How I Built a Browser-Native DAW with near Zero-Latency Pedal DSP and Free 24-Bit Exports

Ellis St Croix — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 02:51:10 +0000

Hey Dev.to! 👋
I'm Ellis (@zellisorange). I recently launched Electric Baby Grand Studios (electricbaby.ca), a browser-native Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) designed to give musicians immediate access to recording tools, guitar pedal DSP, pitch correction, and uncompressed exports directly in a browser tab—no plugins or desktop installations required.
I wanted to share a look at the technical architecture behind building a full recording studio using modern web standards.
The Vision & Problem Statement
Most web-based recording platforms lock fundamental audio utilities—like exporting uncompressed 24-bit WAV files, using pitch correction, or chaining guitar pedals—behind monthly subscriptions.
My goal was to leverage the Web Audio API and modern client-side processing to build a zero-barrier, browser-native DAW that keeps core tools 100% free while running efficiently on almost any device.
Technical Architecture & Core Features
Zero-Latency Pedal DSP: Built custom audio nodes running real-time virtual drive/fuzz pedals (Klon Centaur, Metal Zone, Tone Bender), phaser, chorus, tremolo, and plate reverb directly from a USB audio interface input.
4-Track Multi-Tracking & 32-Band EQ: Multi-track arrangement engine featuring an integrated 32-band EQUATUM EQ per channel for precise frequency shaping.
Vocal Pitch Correction & Looper: Real-time auto-tune processing and non-destructive loop slicing/editing engine.
Sample Chopper & Virtual Drummer: Includes a standalone sample chopper/time-stretching utility and an AI backing drummer.
Client-Side Uncompressed Exports: Renders 24-bit/16-bit WAV files and MP3s directly in the browser with built-in mastering, avoiding unnecessary server processing for basic exports.
Challenges with Web Audio
Audio Latency & Buffer Sizing: Achieving direct-monitoring speeds for guitar playing required optimizing node graphs and keeping buffer sizes as tight as possible without causing audio glitches or dropped frames.
Client-Side Rendering: Handling multi-track mixing, real-time FX chains, and 32-band EQ per track concurrently required careful memory management to prevent memory leaks during long recording sessions.
Try It Out & Feedback
The app is live and fully functional in your browser right now:
👉 https://electricbaby.ca
I’d love to hear feedback from the Dev.to community! How does the DSP performance feel on your setup? If you've worked with the Web Audio API or AudioWorklets, I'd love to chat about architecture in the comments!

DEV Community: Ellis St Croix

How I Built a Browser-Native DAW with near Zero-Latency Pedal DSP and Free 24-Bit Exports