Listen to your web pages

plink-plonk.js

/*
Copy this into the console of any web page that is interactive and doesn't
do hard reloads. You will hear your DOM changes as different pitches of
audio.

I have found this interesting for debugging, but also fun to hear web pages
render like UIs do in movies.
*/

const audioCtx = new (window.AudioContext || window.webkitAudioContext)()
const observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutationsList) {
  const oscillator = audioCtx.createOscillator()

  oscillator.connect(audioCtx.destination)
  oscillator.type = "sine"
  oscillator.frequency.setValueAtTime(
    Math.log(mutationsList.length + 5) * 880,
    audioCtx.currentTime,
  )

  oscillator.start()
  oscillator.stop(audioCtx.currentTime + 0.01)
})

observer.observe(document, {
  attributes: true,
  childList: true,
  subtree: true,
  characterData: true,
})  

Added quantization and randomness + delay for a cuter effect 😇

https://gist.github.com/MarkArts/3d4217f957df8a30802a8cbf962fa204

// origin: https://gist.github.com/tomhicks/6cb5e827723c4eaef638bf9f7686d2d8 ,  tomhicks/plink-plonk.js

/*
Copy this into the console of any web page that is interactive and doesn't
do hard reloads. You will hear your DOM changes as different pitches of
audio.
I have found this interesting for debugging, but also fun to hear web pages
render like UIs do in movies.
*/

// dorian (-)   C     E      F     G-     A     B-   
let scale = [
  264, 330, 352, 391.1, 440, 488.9 
]
scale = scale.concat(scale.map(x=>x*2))

console.log(scale)

function quantize(scale, freq) {
  return scale.reduce(function(prev, curr){
    return (Math.abs(curr - freq) < Math.abs(prev - freq) ? curr : prev);
  });
}

const audioCtx = new (window.AudioContext || window.webkitAudioContext)()
const observer = new MutationObserver(observe)

function observe(mutationsList) {
  // with delay
  delayNote(gain => playNote(mutationsList, gain), 300, 0.2)  
  // without
  // playNote(mutationsList)
}


// Compressor as final stage to prevent clipping
const compressor = audioCtx.createDynamicsCompressor()
compressor.threshold.setValueAtTime(-40, audioCtx.currentTime);
compressor.knee.setValueAtTime(40, audioCtx.currentTime);
compressor.ratio.setValueAtTime(12, audioCtx.currentTime);
compressor.attack.setValueAtTime(0, audioCtx.currentTime);
compressor.release.setValueAtTime(0.25, audioCtx.currentTime);
compressor.connect(audioCtx.destination)

async function playNote(mutationsList, gain = 1) {  
  audioCtx.resume()
  
  const oscillator = audioCtx.createOscillator()
  oscillator.type = "triangle"
  const biquadFilter = audioCtx.createBiquadFilter();
  biquadFilter.type = "lowpass";
  const gainNode = audioCtx.createGain();
  const panNode = audioCtx.createStereoPanner();  
  
  // Setup audio chain 
  oscillator.connect(biquadFilter);
  biquadFilter.connect(gainNode);
  gainNode.connect(panNode);
  panNode.connect(compressor)
  
  let freq = quantize(scale, 440 * (Math.random() * 3))
  
  oscillator.frequency.setValueAtTime(
    quantize(scale, freq),
    audioCtx.currentTime,
  )
  
  // Low pass gate 
  biquadFilter.frequency.setValueAtTime(
    quantize(scale, freq * 4), 
    audioCtx.currentTime
  );
  
  biquadFilter.frequency.setTargetAtTime(
    freq, 
    audioCtx.currentTime,
    0.09,
  );  
  
  // accend the low pass gate with normal attenuatiob
  gainNode.gain.setValueAtTime(
    gain, 
    audioCtx.currentTime
  );    
  
  gainNode.gain.setTargetAtTime(
    0, 
    audioCtx.currentTime,
    0.1,
  );  

  // random stereo pan
  panNode.pan.setValueAtTime(
    Math.random() * 2 - 1, 
    audioCtx.currentTime
  );
  
  oscillator.start()
  oscillator.stop(audioCtx.currentTime + 1)
}

async function delayNote(f, time, decay, gain = 1){  
  if (gain <= 0) {
    return // stop repeats when they become inaudible
  }
  
  f(gain)
  
  setTimeout( _ => delayNote(f, time, decay, gain - decay), time);
}

observer.observe(document, {
  attributes: true,
  childList: true,
  subtree: true,
  characterData: true,
})  

This one's great~ 😇

Awesome idea!

It would be nice to create some debugging library with sounds for Ajax Requests, Ajax failures, console errors etc.

@everaldo I'm working on it at the moment: https://github.com/r4meau/plink-plonk

Also, great idea about the console errors. Added this to the list of features in the README :). For the requests, it's already in the list.

@R4meau, that's awesome!

Maybe someone makes some chrome extension?

And the bookmarklet version:

javascript:(function(){const%20audioCtx=new(window.AudioContext||window.webkitAudioContext);const%20oscillator=audioCtx.createOscillator();oscillator.connect(audioCtx.destination);oscillator.type="sine";let%20numItems=0;oscillator.frequency.setValueAtTime(1,audioCtx.currentTime);oscillator.start();const%20observer=new%20MutationObserver(function(mutationsList){numItems+=mutationsList.length;oscillator.frequency.setValueAtTime(Math.log(numItems+1)*440,audioCtx.currentTime);setTimeout(()=>{numItems-=mutationsList.length;if(numItems===0){oscillator.frequency.setValueAtTime(1,audioCtx.currentTime)}else{oscillator.frequency.setValueAtTime(Math.log(numItems+1)*440,audioCtx.currentTime)}},100)});observer.observe(document,{attributes:true,childList:true,subtree:true,characterData:true})})();

Maybe someone makes some chrome extension?

Yeah, let's do it... (adding to backlog) 😅

@aibolik Already in the making: https://github.com/r4meau/plink-plonk

Feel free to fork and contribute... or start your own. 😄

I'm gonna go slow on it for now (Sunday only), but I'll accept useful PRs at anytime.

Could anyone add reload support? This is so wonderful 🥰 Maybe via localStorage? Or as Firefox Extension?

Its so helpful to find out the DOM manipulations happening behind the eyes!!. Good job @R4meau