Massive Bloom

I built a browser-based synth called Massive Bloom to create evolving, atmospheric sonic textures—drones, music that blooms slowly, for as long as you’d like.

View the project ¦ GitHub repo

The idea

I got the idea from an interview with Fred again.., who was demoing how drones add texture to his music. He got the idea from Brian Eno. Who knows where Brian Eno got the idea… where does any idea begin?

Play

The build

I started in January with a plan. The plan led to a prototype. The prototype led to a pause. I sat with it for a month, just listening.

The first version had two modes—easy and create. Easy mode was too simple, too repetitive, and the sound was awful. Create mode was too complex. Every control served a purpose, but collectively: confusing.

Programmers have a rule called YAGNI, which stands for ‘you aren’t gonna need it’. They’re talking about code, not design. But it applies to design. And so I started cutting. Easy mode: out. Create mode: organized. What remained, I tuned. That was February.

March. Design polish. Then, user testing, where I watched people try it for the first time and hesitate, not sure what to do. So I simplified more, making it easier to hear the first sound, which invited play and exploration. That led to my favorite feature. Not the sound, but how you save it. Move a fader and the URL rewrites itself. Your sound becomes a string of words you can share with a friend or save for your next flow state.

Try this one: covers-little-destiny…. Press power. Then listen. Then keep listening… let it bloom. Then make it yours. That’s all there is to it.

The visual evolution