Strudel

Our verdict on Strudel

Strudel is the most fun creative library we've built on. Its code is readable enough that a person can tweak a note by hand, and simple enough that an LLM can write whole beats in it. That combination let Jordan build a working AI DJ mixer over a holiday weekend.

It is a niche tool, and our evidence is one build in September 2025. If you want finished songs from a prompt, a tool like Suno is closer. Strudel is for people who want to play with the code behind the music.

What we built with Strudel

Strudel AI DJ mixer (Episode 11): a browser-based mixer inspired by Ableton and DJ software.

• Two decks you can crossfade between, each with several channels and an A/B sub-channel mixer.
• Master effects and sync across the decks.
• Strudel code behind every channel, with an AI button that writes a new beat for that channel.
• Built over Labor Day weekend, mostly with OpenAI Codex and some Claude, in JavaScript and React.

On air, each AI press produced a different techno pattern, and Jordan mixed the drums on channel A against a drum-free channel B. It was "a little buggy," and he didn't promise "amazing techno music." It worked.

I think, you know, I could have never built something so dynamic, so progressive without the use of LLMs.

— Jordan Metzner, Episode 11

How we use Strudel

1. Start from someone else's pattern. Jordan screenshotted a TikTok creator's code, then explored community examples, including a remix of Charli XCX's "360."
2. Read the structure. A Strudel track looks like ordinary code: a lead synth variable, an arrangement, the notes it runs through, how many times it repeats, then sections for bass and samples.
3. Make one live edit. Jordan changed the intro so every note was E3. The melody went flat immediately, which is the fastest way to see how the code maps to sound.
4. Design the interface you know. He modeled the mixer on the tools he already uses, Ableton Live and DJ software, with decks, channels and a crossfader.
5. Put Strudel code behind each channel. Each channel holds its own pattern, so you can change one part without touching the rest.
6. Add an AI button per channel. Ask the LLM for a new beat or variation and swap it in. Do it across the stack to change the whole song.
7. Let a coding agent do the heavy lifting. Jordan built most of it in Codex. Without LLMs, he said, it would have been "a very, very heavy and expensive development cycle."

So, you know, it's a live coding platform for music and allows you to make edits in real time and do a bunch of other stuff.

— Jordan Metzner, Episode 11

Where Strudel falls short

• The learning curve is real. Sam said the mixer looked complicated to him because he doesn't mix music. He thought he could build a simpler version in a couple of hours and learn as he went.
• AI beats vary in quality. Every press gives you something different, and it resets the channel, so you keep pressing until you like one.
• Prototype only. The mixer was "just the beginning, early days." We have not taken it further.

Why it matters for music

Jordan got his first turntables at around 10 or 12 and still produces in Ableton, so he knew what he wanted the mixer to do. Sam's takeaway was about everyone else: AI lets you get your hands on crafts that used to take years to learn.

If you're willing to spend a few hours and work with the tools that are available, it's pretty amazing.

— Sam Nadler, Episode 11

Jordan put Strudel next to Veo for video and Nano Banana for images: LLMs reaching the creative arts "whether they like it or not," and hopefully creating a new wave of artists. More on that in AI in music, including our AI retail DJ build.

Episodes featuring Strudel

• Episode 11: the Charli XCX remix, a live note edit and Jordan's AI DJ mixer.

FAQ

What is Strudel?

A JavaScript library for live coding music. You write patterns for synths, samples and drums as code, and edits play back in real time. Jordan found it through TikTok creators making music with it.

Can AI write Strudel code?

Yes, and that was the point of our build. Every channel in Jordan's mixer has an AI button that writes a new Strudel beat, and each press gives a different variation.

Do you need to know music theory to use Strudel?

It helps. Jordan has DJed since he was about 10 and produces in Ableton. Sam, who doesn't mix music, said he could probably build a basic version in a couple of hours with AI and learn along the way.

What did you build with Strudel?

A browser-based two-deck DJ mixer inspired by Ableton, with multiple Strudel-coded channels per deck, an A/B sub-mixer, master effects, sync and AI-generated beats. It worked but was a bit buggy.