track (5 minutes).

2. Grow the idea

Sketches typically take shape as “short motif -> repetition -> variation”. skulpton’s clip duplication is built around this.

Goal	Action
Repeat a short riff	Cmd/Ctrl + D to duplicate; press repeatedly to chain copies
Try a variation	Cmd+C, then Stamp tool (4) to place visually
Add another part	Add a track and route it to a different OUT channel
Extend 4 bars to 8 bars	Drag the right edge of the clip (non-destructive)

3. Hand off to another DAW

Once the sketch is solid, hand it to your main DAW. Currently supported formats:

• Per-clip: .clp (custom JSON) — exportable to another skulpton project
• Standard MIDI File: .mid import is supported; export is in progress

Pragmatic flow (while MIDI export is being prepared)

1. Play the sketch in skulpton (routed to your main DAW via IAC)
2. MIDI-record / MIDI Capture in the receiving DAW
3. Paste into a track and continue arranging

For now, treat skulpton as “the tool that produces the first few bars as a seed”.

4. Drive a soft synth

Audio is out of scope, but you can drive any synth via OS-level MIDI routing.

• macOS: enable IAC driver in Audio MIDI Setup -> use Logic / GarageBand / Sforzando / Pianoteq as the receiver
• Windows: create a virtual port with loopMIDI -> use Cantabile / Reaper / SAVIHost as the receiver

See Set up MIDI I/O.

5. Break a creative block with the coding Note Effect

When the sketch stalls, try:

• drunk(60, 3, 48, 84) — random walk for unpredictable melody
• euclid(5, 16) — rhythms you would not type by hand
• Just change the seed for a new variation — seed("a") -> seed("b")

For examples, see Recipes and Algorithmic composition.

6. Save the project

Use Cmd/Ctrl + S (or the Save menu). The project file is JSON-based, so it diff’s well in Git.

Tips

• Keep one “experiments” project always open — pour every new idea into it
• Switch the theme to paper for a paper-like background that helps you focus
• Try the same notes at different BPMs — 120 / 90 / 140 reveal new feels

Related

• Your first MIDI track (5 minutes)
• Set up MIDI I/O
• Edit clips
• Coding Note Effect overview
• Algorithmic composition