{
 "schema_version": "1.0",
 "page_kind": "article",
 "pack_kind": "generate",
 "slug": "how-the-beat-lab-works",
 "title": "How the Beat Lab works",
 "dek": "A drum machine that lives in your browser, a genie that runs on our own hardware, and a board where nobody has a name.",
 "published": "2026-08-27",
 "series": [
  "guide"
 ],
 "licence": "CC BY 4.0",
 "status": "pending-judge",
 "pack_note": "no judge is seated, so every chip is held",
 "notice": "items with published:false are held and are not this page's published words",
 "source": {
  "url": "https://research.strata2signal.com/how-the-beat-lab-works/",
  "md_url": "https://research.strata2signal.com/how-the-beat-lab-works/index.md",
  "md_sha": "a5139113c2536dbe0b5be816daa2397df0a350e7b6a83bea886d490a08fac1d5",
  "html_sha": "f05e83092f295dc22ac3e640e8f0e1bdc95c74cf784b54575e4166be984bea75",
  "anchors_sha": "6a6b6394037431d49fd608fb3cfe25e0a1f5c1451311dc6936794ab21f2111c0"
 },
 "short": {
  "paragraph": "A drum machine that lives in your browser, a genie that runs on our own hardware, and a board where nobody has a name.",
  "from_dek": true,
  "counts": {
   "words": 23255,
   "minutes": 106,
   "tables": 1,
   "kit": false
  },
  "bullets": [
   {
    "text": "a typical wish takes about 4 s",
    "figure": "4 s",
    "cite": "what-happens-when-you-ask-the-genie",
    "quote": "(Corrected 2026-09-03: this sentence said the opposite from the day it was written until today; the addendum of 2026-09-01 00:20 had the order right.) A typical wish takes about four seconds - the table below says how that was measured, and the note of 2026-08-31 08:34 says when - and longer when the seat is busy - and a small panel under every result - one line, tap to open - names every model that answered, times the doorman's pass and the whole round trip, and prints the token count and speed.",
    "span": [
     5945,
     5948
    ]
   }
  ]
 },
 "sections": [
  {
   "id": "what-it-is",
   "heading": "What it is",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    961,
    2276
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     961,
     2276
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 1315,
   "digest": "the Beat Lab is a drum machine where a user can tap steps into a grid or use a genie to set up a beat from words or a photo. the genie provides a title, sleeve notes, and can read them aloud. there is no account or app required to use the machine.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "the-sound-is-made-on-your-device",
   "heading": "The sound is made on your device",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    2276,
    4350
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     2276,
     4350
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2074,
   "digest": "every sound is synthesised by the browser using raw waveforms. the page is a single file that fetches no code from other servers or libraries. sharing a groove produces a link containing the beat data, which allows a stranger to rebuild the beat on their own device.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "what-happens-when-you-ask-the-genie",
   "heading": "What happens when you ask the genie",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    4350,
    8147
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     4350,
     8147
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 3797,
   "digest": "the genie uses two language models to compose beats or describe them. a doorman checks requests, while a writer composes the pattern, title, and sleeve notes. the service has limits on wishes per address and across the whole system to manage computer time.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "the-board",
   "heading": "The board",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    8147,
    15877
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     8147,
     15877
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 7730,
   "digest": "the board is a public shelf for grooves and the genie's words. posts are tamper-evident and include a title, the model used, and a family. strangers can listen to grooves, remix them, or tap a button to say they are nice.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "the-voice",
   "heading": "The voice",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    15877,
    16781
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     15877,
     16781
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 904,
   "digest": "the voice reads the title, aside, and sleeve notes aloud using Kokoro. it runs on a web server processor and caches finished readings as audio to allow for fast repeats.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "what-the-lab-does-with-what-you-give-it",
   "heading": "What the lab does with what you give it",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    16781,
    20471
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     16781,
     20471
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 3690,
   "digest": "the lab uses its own machines and does not involve third-party AI services. network addresses are used for counting but are never written to disk. beats put on the public board may be used to train and improve the vibe genie.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "numbers-so-it-isnt-just-talk",
   "heading": "Numbers, so it isn't just talk",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    20471,
    22170
