Stef Kors

stef.be · Personal blog · on HN since 2015

Stef Kors, a web developer, builds browser-based retro creative tools such as BassoonTracker, an Amiga-style music tracker, and DPaint.js.

Visit blog ↗ HN submissions ↗

What HN saysHN commenters use his BassoonTracker site to play and share classic tracker modules in the browser.

32HN people shared it

26linked it in comments

6stories submitted

525story points

5 months agolast shared

2015people per year2026

Most-shared posts

1
Amiga Music Tracker in JavaScript
15 people · 518 points · first shared 2019 · 95 comments on HN
2
DPaint.js: A web-based image editor modeled after Deluxe Paint
5 people · 2 points · first shared 2023 · 1 comments on HN
3
Bassoontracker
2 people · first shared 2021
4
Bassoontracker
2 people · first shared 2019
5
Passwords are outdated, Patterns are the thing now
1 people · 5 points · first shared 2015 · 2 comments on HN
6
Bassoontracker
1 people · first shared 2019
7
Bassoontracker
1 people · first shared 2019
8
Bassoontracker
1 people · first shared 2019
9
Bassoontracker
1 people · first shared 2019
10
Bassoontracker
1 people · first shared 2019
11
Bassoontracker
1 people · first shared 2019
12
Bassoontracker
1 people · first shared 2019
13
Dev
1 people · first shared 2026
14
Bassoontracker
1 people · first shared 2019
15
Bassoontracker
1 people · first shared 2019

What HN people wrote when they linked it

zellyn · 2023-08-10

If you want to try out a tracker in your web browser, there's BassoonTracker: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/ Also, the amazing-but-curiously-absent-from-many-lists-of-trackers SunVox. Some of the demo tunes I've listened to over and over! https://www.warmplace.ru/soft/sunvox/ Almost all the software on Alexander Zolotov / NightRadio's site is worth checking out, both free and paid. Virtual ANS in particular is amazing for making old-school Doctor Who-style background noises.

impendingchange · 2021-12-20

Love mods. Here's a link I keep saved on my bookmarks for an online mod tracker: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=demomods%2Fhoffman_and_daytri…

gregsadetsky · 2021-08-15

I found a few great JS-based trackers (and successfully tried a few mod files): https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=demomods%2Fspacedeb.mod https://mod.haxor.fi/Groo/mod.electrification (many songs available in the 'load' interface) I also did find a wrapper around an emscripten-JS'ified version of libopenmpt (a popular MOD player library..?): https://github.com/deskjet/chiptune2.js/

puzzle · 2019-01-30

I was bummed when I clicked on "Space song" thinking "Cool, they have the demo tune by the Silents!" and got something else instead. Luckily, it took just a few clicks to get to the real thing by Jesper Kyd (who later scored Hitman and Assassin's Creed): https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… And so's 4mat's classic 28KB chiptune, aka L.F.F.: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… Memories! All that's missing is a way to build a playlist, although, of course, a lot of MOD songs never end, technically speaking... [I wrote a MOD player back in the day, IIRC it supported most of the standard commands and it was less than 8KB of 68K code.]

cr0sh · 2019-01-30

I'm just going to throw in my recommendation of virtually -anything- by Moby: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… Damn - this player is awesome; I was never someone who could make tracker music, but I loved to listen to it back in the day on my Amigas (both of which I still own). Getting new MODs from Fred Fish and other ways was always a treat. Ah...and Octamed...this has brought a touch of nostalgia, etc - for me. Those times are long past, but a bit of them can still be enjoyed with this software. So - thank you, exogeny.

ekianjo · 2019-01-30

Superb! The second song, Stardust, was in the demo "World of Commodore 1992" (EDITED). Excellent track. https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=demomods%2FStardustMemories.m…

andoma · 2019-01-30

Two of my favorites: Madness took me from Mental Hangover by Scoopex: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… Global Trash 3 v2 from Hardwired by The Silents: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stef.be%2Fb… Both demos where trendsetting and truly ahead of its time.

