a hack club ysws

cut.

you ship a song. we ship the disc.

Make a song with code. We press it onto a real physical CD with your cover art and drop it at your door. Your track also lands on the Hack Club Mixtape compilation everyone gets a copy of.

the deal

you ship

an original song, 1–5 min, coded with Tone.js (Web Audio) — exported to WAV
cover art you designed
your project file + a "how I made it" liner note
a Lapse timelapse of your sessions

we ship

a physical CD: full colour disc print, jewel case, cellophane wrapped
your track on the Hack Club Mixtape compilation

the tech

no DAW required — your song is code. it's a browser-based library called Tone.js that makes real audio from JavaScript. that's the whole requirement: write code that makes music.

// a song, roughly
const synth = new Tone.Synth().toDestination();
synth.triggerAttackRelease("C4", "8n");
synth.triggerAttackRelease("E4", "8n", "+0.25");
synth.triggerAttackRelease("G4", "8n", "+0.5");
synth.triggerAttackRelease("B4", "2n", "+0.75");

you can also add sequences, samplers, polysynths, delays, reverb — whatever you can code.

side a — how to participate

01Sign upfill out the form + say hi in #cut
02Code your songwrite it in Tone.js — free, runs in your browser
03Track with Lapseproof it was you
04Design cover art1:1 image for the disc face
05Submitsong, art, project file + liner note
06Get pressedwe manufacture your CD and ship it to your door

side b — faq

Do I need a DAW?

nope. the whole point of cut is that the song is code. Tone.js runs in any browser, it's free, and you export your song straight to WAV.

I've never coded audio before. Can I still join?

yes — that's exactly what cut is for. tone.js has tutorials, examples, and a big community. start with one synth and a loop; your song doesn't need to be complicated, it needs to be yours.

Is AI allowed?

AI assisted is okay, but the song has to be yours: you need your actual Tone.js code and a Lapse timelapse of you working on it. if you couldn't open it and edit it yourself, it doesn't count.

What about copyright?

your song must be original: no copyrighted samples, loops, or covers. if it's not yours, it doesn't get pressed.

Does the CD actually play?

yes! a real audio CD that plays in any CD player, car stereo, or discman. full colour printed disc, jewel case with your cover art.

Where does this ship to?

the program is open worldwide. US/Canada gets the full jewel case; international gets it in a sleeve to keep shipping cheap. where shipping is unreasonable, you'll still get your track on the mixtape plus a digital copy of the CD.

How long does it take to arrive?

CDs are manufactured within 24 hours of approval and drop-shipped right to you! usually a few days after that.