Cut your samples down to exactly where they groove.
Kerf is a browser-based sample slicer and 16-step sequencer with a full effects chain. Drop in audio, let transient detection find the cuts, then play the slices back over MIDI or your keyboard — live, with retrigger.
Everything between "raw sample" and "playable instrument."
No plugins, no install required to start — Kerf runs on the Web Audio API and keeps every project local to your machine.
Import & record
Load any audio file or record straight from your microphone — no conversion step.
Transient detection
Auto-detect slice points with adjustable sensitivity, then fine-tune every boundary by hand.
Live parameter control
Adjust in/out points, pitch, volume and pan in real time, with instant retrigger as you turn the knob.
16-step sequencer
Build patterns across 8 scenes and arrange your slices into a full performance.
Dual MIDI modes
Trigger mode fires a different slice per note. Sampler mode plays one slice across a piano layout.
Project save/load
Slices, patterns and settings export as a single ZIP — hand it off or pick it back up later.
Built for kits and for pitched playing alike.
Trigger
Every MIDI note or key fires a different slice. The virtual keyboard shows only the slices you've configured — built for playing multi-sample kits.
Sampler
One slice, played across a piano layout — A maps to middle C, higher notes pitch up from there. External MIDI only, for pitch-accurate playing.
A four-pedal effects chain on every slice.
Compression, bit-crushing, overdrive and reverb — chained in that order, dialed in per project.
Compressor
Ratio and wet/dry mix.
Decimator
Bit depth and wet/dry mix.
Overdrive
Drive amount and wet/dry mix.
Reverb
Short/long mode, wet/dry mix.
Install it, or just open it.
Same app either way — the desktop build wraps the browser version in a native window with file-system access.
Kerf for Windows
A native desktop app built with Tauri — smaller footprint than Electron, direct file-system access for saving and loading projects.
Download installer (.exe) Prefer an .msi? Download that insteadRun the PWA — any platform
No install, no download. Kerf runs entirely in the browser on macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, or mobile, and works offline once loaded.
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Open
kerf.monco.io/kerf.html - Optionally use your browser's "Install app" prompt to add it to your dock or home screen
- Works offline after the first load