gardaani · 2026-05-25

Is bassoontracker too old-school? https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/

krickelkrackel · 2026-03-06

And for emergencies, there is always DPaint JS! https://www.stef.be/dpaint/

Steffest · 2026-01-25

Indeed! Blending colors is surprisingly hard. I've pushed an update that addresses most of your concerns. Not perfect yet, but an improvement. Dev version with these changes on https://www.stef.be/dpaint/dev/

richrichardsson · 2025-09-09

There is also a DPaint inspired app which can run in the browser. https://www.stef.be/dpaint/ edit: you can even "Preview in DPaint" which has an embedded emulator!

tripflag · 2025-06-15

mods are still alive, and crazier than ever -- proof that 4 channels is all you need! https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=ma-205456

onename · 2025-05-04

Maybe this can help. The image in the video is the one Steffest won the Oldskool Graphics Compo with at Revision 2025 https://youtu.be/kkjfk8zjaak The program used can be found here https://www.stef.be/dpaint/

mytailorisrich · 2023-10-18

This web-based mod player popped up here a few times before: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/

joehogans · 2023-09-04

Awesome, here an open source complete tracker to play with. It’s fully browser optimized. https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/

Kim_Bruning · 2022-10-22

Also see: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/ which can search the mod archive. You can find modarchive under <from> in the file menu.

motogpjimbo · 2021-11-23

Maybe not quite what you're after, but Bassoon Tracker is written in Javascript, runs in a webpage without installation and has access to thousands of mod files in modarchive and modules.pl, including their samples: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/

cousin_it · 2021-10-07

I think "computery" music (synthesized on the user's device from individual notes) reached its peak with tracker/keygen music: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/ That was maybe the last moment before video games switched to recorded music, and chiptunes became a nostalgia genre.

nickt · 2021-08-15

Bassoon tracker is another good in-browser tracker, with a nice Amiga-like feel to it. https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/

greggman3 · 2020-03-23

Lots of online mod players Here's the first one I found https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/

PavlovsCat · 2019-09-16

Pro/Fasttracker in the browser: https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/ And it can load modules directly from modarchive and modules.pl, too! e.g https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… FWIW, that's how I learned making music, just learning the commands and making things I like by ear. Though being a kid with no internet probably helped.

xorcist · 2019-01-30

If we're dropping recommendations, three talented artists from the early 90s here: Bjørn Lynne - 12th Warrior https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… Jogeir Liljedahl - Suspiria https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… Purple Motion - Shadowrun https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https3A%2%2Fapi.modarchive.or…

zestyping · 2019-01-30

Omg. Man, https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=demomods%2Fspacedeb.mod really brought back memories.

MaanuAir · 2020-11-15

Enjoy :-) https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/

coroxout · 2019-01-30

Nice to see Space Debris as a selected demosong. A few other favourites: Oldschool classics: heatbeat/rebels - street jungle https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… Banana/TeK - Echoing aka demosong.nst from the Sound Blaster 2 disk https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… 4mat/anarchy - 4mat's madness (manic chiptune) https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… Game music: Nation XII featuring John Foxx - theme from Gods (gods17/into the wonderful) https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stef.be%2Fb… Allister Brimble - px.bladswede remix! (theme from Project-X) https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… More techno-ish styles from the mid/late 90s: vim!/mono - call me persephone (shimmeringly creaky mo'wax-style trip hop) https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… twilight/mono - inevitable (junglish rave breaks subside into orbital-esque arpeggios) https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… randall / suburban bass - in complete darkness (jungle/happy…

amatecha · 2019-01-30

I am really impressed by the responsive layout -- the UI adapts to different window sizes! Nice touch :) Some favorite modules to check out. First link is link to modarchive site, second link is direct link to Bassoon Tracker with the module pre-populated so you can listen instantly! So handy! Matrix Cubed - Fluff https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=14… | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… DeusEX - Joy https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=14… | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… Sybaris - Welcome to the Gods https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=15… | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… Mindwalker - Evoke '98 https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=16… | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… xerxes - hesse's sovesang https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=62… | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.… "me and kenet" (unsure of artist) - Beautiful or not? https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=13… |…

`/`	Search
`j` `k`	Next / previous blog
`Enter`	Open selected blog
`v`	Visit the blog site
`f`	Follow / unfollow
`l`	Switch grid / list view
`d`	Switch dark mode
`g` `h`	Home
`g` `p`	Top posts
`g` `t`	Topics
`g` `f`	Following
`g` `l`	Liked
`g` `y`	History
`g` `q`	FAQ
`Esc`	Back / close