Self-censored Step Sequencer

Year

2026

Medium

Net art · Chrome extension, website

What cannot be said becomes the beat

I made a Chrome extension — a step sequencer that turns redacted text into rhythm. In the age of blacked-out documents, what you cannot say becomes the beat. This extension turns that silence into music.

Inspired by Anu by @karnpapon and some recent redacted documents you may have seen.

How It Works

1. Open any webpage. Click the extension and select an area of text.
2. Highlight the words.
3. Press play. The sequencer steps through your text, word by word, at your chosen BPM. Every redacted word glows and fires a drum sound.

Sound Modes

1. Connect to your local sound engine via WebSocket and OSC — the bridge.js is provided in the repository.
2. Play directly in the browser with preset sounds: kick, snare, hi-hat, open hat, and laser.

Presentation Modes

1. Overlay
2. Sidebar

If you encounter any bugs, please report them or send a pull request on GitHub. Thank you.