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     20471,
     22170
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 1699,
   "digest": "the table provides measurements for various tasks, such as a typed vibe becoming a finished beat in about 4 s. it also notes the page size, which is about 526 KB.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "what-to-take-with-you",
   "heading": "What to take with you",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    22170,
    122978
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     22170,
     40690
    ],
    [
     40690,
     59363
    ],
    [
     59363,
     78414
    ],
    [
     78414,
     97004
    ],
    [
     97004,
     115742
    ],
    [
     115742,
     122978
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 100808,
   "digest": "the sound stays on the device and the genie runs on owned machines. a share link is a way to keep or send a copy of a groove.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  }
 ],
 "chips": [
  {
   "id": "c-f708e09a",
   "q": "how does the drum machine function without a model?",
   "a": "The drum machine operates by allowing a user to tap steps into a sixteen-step grid, pick sounds, and adjust dials directly in the browser. This process requires no wishes and no data transmission.",
   "cites": [
    "what-it-is"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-5c49af9e",
   "q": "how is the audio generated in the beat lab?",
   "a": "Every sound is synthesised from raw waveforms by the browser at the instant it plays. The machine uses the audio engine built into modern browsers to create ten drum voices and six pads from code.",
   "cites": [
    "the-sound-is-made-on-your-device"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-9c4bcfe3",
   "q": "what happens when a user requests a beat from the genie?",
   "a": "The request is passed to a workshop where two language models process it. The first model, Mistral Small 3.2, acts as a doorman, while the second, Gemma 4, composes the tempo, swing, patterns, and sleeve notes.",
   "cites": [
    "what-happens-when-you-ask-the-genie"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-75e64028",
   "q": "what information is included in a board post?",
   "a": "A post holds the beat, the genie's words, the model used, the time it went up, the original groove, the family, the recipe for its picture, and a fingerprint of a browser-kept claim key.",
   "cites": [
    "the-board"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-3c3c6097",
   "q": "how does the genie's voice function?",
   "a": "The voice, Kokoro, reads the title, aside, and sleeve notes aloud. It runs on a web server and uses a cache to provide faster repeat readings, though it never spends a user's wishes.",
   "cites": [
    "the-voice"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-58f5d650",
   "q": "what data is stored on a visitor's device?",
   "a": "The device keeps the current beat, light/dark mode preference, posted ✦ marks, claim keys for the fifty most recent posts, and whether the four-step explainer has been seen.",
   "cites": [
    "what-the-lab-does-with-what-you-give-it"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-4fe00430",
   "q": "how long does a typical wish take to process?",
   "a": "A typical wish takes about 4 s, according to measurements taken on 2026-08-31.",
   "cites": [
    "numbers-so-it-isnt-just-talk"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-7fc39759",
   "q": "what remains with a user after closing the tab?",
   "a": "The sound never leaves the device. A share link provides a copy that can be kept or sent, and the page automatically saves the beat when the tab is closed.",
   "cites": [
    "what-to-take-with-you#0"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  }
 ],
 "related": [
  {
   "slug": "the-beat-lab-asked-and-answered",
   "why": "shares ground with § The board · § What is the board?"
  },
  {
   "slug": "how-the-print-lab-works",
   "why": "shares ground with § What the lab does with what you give it · § What it is"
  },
  {
   "slug": "how-the-long-table-works",
   "why": "shares ground with § What happens when you ask the genie · § What happens to what is said"
  }
 ],
 "thanks": "",
 "kit": null,
 "seat_class": {
  "writer": "gemma-class",
  "judge": null,
  "writer_runtime": "vllm"
 },
 "bench": {
  "bullets_written": 3,
  "bullets_kept": 1,
  "digests_written": 8,
  "digests_kept": 8,
  "chips_written": 8,
  "chips_kept": 8,
  "chips_grounded": 0,
  "chips_published": 0,
  "dropped_by": {
   "new_noun": 0,
   "figure": 2,
   "length": 0,
   "cite": 0,
   "judge": 0,
   "quote": 0,
   "directive": 0,
   "redaction": 0,
   "profanity": 0,
   "identifier": 0,
   "bare_figure": 0,
   "house_voice": 0
  },
  "new_noun_tokens_checked": [
   "2026-08-31",
   "2026-09-04",
   "3.2",
   "4",
   "526",
   "AI",
   "Beat",
   "Gemma",
   "KB",
   "Kokoro",
   "Lab",
   "Mistral",
   "Small"
  ],
  "new_noun_tokens_withheld": 0,
  "figure_definition": "v3",
  "drops": [
   {
    "kind": "bullet",
    "reason": "figure",
    "item": "the page is one file of about 526 KB",
    "detail": "terminal token not verbatim in the cited span"
   },
   {
    "kind": "bullet",
    "reason": "figure",
    "item": "the genie's voice is a small open-weight speech model that runs on 2026-09-04",
    "detail": "terminal token not verbatim in the cited span"
   }
  ]
 },
 "generated_utc": "2026-09-18T21:55:58Z"
}