What is Playword?
Playword is an interactive ambient music generator and text sonification tool built with pure Web Audio API and Tone.js. It converts written words, PDF documents, and web articles into generative Morse code melodies embedded within procedural soundscape textures.
🔒 100% Privacy Preserved: All text extraction, PDF parsing, and Web Audio synthesis happen directly inside your browser. No document content or audio data is ever transmitted to external servers.
Key Architecture Highlights
- Real-Time Morse Mapping: Maps dots (`•`) and dashes (`—`) to harmonic scale tones (Pentatonic, Hirojoshi, Lydian, Cosmic).
- Ethereal Soundscape Engine: Combines 5 curated mood presets with 4 environmental DSP layers (Sub-Bass, Pad, Nature Textures, Misty Reverb).
- Anti-Distortion Headroom: Features 38Hz High-Pass filtering, soft note velocity scaling (`0.25-0.35`), and an EBU `-1.5 dBFS` brickwall peak limiter.
1. Raw Text Input
Type or paste any plain text into the Raw Text tab. The Morse character stream and live teleprompter update instantly as you type.
2. PDF File & Remote PDF URLs
You can process PDF documents in two ways:
- Local PDF Upload: Drag & drop a `.pdf` file into the drop zone or click to select a file. Playword extracts text client-side using PDF.js.
- Remote PDF URLs: Enter any public PDF link (e.g. IPCC reports or academic papers) and click Fetch PDF. Playword retrieves the document via CORS proxies.
- Image-Based PDF Safeguard: Scanned image PDFs without extractable text are automatically detected and reported.
- Large Document Performance Mode: To ensure 60fps browser performance and zero audio glitching, documents exceeding 2,500 characters are capped to the first 2,500 characters (~20 minutes of continuous ambient Morse playback).
3. Web Article Reader
Paste any web article URL into the Web Article URL tab and click Fetch Article Text. Playword strips boilerplate scripts and navigation using Mozilla Readability, extracting clean article body text.
4 Environmental Soundscape Layers
Customize your background environment by toggling and blending these 4 independent layers:
🌌 Misty Space Reverb Adjust wet mix slider (0% to 100%). Generates an 8.0-second spatial reverb tail for cathedral-like depth.
🔊 Sub-Bass Layer (~32–45 Hz) Clean sine sub-octave (`C1`) providing a deep low-frequency foundation. Includes ON/OFF toggle and level slider.
🌫️ Atmospheric Pad (Breathing LPF) Triad synth pad (`C3-G3-C4`) with slow low-pass breathing filter modulation. Includes ON/OFF toggle and level slider.
🍃 Nature Textures (Canopy Rain & Hiss) Filtered pink noise texture producing soft forest rain and tape warmth. Includes ON/OFF toggle and level slider.
Live Text Teleprompter & Reader
The teleprompter displays full written text on a smooth horizontal scrolling track:
- Precision Centered Scrolling: As the audio engine ticks through Morse symbols, the active character is highlighted in glowing emerald and centered on screen.
- Active Word Badge: Displays the current word being read (e.g.,
Word: PLAYWORD). - Morse Character Stream: Interactive token boxes sit below the teleprompter showing each letter alongside its Morse representation (`• —`).
- Real-Time Waveform Oscilloscope: Visualizes audio signal pulses and sub-bass waves on the canvas display.