Strudel is a browser-based JavaScript port of the TidalCycles pattern language

Strudel is an official JavaScript port of TidalCycles — the Haskell-based algorithmic pattern language — initiated by Alex McLean and Felix Roos in 2022. Because it inherits Tidal’s pattern semantics, someone who knows Tidal can transfer that knowledge, yet no prior JavaScript or Tidal experience is required to start. Strudel is not a DAW or a sampler: it is a pattern language whose primary output is sound (and potentially other media), and it can also be used for non-musical pattern work. Its defining property is that it runs entirely in a web browser via the Strudel REPL — no SuperCollider, SuperDirt, or Haskell installation, no configuration, just a URL. This dramatically lowered the barrier to Tidal-style pattern live coding: a learner goes from zero to making patterns in seconds, which is what enabled in-browser workshops and remote teaching without setup friction.

Examples

// No install — open strudel.cc and type: sound(“bd sd hh”) // evaluate; it plays immediately in the browser.

s(“bd sd”) // alternating kick-snare, running with zero setup

Assessment

Name two ways Strudel differs from TidalCycles (implementation language, runtime). Then explain the installation barrier Strudel removes relative to Tidal, and why browser-based execution matters for teaching live coding to people with no coding background.