★ LIBERTY ENGINE

an anthem with no conductor
Six voices. Each runs its own loop, at its own length — no conductor, no shared clock telling them when to play. They agree on one thing only: the key. From that single shared ideal, independent parts weave a self-playing anthem that never quite repeats. Mute any voice — even all but one — and the rest play on. That's the mechanic: E pluribus unum, out of many independent loops, one song.
TEMPO 112
KEY
SEED
How it works: each voice is a tiny synth (square / triangle / noise — built from scratch with the Web Audio API, no libraries) running an independent loop of 4, 6, 8, 12 or 16 beats. Because the lengths don't divide evenly, the parts drift in and out of phase and only fully realign every 48 beats — so the anthem keeps evolving. The melody, fills and fireworks are seeded, so a SEED always plays the same tune. Hit SHARE to put the seed in the URL and send your anthem to anyone.

Week 2 · Independence Engines · a companion to Dependency Day and Murmuration.

★ LIBERTY ENGINE

WEEK 2 · INDEPENDENCE ENGINES · independence is not a symbol, it's a mechanic

An orchestra needs a conductor to stay together. A federation doesn't. This engine has six independent voices, each keeping its own time on its own loop — yet they make one anthem.

Pull out the lead. Pull out the drums. Solo a single voice. The music never breaks, because no part depends on any other — they only share a key, the way thirteen colonies shared an idea.

Turn it up. 🔊 Then mute the voices one by one and listen to what independence sounds like.