Acid Machine

Forked from https://github.com/hitautodestruct/acidmachine . This is the original web-based music sequencer that became Acid Machine.

This fork aims to add MIDI export functionality for use with DAWs like Reaper.

Screenshot of original Acid Machine

Features

• Web-based music sequencer
• 303 bass and drum patterns
• Interactive grid interface
• Planned MIDI export functionality

Installation on Windows for VSCode

Prerequisites

• Git
• Visual Studio Code
• PHP (Thread Safe version, 8.2.x or 8.3.x recommended)

Step 1: Clone the Repository

# Open Command Prompt
cd C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\Projects

# Create projects folder if needed
mkdir Projects

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mdkberry/acidmachine.git

# Navigate to the project
cd acidmachine

Step 2: Setup in VSCode

1. Launch VSCode
2. File → Open Folder → Select the acidmachine folder
3. Install required extensions:
   • PHP Server (by brapifra) - for running the local server
   • PHP Intelephense (by Ben Mewburn) - for syntax highlighting and linting (optional)

Step 3: PHP Configuration

1. Download PHP:

   • Visit php.net/downloads/windows
   • Download the "VS16 x64 Thread Safe" ZIP version

2. Extract PHP:

   # Extract to a simple location
   C:\php\

3. Verify Installation:

   C:\php\php.exe --version
   # Should output something like "PHP 8.3.12"

4. Add PHP to System PATH:

   • Right-click "This PC" → Properties → Advanced system settings
   • Click "Environment Variables"
   • Under "System variables", find "Path" → Edit
   • Click "New" → Add C:\php
   • Click "OK" to save all changes
   • Restart VSCode and Command Prompt

5. Test PATH:

   php --version
   # Should work without specifying full path

Step 4: Configure VSCode Settings

1. Open VSCode Settings: Ctrl+,
2. Search for "php executable path" or "phpserver.phpPath"
3. Edit settings.json and add:

{
  "php.validate.executablePath": "C:\\php\\php.exe",
  "phpserver.phpPath": "C:\\php\\php.exe"
}

4. Save the file (Ctrl+S)
5. Reload VSCode window: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window"

Step 5: Run the Application

1. In VSCode, right-click index.php → "PHP Server: Serve project"
2. Status bar should show: http://localhost:3000
3. Click the link to open in your browser
4. The Acid Machine interface should load with synth controls and drum pads
5. Test functionality:
   • Click "Play" to loop 303 bass + drums
   • Toggle pads for live grid plotting

Troubleshooting

Check Output Logs

• Open Output panel: Ctrl+Shift+U
• Select "PHP Server" or "PHP Language Server" from dropdown
• Look for error messages

Reload Server

If issues persist:

• Ctrl+Shift+P → "PHP Server: Reload server"

Common Issues

• Wrong PHP version: Ensure you're using Thread Safe (TS) version for Windows
• Antivirus/Firewall: Allow php.exe if blocked
• Project-specific settings: Add the JSON configuration to .vscode/settings.json in your project root

Fallback Method

If the extension fails, use the terminal method:

# In VSCode terminal
php -S localhost:8000

# Open browser to:
# http://localhost:8000/index.php

Contributing

This project is in active development with plans to add MIDI export functionality.

License

This project is a fork of the original Acid Machine and inherits its MIT License terms.

The MIT License allows free use, modification, and distribution of the software. For the full license text, see the LICENSE file.

Original Author: errozero (2015)