Beta closed · 27 September 2026
The beta is now at capacity
Hey there
You are receiving this because you downloaded and activated the Box Of Synths beta. Now that the beta has reached its 1,000-place capacity and is closed to new users until the general release, I wanted to reach out personally and tell you a few things.
First, an introduction. As a performer I make music under the name Box Of Rules (hence the brand). As a developer I am James: fascinated by tech all my life, and doing it professionally for 15 years. I have always wanted a career in music and never quite managed it, waylaid by life, tech and some bad decisions. I also care passionately about the environment, and about injustice in general.
I share that because I want to shine a light on what the beta was really here to test. Ollama has been there for the more technically proficient, but the purpose of the beta was to explore database-driven alternative engines to generative technology ("text to functionality") that do not depend on AI or get lumped in with it. So that we keep some agency over the environmental cost of how we create, and keep our own data.
The application, and the execution of it, is far from perfect, and believe me, I have read a wide range of feedback. But I am proud that it seems to have shown the creative music community that AI use can be modular, clinical and specific, and that it can supplement rather than replace, if it is used at all. Progress should move us forward together, not leave everyone behind.
Many of you have asked me to unlock the separate key options (OpenAI, Claude and so on). With more errors than I expected, I am not comfortable doing that until a better and more visible logic engine is in place, so that the cost analysis is clear, transparent and exact. The beta will stay as it is, on v0.3.3, until a stable v1 release in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, here is what I do intend to release. I added customisable macro dials so that people could effectively create their own micro-UI. That has not been used as much as I hoped; generating a base patch has proved the bigger success. I still believe that what a generative tool like this should offer is the democratisation of your own imagination.
Box Of Synths will have both a free and a premium release in October (date to be confirmed). Before that, I will be releasing v2 of all my existing plugins, built on a new, dedicated, open-source framework, so that people can make plugins with the same elements and tools I will be maintaining for every Box Of Rules plugin from here on.
I will confirm the roadmap for the rest of the year, for Box Of Synths and related products, on 2 October, and I will let you know here. If you got this by email and would rather not receive that update, the unsubscribe link is at the bottom of the email.
I sincerely appreciate every second you have spent on my daft experiment. I hope you enjoyed it, and that maybe you found a sound for you. I can assure you it was the first step on a very exciting road.
James
Box Of Rules
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