3. Echoes in the Dark: The Soundscapes of Starlight

I'm excited to be expanding Starlight Kitforge with a brand new Soundscape Editor. While the lighting side is already quite powerful, this next phase brings rich, layered audio into the mix to create truly immersive environments for dioramas and models.

What is a Soundscape?

A soundscape is a collection of layered audio tracks that work together to build an atmosphere — ambient loops, random environmental sounds, and one-time effects all playing according to their own rules.

Soundscapes Tab

The new Soundscapes tab will live alongside the existing tabs in the web interface. From here, users will be able to:

  • Click "Create New Soundscape" to start a fresh composition
  • Name their soundscape (such as "Rainy Night Street" or "Busy Gas Station")

Track-Based Audio System

Inside each soundscape, users will work with a clean, vertical track list similar to a simplified audio mixer:

Each track will include:

  • The audio file name (pulled from the Media library)
  • A small Play button to preview that individual sound
  • A Volume slider for setting the base level of each track
  • A playback mode selector with three options:
    • One-shot — Plays once when the soundscape starts
    • Loop — Continuously repeats the audio
    • Random — Triggers probabilistically based on timing rules

Random Audio Engine

When Random mode is selected for a track, additional controls appear allowing users to define:

  • How often the system should check for playback (every X seconds)
  • The probability or chance that the sound will trigger
  • Optional minimum gap between plays to prevent unnatural repetition

Global Playback Controls

At the top of the editor, a prominent Play/Stop button will control the entire soundscape:

  • All looping tracks will play continuously
  • One-shot tracks will trigger at the beginning
  • Random tracks will evaluate their rules in real-time while the soundscape is active

Technical Foundation

We're leveraging the existing Media tab for uploading audio files. The soundscape definitions will be saved alongside the lighting projects, and audio playback will be handled server-side on the Raspberry Pi so the sound continues even if the browser is closed.

The Creative Possibilities

This opens up a whole new dimension for physical models. A miniature scene can now have both dynamic lighting and matching audio — rain falling, distant thunder, humming neon signs, or the subtle sounds of a sleeping city.

The goal is to make it simple enough for beginners while still powerful enough for advanced users who want precise control over their audio environments.

This post originally started as a concept note — now the Soundscape Editor is becoming a real feature in Starlight Kitforge.